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Connect to Work Programme - Individual Placement Support (IPS) in Darlington, Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees and Redcar & Cleveland

Hartlepool Borough Council

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

21 Oct 2026 at 11:51

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

08 Oct 2026 at 09:57

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

20 Aug 2026 at 15:29

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Hartlepool Borough Council, acting as lead authority for the Tees Valley Combined Authority, procured Individual Placement Support through the Connect to Work programme. The service is intended to help disabled people, people with health conditions and people facing complex barriers to enter or remain in employment. Its primary focus is people who are economically inactive and out of work, with support also available to some people at high risk of becoming inactive after unemployment. Delivery is across Darlington, Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees and Redcar and Cleveland, with the councils in those areas acting as users and evaluators. This is a health, employment-support and social work service, with education and training also classified within the requirement.

The procurement is complete and the contract has been awarded to Waythrough. The award was made on 8 October 2026 and the contract was signed on 21 October 2026. The contract value is £2,769,200 gross. The contract period runs from 1 December 2026 to 31 March 2028, with an option to extend to 31 March 2030, dependent on satisfactory performance and budget availability. The council used an open procedure. There was one lot, and quality accounted for 100% of the evaluation. Three bids were received and two reached the final stage. The programme is intended to support nearly 2,000 people a year at peak and more than 5,000 over its duration. The contract sets employment outcome targets, including job starts, sustained earnings outcomes and in-work retention.

For providers of supported employment and vocational rehabilitation, this award shows demand for a large-scale, measurable service that combines support into work with retention support for people with disabilities, health conditions or complex barriers. A credible competitor would need to deliver across multiple Tees Valley boroughs, manage referrals and participant support at substantial annual volumes, and demonstrate the ability to achieve sustained employment outcomes against earnings and duration thresholds. The requirement favoured quality-led delivery, so strong service design, appropriately skilled employment-support staff, local delivery capacity and robust performance monitoring would be central to competing when this buyer’s requirement returns to market. SMEs were considered suitable, although the selected supplier was a voluntary-sector organisation. The contract’s extension depends on performance and available funding, making evidence of outcomes and dependable delivery important.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Connect to Work Programme - Individual Placement Support (IPS) in Darlington, Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees and Redcar & Cleveland

Notice Description

Hartlepool Borough Council (the Council) has been appointed as the Lead Authority by Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) for the Connect to Work Programme. As such, the Council is responsible for ensuring successful management and delivery of the programme across Tees Valley. Connect to Work will support disabled people, people with health conditions and those with complex barriers to get into or remain in work. It will be delivered up to 31st March 2030, and the primary focus is on those who are inactive and out of work, but it will also support some people who are at high risk of becoming inactive if they become unemployed. At its peak, the programme will support nearly 2,000 people per year in Tees Valley - and more than 5,000 people over the period to 2030.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06e8db
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/099386-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
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
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services

85 - Health and social work services

98 - Other community, social and personal services

CPV Codes

80000000 - Education and training services

85000000 - Health and social work services

85300000 - Social work and related services

98000000 - Other community, social and personal services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£2,769,200 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£2,769,200 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£2,769,200 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
£2,769,200 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
21 Oct 20266 days ago
Submission Deadline
23 Sep 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
8 Oct 20262 weeks ago
Contract Period
1 Dec 2026 - 31 Mar 2028 1-2 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
Hartlepool Borough Council
Additional Buyers

Darlington Borough Council

Middlesbrough Council

Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council

Stockton on Tees Borough 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
HARTLEPOOL
Postcode
TS24 8AY
Postcode Area
Cleveland
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLC North East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLC3 Tees Valley
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLC31 Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees
Delivery Location
TLC1 Tees Valley and Durham
Local Authority
Hartlepool
Electoral Ward
Victoria
Westminster Constituency
Hartlepool

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Waythrough

Further Information

Notice Documents

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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