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Investment Zone Skills Programme

South East Wales Corporate Joint Committee

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

15 Oct 2026 at 11:10

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
TenderUpdate

07 Sep 2026 at 14:55

UK4 - Tender Notice
Tender

27 Aug 2026 at 14:45

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The South East Wales Corporate Joint Committee is buying a lead managing agent for its Investment Zone Skills Programme. The provider will run a central employer-facing hub in a hub-and-spoke model, connecting further and higher education, private training providers and industry partners. Responsibilities include engaging employers, analysing workforce demand, producing an annual skills delivery plan, commissioning and managing delivery partners, coordinating the programme, managing performance, reporting data and generating evidence. The programme is intended to support workforce growth and productivity, new and inclusive talent pipelines, and educator capacity and system enablement. This is a combined programme-management, training, management consultancy and research service. Delivery covers Cardiff and Vale, Monmouthshire, Newport, Powys and Torfaen.

The procurement is complete and Cardiff and Vale College has been selected as the supplier. The award is pending, with the standstill period ending on 26 October 2026 and contract signature scheduled by 28 October 2026. The award date is 15 October 2026. The contract is due to run from 2 November 2026 to 31 March 2028, with an option to extend for one year, to 31 March 2029. The awarded value is £4,120,000 excluding VAT (£4,944,000 including VAT). This was a single-lot open procedure. Bids were assessed on quality, weighted at 70%, and cost, weighted at 30%. One bid was received and evaluated. The tender deadline was 28 September 2026; the deadline for questions was 18 September 2026.

For suppliers considering similar future work with the Committee, this award demonstrates demand for an organisation able to lead a region-wide skills programme rather than deliver a standalone training course. A credible competitor would need strong employer engagement and workforce research capability, alongside experience turning employer demand into an annual skills plan. It would also need the capacity to commission and oversee a varied delivery network spanning further and higher education, private training providers and industry. Programme coordination, performance management, reliable data reporting and evidence generation are central responsibilities, so bidders would need robust governance and delivery-management systems. The quality-led evaluation indicates that demonstrating a strong service model and measurable programme outcomes matters more than price alone. The successful supplier was Cardiff and Vale College; the process received one bid, with no final-stage bid from an SME.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Investment Zone Skills Programme

Notice Description

The successful provider will act as the central hub within a hub-and-spoke delivery model, providing a single employer-facing front door and coordinating a network of further education, higher education, private training providers and industry partners. The Lead Managing Agent will be responsible for employer engagement, workforce demand analysis and the development of an annual skills delivery plan, commissioning and managing delivery partners, programme coordination, performance management, data reporting, and evidence generation. Delivery will support three core programme objectives: Workforce Growth and Productivity New and Inclusive Talent Pipelines Educator Capacity and System Enablement

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06edb7
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/097357-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

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

80 - Education and training services

CPV Codes

73210000 - Research consultancy services

79411000 - General management consultancy services

79421000 - Project-management services other than for construction work

80500000 - Training services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£4,120,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£4,120,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£4,120,000 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
15 Oct 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
28 Sep 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
15 Oct 20261 weeks ago
Contract Period
2 Nov 2026 - 31 Mar 2028 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Pending
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
South East Wales Corporate Joint Committee
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
CARDIFF
Postcode
CF24 4HQ
Postcode Area
Cardiff
Country
Wales
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLL Wales
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLL5 South East Wales
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLL52 Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan
Delivery Location
TLL15 Central Valleys, TLL16 Gwent Valleys, TLL17 Bridgend and Neath Port Talbot, TLL21 Monmouthshire and Newport, TLL22 Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan
Local Authority
Cardiff
Electoral Ward
Cathays
Westminster Constituency
Cardiff South and Penarth

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Cardiff & Vale College

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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