Tender

Continuous Improvement Capability

ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

17 Feb 2026 at 16:37

Summary of the contracting process

Essex County Council is seeking to establish a contractual arrangement for Continuous Improvement Capability, aimed at meeting growing demands within public service delivery in Chelmsford, Essex. This opportunity, tagged under vocational training services, falls within the active tender stage and adheres to an open procurement method. Key dates for businesses to note include the tender period's end on 13 March 2026 and the enquiry period's close on 27 February 2026. The contract, valued at £480,000 with a three-year term commencing on 1 April 2026, requires a blended approach to training delivery, adaptable to both virtual and face-to-face sessions, utilising platforms like Microsoft Teams.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in vocational training services, especially those with expertise in continuous improvement and change management. Given its focus on varied training methods and the potential scope changes, SMEs with agile and scalable operations will find competitive advantages in this process. With Essex County Council prioritising technical quality alongside competitive pricing in its award criteria, businesses with a strong track record in delivering high-quality training solutions that drive organisational change stand to benefit from this tender.

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Notice Title

Continuous Improvement Capability

Notice Description

Previous requirements for these services have been deployed to support the organisation meet the demands placed on it through significant changes to how public services are delivered. These deployments have been on an ad-hoc basis. We are now looking to implement a new contractual arrangement to continue this work and support an increasing demand for continuous improvement and change over the next 3 years. On average we have delivered 6 Yellow Belt training courses of up to 14 people, per course, on a yearly basis. There has been on average 6 employees attending open green belt training and 6 white belt training courses with 2-3, 1 hour lunch and learn sessions. For Change, we previously delivered around 12 specific 'change' related capability building sessions as part of our LearnFest annual learning programme. These have included topics relating to Leading Change, Managing Change and Change Culture. In addition, the CCoP, launch in June 25, have delivered approx. 4 sessions a month, plus two sessions for Management Fundamentals. The scope of this requirement is to deliver Continuous Improvement and Change training and mentoring across Essex County Council. Whilst both are in scope, Change Capability has been added as an additional service. There could be potential for the range of services to change, the scope of work, to expand or reduce; furthermore, the range of materials could increase, decrease or for new products to be included or substituted as technology develops. Where there is a requirement for additional services then Bidders will need to ensure themselves that they meet these requirements, before submitting their response. There is no guarantee that these services will be required. The size of cohorts and number of sessions per annum will be agreed by all parties prior to commencement of the services. The number of sessions per annum may vary dependant on demand. The main location of the population is County Hall, Chelmsford, Essex. However, ECC staff work on a hybrid basis (incorporating working from other locations, alongside working from the office as required). This means delivery of development services will need to be truly blended, including some virtual and some on-site face to face delivery (at Council sites across the County) for the duration of this contract. Our channel of choice for virtual delivery is Microsoft Teams (though staff can also access other platforms). The Bidder will not be required to arrange meeting rooms for face-to-face sessions as this will be managed by ECC. Contract length of 36 months with no extension options. Every digital service that ECC provides must be accessible to as many people as possible and must be compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.2). This includes standalone digital services and digital services that form part of the delivery of a wider requirement, applicable requirements may be subject to successfully completing accessibility testing undertaken by ECC, before they can be accepted.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06567c
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014503-2026
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
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services


CPV Codes

80530000 - Vocational training services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£480,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
£480,000 £100K-£500K
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
17 Feb 20265 days ago
Submission Deadline
13 Mar 20263 weeks to go
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Mar 2026 - 31 Mar 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
abbey.wellington@essex.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
CHELMSFORD
Postcode
CM1 1QH
Post Town
Chelmsford
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH3 Essex
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH36 Heart of Essex
Delivery Location
TLH3 Essex

Local Authority
Chelmsford
Electoral Ward
Moulsham and Central
Westminster Constituency
Chelmsford

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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