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Social Mobility Commission - Qualitative research understanding the experiences of NEETs in Blackpool

Social Mobility Commission

This public procurement record has 5 releases in its history.

Award

26 Mar 2026 at 15:09

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
TenderUpdate

20 Jan 2026 at 12:14

UK4 - Tender Notice
TenderUpdate

05 Jan 2026 at 21:58

UK4 - Tender Notice
Tender

05 Jan 2026 at 21:54

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

07 Dec 2025 at 20:54

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Social Mobility Commission has completed the procurement process for a contract focused on conducting qualitative research into the experiences of young people who are NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) specifically in Blackpool. This research aims to understand the factors contributing to their circumstances and the barriers to effective support. The contract has been awarded to IFF Research, a SME based in London, under an open competition procurement method. The contract commenced on 23 March 2026 and is scheduled to end on 31 August 2026, potentially extending for an additional six months. The total contract value is £75,579, excluding VAT, for services classified under the CPV code 79315000, Social research services, with the location specified as the United Kingdom.

This tender presents significant business growth opportunities, particularly for SMEs and organisations involved in social research services. Businesses specialising in qualitative research, especially those with experience in interviewing vulnerable young groups, can greatly benefit from participating in similar future tenders. The tender required proposers to demonstrate a robust methodology, project management capabilities, and ethical consideration, making it most suitable for teams with expertise in these areas. Moreover, the research outcomes align with strategic policy interests, including contributions to discussions on national schemes like the Get Britain Working White Paper, enhancing the potential for successful tenderers to engage in impactful and high-profile social research initiatives.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Social Mobility Commission - Qualitative research understanding the experiences of NEETs in Blackpool

Notice Description

The Social Mobility Commission is interested in conducting research to understand the lived experiences of young people who are NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training), the factors that lead to them becoming and remaining NEET, and the barriers to effective support. Our motivation stems from wanting to understand how and why risk factors interact, and understanding the interaction between structural and individual factors areas of concern. This also aligns with the Social Mobility Commission's place-based and local-insight led approach because a one-size-fits-all national policy towards social mobility does not consider specific regional barriers or issues. Existing quantitative research offers a robust understanding of the scale, trends, and key risk factors for NEETs, but it highlights a growing and evolving challenge. The scale is significant. As of September 2025, an estimated 946,000 16-24 year-olds in the UK are NEET, representing 12.7% of this age group and a notable rise since 2021. The growth is being primarily driven by a shift towards economic inactivity, often due to sickness or disability, which now accounts for roughly three in five NEETs. Crucially, national trends mask considerable local variation, with high-risk areas such as the North East England (15%) and Blackpool, underscoring the need for a place-based approach to research. Blackpool, in particular stands out as an acute example of this place-based challenge due to the high intensity and confluence of social mobility barriers that amplify the risk of young people becoming NEET. Its weak local labour market, reliant on a seasonal service sector, is evidenced by high economic inactivity (28.4% for 16-64 year olds) and high unemployment-related benefit claims. This is compounded by significant underlying risk factors: the NEET rate for 16-17 year-olds is estimated at 8.9% (compared to the English rate of 5.6%), educational attainment is low (GCSE Attainment 8 score of 34.8% vs. national 46.1%), a high proportion of disabled residents and unpaid carers, and it has nearly three times the national average of looked after children. These intersecting, compounding factors make it an area which the Commission wants to initially focus on for in-depth, place-based research. Beyond geography, the NEET population is diverse, but disproportionately represented by certain characteristics, including older NEETs (18-24 year olds), young people with disabilities (29% NEET rate), and those with low educational qualifications. Indeed, research has underlined that risk factors are often interrelated and compounding, meaning factors like low qualifications, disability, and socioeconomic background significantly increase the likelihood of a young person becoming NEET. However, there are key gaps in the research: - There is a need for qualitative research to explore the subjective lived experiences of being NEET, particularly how complex, co-occurring, and compounding factors (e.g. education, local labour market, family background, mental and physical health) contribute at the individual and local level. - Existing qualitative work is often limited by a conceptual or individualistic focus (e.g., self-perception or self-determination) and has not adequately applied a social mobility lens. This leaves a critical gap in understanding the interaction between individual circumstances and broader structural factors. - Some significant sub-groups, such as older NEETs (18-24), young men, and disabled individuals, remain understudied. - Research needs to provide rich contextual insights between different high-risk areas and offer a more in-depth consideration of the impact of regional/local labour markets (e.g. in Blackpool or North East England). - There is limited understanding of effective protective factors, social support, and structural systems. - There is a lack of co-produced, participatory research with NEET young people. Combined with this, the policy context surrounding NEETs offers an opportunity for the research to contribute meaningfully to wider discussions on the topic. These include, the Get Britain Working White Paper, the launch of national Trailblazer schemes, the Millburn Review into youth inactivity all makes this a pertinent time to build understanding of lived experiences of NEET young people, and inform interventions.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: A potential 6-month extension will be permitted, but only in negotiations with the winning supplier and only for time, not additional costs.

Planning Information

This is a pre-market warming exercise. The SMC is engaging with suppliers who have expertise in conducting qualitative research with young people to discuss and test the preliminary thoughts for this research proposal and establish a robust methodology for the Blackpool Pilot. The engagement period is from 08/12/2025 to 23/12/2025. Engagement can take the form of: - Phone calls with prospective suppliers. - Supplier meetings. We are seeking expressions of interest and clarification on the feasibility of the proposed research, particularly regarding the challenging timeline and the delivery of a robust methodology. Please submit any comments or expressions of interest to contact@socialmobilitycommission.gov.uk by 5 pm on 23/12/2025. Any clarification questions should be sent to contact@socialmobilitycommission.gov.uk by 5 pm 19/12/2025.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05f045
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/028051-2026
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
Below threshold - open competition
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

CPV Codes

79315000 - Social research services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£80,000 Under £100K
Lots Value
£80,000 Under £100K
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£75,579 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
26 Mar 20265 months ago
Submission Deadline
26 Jan 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
5 Jan 2026Expired
Award Date
23 Mar 20265 months ago
Contract Period
23 Mar 2026 - 31 Aug 2026 1-6 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Social Mobility Commission
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
SW1A 2HQ
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
Not specified
Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

IFF Research

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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