Tender

Research related to the youth and apprentice rates of the minimum wage (2-year projects)

LOW PAY COMMISSION

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

19 Dec 2025 at 20:33

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Low Pay Commission, a non-departmental public body located in London, UK, seeks tender submissions for a research project titled 'Research related to the youth and apprentice rates of the minimum wage (2-year projects)'. This project falls under the industry category of research and development services and related consultancy services. The current stage of the procurement process is the tender phase. It commenced on 19 December 2025, and the deadline for submission of tenders is set for 2 February 2026. The research project is expected to deliver interim findings by September 2026 and final results by September 2027. The research contract is valued at £80,000 (excluding VAT), with a maximum of £96,000 (including VAT). The procurement method being employed is an open competition, with submissions required via email.

This tender provides a substantial opportunity for businesses specialising in research and development services, particularly those experienced in socio-economic studies and data analysis. The project offers an expansive framework that allows participation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs). Ideal candidates will have the capability to utilise alternative data sources or novel methodologies to provide quantitative estimates regarding the impact of minimum wage increases on young workers and apprentices. Successful participation in this tender could enhance a business's portfolio in government and public sector consultancy projects, potentially leading to further opportunities in public policy research and government advisory capacities.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Research related to the youth and apprentice rates of the minimum wage (2-year projects)

Notice Description

The Low Pay Commission (LPC) invites tenders for research into the impacts of recent increases in the youth and apprentice rates of the UK minimum wage. This call for research is for projects that would deliver final results by September 2027 with interim results in September 2026. Researchers with projects that could be completed to a shorter timeframe are strongly encouraged to bid on LPC 2025/02 or LPC 2025/04, as appropriate. The Low Pay Commission is a non-departmental public body that advises the Government about the National Minimum Wage (NMW), including the National Living Wage (NLW) and the minimum wage rates for young workers and apprentices. We are responsible for evaluating the effects of the NMW and NLW and making recommendations on future rates. To carry out these functions, our work involves: * carrying out extensive research and consultation with employers, workers and their representatives and taking written and oral evidence from a wide range of organisations; * analysing relevant data to understand the state of the economy and labour market and the impact of the minimum wage; * commissioning research projects into these questions. In recent years, we have recommended a number of large increases to the 16-17 Year Old and 18-20 Year Old Rates of the minimum wage. In addition, the current government has an ambition to move to a single adult minimum wage rate for all workers aged 18 and above. Our most recent remit asked the LPC to balance this ambition with the Government's concern about current levels of youth unemployment when making our recommendations on the 18-20 Year Old Rate. As shown in analysis published alongside the LPC's consultation , reducing the age of entitlement to the NLW to 18 would require significant increases in the wage floor for 18-20 year olds. It is therefore vital that the LPC has a robust evidence base for understanding the impact of recent increases in the youth rates of the minimum wage as well as the potential future impacts. The LPC carries out its own descriptive and econometric analysis of the youth labour market and the impact of minimum wage increases. However, some of the key data sources we rely on, including the Labour Force Survey, have suffered from data quality issues since the pandemic. We are therefore looking for research that would use alternative data sources and/or develop novel methods to provide robust quantitative estimates of the impact of increases in the youth rates of the minimum wage since 2020. We have previously noted the importance of the interactions between the youth and apprentice rates of the minimum wage (see, for example, the LPC's Beyond 2024 Report ) and are considering the full range of options for the future of the Apprentice Rate. We have also recommended considerable increases to the Apprentice Rate in recent years, but the data available to evaluate these increases are limited. Projects focussing on the Apprentice Rate would support our understanding of the impacts of the Apprentice Rate of the minimum wage on employer and/or worker decisions and outcomes. They would complement the LPC's own analysis of apprenticeship starts, vacancies and pay. The estimated maximum cost of the contract is PS80,000 (exclusive of VAT; PS96,000 including VAT). We recognise that proposed projects may vary significantly in their scale and resource requirements and anticipate bids in the range PS40,000 to PS80,000.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05fb03
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085183-2025
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

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

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

CPV Codes

73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

Notice Value(s)

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

Notice Dates

Publication Date
19 Dec 20251 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
2 Feb 20262 months to go
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
2 Mar 2026 - 31 Dec 2027 1-2 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
LOW PAY COMMISSION
Contact Name
Tim Butcher
Contact Email
lpc@lowpay.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
E14 4PU
Post Town
East London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI4 Inner London - East
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI42 Tower Hamlets
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Tower Hamlets
Electoral Ward
Canary Wharf
Westminster Constituency
Poplar and Limehouse

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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