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Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund Administration - Call off under the RM6322 - Fund Administration and Disbursement Services (FAADS) Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS)

Department for Work and Pensions

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

03 Aug 2026 at 13:30

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Work & Pensions commissioned full programme management for the Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund, an administration services requirement (CPV 75100000). The programme is intended to stimulate and test innovative approaches that help disabled people and people with health conditions move towards work, enter work and remain in work. The appointed provider manages grant-funded initiatives designed to build evidence of what works and inform future policy. Services cover fund design and development, market engagement and promotion, applications, assessment and awards, evaluation, and due diligence and counter-fraud activity. The work supports initiatives across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and may involve individuals, public, private, academic and third-sector organisations as grant recipients. The procurement is categorised as services and was bought by the Department for Work & Pensions.

The procurement has been awarded following a restricted procedure above the threshold, using a call-off from the RM6322 Fund Administration and Disbursement Services Dynamic Purchasing System. Ernst and Young LLP was awarded the contract on 17 July 2026 for £11.5 million. The contract runs from 1 August 2026 to 31 March 2028, with an option to extend by up to 24 months, subject to governance approval, funding and satisfactory performance, with at least three months’ written notice. The published requirement described an initial value of £4.25 million and an upper estimated value of £11.5 million. The tender deadline was 18 May 2026 at 11:00. Evaluation used the most economically advantageous tender model: technical quality accounted for 60% and commercial considerations for 40%.

This award demonstrates demand for suppliers able to administer complex, innovation-led grant programmes across all four UK nations. Businesses preparing for comparable work would need credible programme-management capability spanning fund design, promotion, application handling, assessment, award administration and evaluation. Strong evidence-generation skills are central, including the ability to test interventions, assess outcomes and turn findings into evidence that can support future policy and wider adoption. Experience of due diligence, counter-fraud controls and public funding governance would also be important, alongside the operational capacity to manage a broad portfolio of initiatives and applicants from public, private, academic and third-sector organisations. The stated suitability for SMEs and voluntary, community and social enterprises indicates that specialist organisations, consortiums or delivery partners could be relevant competitors.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund Administration - Call off under the RM6322 - Fund Administration and Disbursement Services (FAADS) Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS)

Notice Description

These services relate to "light touch services" under the Light-Touch Regime as set out in Schedule 3 to the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, using common procurement vocabulary (CPV) codes. The Authority has conducted a call-off from the RM6322 Fund Administration and Disbursement Services Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for this requirement. The Department for Work and Pensions "The Authority" has awarded a contract to deliver the Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund which aims to stimulate new ideas and test innovative approaches to supporting disabled people and those with health conditions towards, into and to remain in work. It responds to the widening disability employment gap and rising economic inactivity linked to long-term sickness. The Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund seeks to build evidence of what works through a wide range of grant funded initiatives across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, open to individuals, public, private, academic and third-sector organisations. The key objective of the Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund will be to generate evidence of what works through the testing of approaches and ideas that have the potential to be piloted formally (gaining sufficient evidence) and then scaled up. Such evidence would be used to inform future policies that are aimed at supporting disabled people and those with health conditions towards and into work. This procurement aims to appoint a Supplier to provide full programme management of the Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund. The Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund Administration Supplier will be required to provide the expertise and capability to make sure that the available funding is used to generate as much quality evidence as possible from genuinely innovative Initiatives via the Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund. Full programme management will include the following service requirements: (a) Design and development. (b) Market engagement and promotion. (c) Application, assessment and award services. (d) Evaluation services. (e) Due diligence counter fraud services. The initial value of the Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund Administration requirement is PS4.25m. The Authority is awarding a contract for the services for an initial period of 20 months with an option (subject to governance approval, available funding and satisfactory performance) for the Authority to extend the contract for a further period of up to 24 months by giving the Supplier written notice of no less than 3 Months before the initial period of the contract expires, unless terminated earlier in accordance with the provisions of the Contract. The award criteria is based on the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT) using a Relative Assessment model. The Technical Envelope equates to 60% of the total evaluation score and and the Commercial Envelope equates to 40% of the total evaluation score.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-6e6ac3d4-d203-4655-958a-5e811846bdba
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/7748b718-90ef-4a43-940a-d48137df3d49
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Dynamic
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Restricted procedure (above threshold)
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

75 - Administration, defence and social security services

CPV Codes

75100000 - Administration services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£11,500,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£11,500,000 £10M-£100M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
3 Aug 20262 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
17 Jul 20262 months ago
Contract Period
1 Aug 2026 - 31 Mar 2028 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Not Specified
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Department for Work and Pensions
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1H 9NA
Postcode Area
South West London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England), TLL Wales, TLM Scotland, TLN Northern Ireland
Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Ernst & Young LLP

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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