---
title: "JCS Research and Engagement"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-092fdd41-2f58-4f2b-a400-1d08575fecfb"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-092fdd41-2f58-4f2b-a400-1d08575fecfb"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-092fdd41-2f58-4f2b-a400-1d08575fecfb.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-092fdd41-2f58-4f2b-a400-1d08575fecfb.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Department for Work and Pensions"
published: "2026-10-12"
---

# JCS Research and Engagement

Buyer: Department for Work and Pensions  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-092fdd41-2f58-4f2b-a400-1d08575fecfb

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## Summary

The Department for Work and Pensions commissioned research and engagement to develop a shared understanding, with local places, of what joined-up employment support requires and how it could be delivered. The work is classified as a service and relates to research, engagement and advisory support, rather than the supply of a defined physical product. The stated purpose is to identify what effective, integrated employment support needs and the steps required to achieve it. The recorded delivery location is the United Kingdom. The buyer is the Department for Work and Pensions.

The procurement is complete and was awarded to Public Digital. The award was made on 2 October 2026 for £398,950. The contract period runs from 5 October 2026 to 2 April 2027. The original tender deadline was 2 October 2026 at 12:00. The Department used a selective call-off from a framework agreement. The requirement was treated as one service package, with no separate lots recorded. The opportunity was marked suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community and social enterprises. The published information does not set out an evaluation formula or specific scoring criteria, so the basis on which bids were compared cannot be described further.

This award demonstrates demand from the Department for Work and Pensions for research and engagement that helps shape joined-up employment support with local places. A credible competitor when this requirement returns would need to combine research capability with strong engagement and facilitation skills, and be able to turn input from different places and stakeholders into a shared, practical view of what support needs and how to deliver it. The work is suited to organisations able to advise on service design and complex public services, while managing collaborative work across varied participants. The selected supplier was a small or medium-sized enterprise, and the procurement was also identified as suitable for SMEs and voluntary, community and social enterprises; these organisations may therefore find this kind of requirement relevant.

## Notice

Research and engagement to build a shared view, with places, of what joined up employment support needs and what it would take to achieve it.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/9f7c5929-2ce9-4535-b8f5-c2c16092986f |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Framework |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Call-off from a framework agreement |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 12 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 2 Oct 2026 |
| Contract period | 5 Oct 2026 - 2 Apr 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £398,950 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £398,950 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Department for Work and Pensions |
| Locality | MANCHESTER |
| Postcode area | Manchester |
| Postcode | M2 3AA |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLD3 Greater Manchester |
| ITL 3 | TLD33 Manchester |
| Local authority | Manchester |
| Electoral ward | Deansgate |
| Westminster constituency | Manchester Central |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | Public Digital Limited |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

### Codes

- 72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

## Release History

- 12 Oct 2026 at 10:25 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/9f7c5929-2ce9-4535-b8f5-c2c16092986f

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/9f7c5929-2ce9-4535-b8f5-c2c16092986f
  12th October 2026 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-092fdd41-2f58-4f2b-a400-1d08575fecfb. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-092fdd41-2f58-4f2b-a400-1d08575fecfb.json.