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Delivery of Wirral Council's Connect to Work Individual Placement Support (IPS) Programme

Wirral Council

This public procurement record has 6 releases in its history.

Award

11 Sep 2026 at 11:17

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

06 Aug 2026 at 11:24

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
TenderUpdate

04 Jun 2026 at 15:56

UK4 - Tender Notice
Tender

04 Jun 2026 at 14:37

UK4 - Tender Notice
PlanningUpdate

05 Dec 2025 at 16:04

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Planning

05 Dec 2025 at 15:50

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Wirral Council commissioned delivery of the Individual Placement Support (IPS) element of the Liverpool City Region Connect to Work programme. This is a specialist employment support service aimed at helping people who are economically inactive move towards and sustain work. Support is voluntary and must be tailored to participants’ individual circumstances; participants must be eligible and suitable for the provision. The procurement is for services in the Wirral area. The work is classified as education and training services and sits within the light-touch regime. Wirral Council is the buying organisation. The requirement covers delivery of the IPS programme rather than general employment services, so it is most relevant to providers with an established employment-support, vocational rehabilitation or related specialist service capable of working directly with eligible participants.

The procurement is complete and the contract has been awarded to STANDGUIDE LIMITED. Wirral Council used an above-threshold open procedure. One lot was awarded. The award was made on 5 August 2026 for £3,881,351 excluding VAT (£4,657,621.20 including VAT), with a contract period from 1 September 2026 to 31 March 2030. The contract was signed on 7 September 2026 and is active. The estimated lot value was £4,044,721 excluding VAT (£4,853,665.20 including VAT). Evaluation gave 80% to quality, 10% to social value and 10% to price. Six bids reached the final stage, including three from SMEs and one from a voluntary, community or social enterprise. The lot was identified as suitable for both SMEs and VCSEs, and renewal is provided for.

This award demonstrates sustained local demand for a substantial, participant-facing IPS employment support service from Wirral Council. A future competitor would need practical expertise in helping economically inactive people progress towards work, with delivery shaped around individual circumstances rather than a standardised training offer. Credibility would also depend on robust arrangements for checking participant eligibility and suitability, providing voluntary support and maintaining effective employment-focused casework throughout delivery. The quality weighting shows that service design, delivery capability and evidence of outcomes would matter considerably more than price, while social value is separately assessed. The requirement is suitable for SMEs and VCSEs, so organisations of those types may be well placed to compete, provided they have sufficient operational capacity, relevant staff and the ability to deliver education, training and employment support across the Wirral area.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Delivery of Wirral Council's Connect to Work Individual Placement Support (IPS) Programme

Notice Description

Wirral Borough Council has appointed a provider to deliver under contract, the Individual Placement Support (IPS) element of LCR's Connect to Work Connect programme. Connect to Work is a voluntary programme to help tackle economic inactivity by providing a specific form of support targeted at the right people at the right time, based on their individual circumstances. Participants must be both eligible and suitable for the provision.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05f007
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/086300-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services

CPV Codes

80000000 - Education and training services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£4,044,721 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£4,044,721 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£3,881,351 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
£3,881,351 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
11 Sep 20263 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
6 Jul 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
2 Jan 2026Expired
Award Date
5 Aug 20262 months ago
Contract Period
7 Sep 2026 - 31 Mar 2030 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Wirral Council
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
WALLASEY
Postcode
CH44 8ED
Postcode Area
Chester
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLD North West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLD7 Merseyside
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLD74 Wirral
Delivery Location
TLD74 Wirral
Local Authority
Wirral
Electoral Ward
Seacombe
Westminster Constituency
Wallasey

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Standguide Limited

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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