Tender

South Midlands Connect to Work Programme (Milton Keynes Area)

MILTON KEYNES CITY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Tender

16 Feb 2026 at 11:32

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

19 Sep 2025 at 12:04

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Milton Keynes City Council has announced the public tender for the South Midlands Connect to Work Programme, focused on the Milton Keynes Area. This initiative, backed by grant funding from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), forms part of the national Get Britain Working Strategy and aims to assist individuals with disabilities, health conditions, or complex barriers into sustainable employment. The procurement process is currently in the tender stage and is adopting an open procedure under the Light Touch Regime. The deadline for submissions is 12 noon on 19th March 2026. The programme is classified under the training services, health and social work services, and social work categories, with the project aimed to commence in September 2026 and conclude in March 2029. The programme is located within the South Midlands region, including Milton Keynes, and specifically focuses on delivering vocational profiling, job matching, and employer engagement components among others.

This tender provides significant opportunities for businesses specialising in training, health, social work, and employment services to collaborate and expand within the community and local government sectors. Businesses with expertise in supporting individuals facing employment barriers or those skilled in vocational training are especially well-suited to participate. SMEs and VCSEs can leverage this tender to grow their influence by developing targeted and impactful employment solutions. Successful tenderers will enter a 31-month contract period, offering a stable business opportunity valued at over £1.9 million gross. Engaging in this programme could enhance the strategic positioning and service offering of businesses involved, fostering growth through meaningful societal contributions.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

South Midlands Connect to Work Programme (Milton Keynes Area)

Notice Description

Milton Keynes City Council are currently out to tender for the provision of South Midlands Connect to Work Programme (Milton Keynes Area). Milton Keynes City Council has been awarded grant funding by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to participate in the Connect to Work initiative, via the accountable body 'West Northants Council (WNC)' as part of the South Midlands region. Connect to Work is the initial and significant element of the Get Britain Working Strategy, the aim of which is to support people with disabilities, those with health conditions and people with complex barriers, to find suitable work. The Connect to Work Programme aims to support individuals furthest from the labour market into sustainable employment. It is a voluntary programme launched by DWP (the Department for Work and Pensions) to help tackle economic inactivity by providing a specific form of supported employment targeted at the right people at the right time, based on their individual circumstances. It is a national programme, delivered in clusters of local authorities. In the case of this region, the South Midlands cluster - namely Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire, Luton, Milton Keynes City, North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. For the purposes of this tender opportunity, it relates to the Milton Keynes City element of the programme. The Contractor will be expected to deliver the five stages of the supported employment model: - Engagement: Building relationships with local services to raise aspirations and confidence among potential Participants. - Vocational Profiling: A detailed discovery process to identify Participants' strengths, needs, and employment goals. - Employer Engagement: Building partnerships with employers to understand their needs and support Participants through the recruitment process. - Job Matching: Identifying job vacancies that match Participants' profiles and working with employers to create suitable roles. - On and Off the Job Support: Providing tailored support to Participants and employers to ensure sustained employment and career progression. This procurement is being undertaken via the Open procedure under the Light Touch Regime. The Council proposes to enter into a contract that will be for a term of 2 years and 7 months with the successful tenderer (Service Provider) unless terminated in accordance with the Conditions of Contract. Tender submissions must be returned electronically via the Authorities e-tendering portal In-Tend: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/milton-keynes/aspx/Home as per the prescribed instructions in the tender documentation. Deadline for submissions of the tender will be 12 noon on 19th March 2026.

Planning Information

Milton Keynes City Council (‘the Council’) would like to engage with potential providers for a Connect to Work Programme to help tackle economic inactivity. The Connect to Work Programme (CTW) is a grant funded initiative from the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP) targeting the ‘economically inactive’ in local areas. CTW forms part of the Government’s strategy ‘Get Britain Working’ and it aims to help annually around 93,000 disabled people, those with health conditions and people with complex barriers to seek and find sustainable employment each year. Milton Keynes City Council is working as part of the South Midlands regional group of local authorities, including West and North Northants, Central Beds, Beds Borough and Luton Councils. West Northants are the accountable body for the region and have decentralised their model to allow for localism and areas to meet the needs of their demographic. Each LA has created their own delivery plan and grant cost register to feed into the regional ones. We are keen to hear from providers on the following questions. Please respond to the attached document latest by 5pm on 7th October 2025 via In-Tend Correspondence section/market engagement stage. If there is sufficient interest in a market engagement event to explore the proposal in more detail, this will be held on 14th October 2025, via Microsoft Teams. Please also indicate in your response to the Market Engagement if you would like to receive an invitation which will be sent separately subject to interest. The Market Engagement document can be accessed on our e-tendering portal: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/milton-keynes/aspx/Home

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-059e24
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/013761-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Planning, Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

80500000 - Training services

85000000 - Health and social work services

85300000 - Social work and related services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£1,615,950 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£1,615,950 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
16 Feb 20266 days ago
Submission Deadline
19 Mar 20264 weeks to go
Future Notice Date
1 Nov 2025Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Aug 2026 - 31 Mar 2029 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
MILTON KEYNES CITY COUNCIL
Contact Name
Procurement Team
Contact Email
corporateprocurement@milton-keynes.gov.uk
Contact Phone
01908691691

Buyer Location

Locality
MILTON KEYNES
Postcode
MK9 3EJ
Post Town
Milton Keynes
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ12 Milton Keynes
Delivery Location
TLJ12 Milton Keynes
Local Authority
Milton Keynes
Electoral Ward
Central Milton Keynes
Westminster Constituency
Milton Keynes Central

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts. 

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