Official UK procurement notice
Sunderland Technology Incubator Programme
Authority: Sunderland City Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionSunderland City Council is seeking to commission a co-located start-up incubator programme in Sunderland to support early-stage technology businesses, bridging the gap between idea and investment readiness through a structured, high-intensity cohort model based at Culture House. The programme will create a strong pipeline of scalable ventures, combining public and private support to boost investment, retain talent, generate high-value jobs, and strengthen Sunderland's reputation as a leading location for tech start-ups.
CPV: Business and management consultancy and related services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedPublished value£450,000
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Published sub-criteria (3)
- Quality: 35%
- Pricing Schedule: 60%
- Social Value: 5%
Published award criteria (3)
- Quality
- Pricing Schedule
- Social Value
- Price carries 60 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 6 points. This one is won on the number: sharpen the price before polishing the prose.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 25 Jun 2026, 07:28 BST
- Last source update
- 12 Oct 2026, 14:42 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 12 Oct 2026
- Authority reference
OPEN20261358- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-084508- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06bca4Find a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 6 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 29 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Tenders must be submitted electronically via the Authorities Open E Tender system www.open-uk.org ↗.
Submissions received through any other means may be rejected.
The Contracting Authority communicates through the Open system; therefore, all correspondence regarding this Tender will be issued to the individual that expressed interest on Open. It is the Supplier's responsibility to ensure the correct named person is, and continues to be, registered on the Open system.
For guidance on how to use the Open system please refer www.open-hub.org/how-to-guides/ ↗
If you require time-critical assistance on submitting your Tender, please contact the Open Support Team on 0191 638 0040.
For routine queries, such as passwords, general account queries and location of information etc please contact [email protected]
PLEASE NOTE: The system is accessible 24/7 however, technical support is only available;
Monday - Thursday 8:30 - 17:00.
Friday - 8:30 - 16:30.
The Tender must be received in accordance with the above instructions no later than the time and date indicated in the Timetable section of this ITT.
Suppliers are responsible for ensuring that they understand the submission requirements and should raise any queries or clarifications necessary for submission of their Tender via the Correspondence section in good time and in any event by no later than the "Submission of Queries" deadline as stated in the Timetable section of this ITT.
Timeline
25 Jun 2026 → 13 Nov 2026 · 10 dates- Planning notice published118 days ago25 Jun 2026, 07:28 BST
- Market engagement109 days ago3 Jul 2026, 23:59 BST
There is a preliminary market engagement questionnaire available on the Councils online tendering platform, the Open system.
You will need to create an account on Open in order to access and bid for public sector opportunities issued by Sunderland City Council.
Visit www.open-uk.org ↗ to register an account
(Registration is free and easy. Simply head over to www.open-uk.org ↗ and complete the online registration form).
Top tips to help you get started:
Keep an eye out for the temporary password to confirm your account - this is only valid for 3 days so if you have not logged in during this period, you will need to contact [email protected] to request a new temporary password
Adding your Companies House number will populate fields and make it easier to register
Once registered, select Codes & Categories relevant to your area of business
Add [email protected] to your safe sender list to ensure you don't miss out on notifications of relevant opportunities
The Open Hub is packed with resources and information to help you get the most out of Open. We have answered your questions in our FAQ section and developed a range of how-to guides so you can familiarise yourself with the system at your own pace. Visit www.open-hub.org ↗ to find out more
Suppliers must also ahead of the publication of the tender, register on the Central Digital Platform (CDP) and ensure their information is up-to-date on the system .
The CDP is available at www.gov.uk/find-tender ↗.
This market engagement will allow the Council to understand the appetite in the market and prepare the market and to advise them to register with the appropriate sies to ensure that have access to all documentation and can submit compliant tenders.
- Tender notice published44 days ago7 Sept 2026, 15:06 BST
- Clarification questions by22 days ago29 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission deadline15 days ago6 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
- Assessment summaries sent9 days ago12 Oct 2026, 00:00 BST
- Latest notice published9 days ago12 Oct 2026, 14:42 BST
- Award decision expected by8 days ago12 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST
- Today21 Oct 2026
- Standstill endsin 2 days22 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST
- Contract startsin 23 days13 Nov 2026
Notice history
6 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 25 Jun 2026- Preliminary market engagement notice published25 Jun 2026, 07:28 BSTUK2
- Tender notice published7 Sept 2026, 15:06 BSTUK4
- Contract award notice published12 Oct 2026, 14:42 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete12 Oct 2026, 14:42 BST
- Procurement method changed12 Oct 2026, 14:42 BST
- Contract signature expected16 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESESSEE LtdSME16 Nov 2026 – 16 Nov 2029 | £450,000 | 9 Oct 2026standstill to 22 Oct 2026 | Standstill |
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1final-stage tenders | 1 | 0 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- ESESSEE LIMITEDAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender