Planning

653F_27 Managed Services for Temporary Agency Resources (MSTAR5)

LEICESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL, TRADING AS ESPO

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

15 Apr 2026 at 09:30

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Leicestershire County Council, through its trading arm ESPO, is currently in the planning stage of a procurement process titled '653F_27 Managed Services for Temporary Agency Resources (MSTAR5).' This initiative is focused on establishing a national framework for managed services within the recruitment industry, specifically targeting temporary agency resources. The process is underway with preliminary market engagement via a Request for Information (RFI) questionnaire, with the deadline for submissions set at 17:00 on 8 May 2026. Following this phase, from May to July 2026, ESPO will conduct one-on-one market engagement sessions aimed at gathering detailed insights from a diverse range of suppliers. The procurement aims to support staffing solutions throughout the United Kingdom and is located in the Leicester area.

This tender represents a substantial opportunity for businesses in the recruitment services industry, offering a chance to manage a supply chain for fulfilling staffing needs under a framework agreement with an estimated gross value of £4 billion. Opportunities are particularly suited to SMEs, market leaders, incumbents, and new entrants, with the framework including services such as Vendor Management Systems and Talent Pool Technology. Businesses capable of providing effective managed services for agency recruitment will find this procurement attractive due to its extensive scope and financial potential. ESPO encourages a wide array of suppliers to engage early via the eProcurement portal and emphasises that participating in preliminary engagement will not affect the ability to bid for the framework during the tender stage, thus broadening the competition and inclusivity of the process.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

653F_27 Managed Services for Temporary Agency Resources (MSTAR5)

Notice Description

ESPO are conducting preliminary market engagement with the intention of establishing a national framework for the appointment of a Managed Service Provider to manage a supply chain of agencies to fulfil a customer's staffing needs. Services available include Neutral/Master Vendor, Vendor Management System (VMS), Talent Pool Technology and Statement of Works (Project Delivery). Please note this is not a call for competition, the tender documentation is not yet available.

Planning Information

Suppliers are required to register and complete the relevant stages on the Central Digital Platform if they wish to participate in or bid for this framework. Engagement is initially being undertaken via a Request for Information (RFI) questionnaire, with details being captured on the EastMidsTenders eProcurement Portal (www.eastmidstenders.org). The deadline for responding to the RFI is 17:00 (5pm) on 08 May 2026. Suppliers wishing to participate in the RFI MUST first express an interest as follows: (a) Go to https://www.eastmidstenders.org/; (b) Register (if not already registered on ProContract); (c) Search for opportunity '653F_27' (via "View Opportunities" from the EastMidsTenders Portal); d) Express an interest. Suppliers can access the RFI questionnaire in the Messages section of the eProcurement Portal (via the Activity dashboard once an expression of interest has been registered). Instructions on how to respond are captured in the RFI (a link is provided to respond online). In case of any questions or clarifications, these should be submitted to ESPO as a message on the eProcurement Portal. Following the RFI, 1-2-1 preliminary market engagement sessions will take place between May to July 2026. These will be limited in number (and will be undertaken via in-person or Teams meeting, invites to be issued out by ESPO for these). Meetings will be based on ESPO seeking further information on points raised within the Supplier’s RFI, with these meetings seeking involve a sample of market leaders, incumbents, SMEs and new entrants to the market, to capture a variety of views and ensure our sample of suppliers reflects the diverse range of MSPs within the staffing solutions market. For those not selected to participate in 1-2-1 sessions, outcomes of the engagement piece will be published within the Invitation To Tender Document, access to which will be published via the Tender Notice. Those that do not wish to participate in engagement or are not chosen for 1-2-1 sessions will not be at an unfair disadvantage when bidding for this framework. For the avoidance of doubt those not participating in the engagement piece will not be impacted in being able to participate in any resulting tender exercise, and will not be excluded from tendering.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0682a3
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/034054-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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

CPV Codes

79600000 - Recruitment services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£3,333,333,333 £1B-£10B
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
15 Apr 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
31 Jul 20264 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
10 Apr 2027 - 10 Apr 2029 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
LEICESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL, TRADING AS ESPO
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LEICESTER
Postcode
LE19 1ES
Post Town
Leicester
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLF East Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLF2 Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLF22 Leicestershire CC and Rutland
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Blaby
Electoral Ward
Enderby
Westminster Constituency
South Leicestershire

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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