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Executive Agency Support for SCS3 Permanent Recruitment Campaign

Department for Business and Trade

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

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14 Oct 2026 at 09:20

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Business and Trade procured executive search and recruitment agency services to appoint its Director General Chief Operating Officer at Senior Civil Service level 3 (SCS3). The work covered sourcing candidates, carrying out due diligence, supporting interviews and administering the recruitment process. This is a specialist senior-executive recruitment requirement for a central government department, rather than general staffing or high-volume recruitment. The buying organisation is the Department for Business and Trade, based in London. The procurement records one completed lot for the recruitment services; the work relates to filling the department’s senior operational leadership post.

The procurement is complete and the contract was awarded to Korn Ferry. The department used a direct award below the public procurement threshold, without competition. The contract was signed on 13 October 2026 and runs from 13 October 2026 to 13 March 2027. Its value is £60,000 excluding VAT and £72,000 including VAT. The award is active and the contract is active. The procurement comprised one lot, covering the executive search and recruitment campaign. No evaluation criteria or competitive assessment basis are recorded; the stated route was a non-competitive direct award. The awarded scope is the appointment of the department’s SCS3 Director General Chief Operating Officer, including candidate sourcing, due diligence, interview support and recruitment administration.

This award demonstrates demand from the Department for Business and Trade for specialist executive search to fill a top-level civil service leadership role. Suppliers seeking to compete for comparable requirements would need credible experience sourcing senior executives, managing candidate due diligence and supporting structured interviews, alongside reliable administration of a sensitive recruitment campaign. The work calls for the reach and judgement to identify suitable candidates for a senior public-sector operational post, and the capacity to coordinate the stages of a focused appointment process. Korn Ferry, a large recruitment supplier, was selected through a direct award without competition; this procurement therefore provides evidence of the buyer’s requirement and its chosen route, rather than a tested comparison of competing offers.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Executive Agency Support for SCS3 Permanent Recruitment Campaign

Notice Description

Provision of executive search and recruitment agency services for the appointment of the Department for Business and Trade's Director General Chief Operating Officer (SCS3), including candidate sourcing, due diligence, interview support and recruitment administration.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-078710
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/096791-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - without competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

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
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£60,000 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
14 Oct 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
13 Oct 2026 - 13 Mar 2027 1-6 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Department for Business and Trade
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1A 2DY
Postcode Area
South West London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Korn Ferry (UK) Limited

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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