--- title: "The Growth Company Expression of Interest - Manchester City Council Worklessness Programme" ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-a0bf82a6-5aa1-4539-81f5-7f0e22cde9a6" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-a0bf82a6-5aa1-4539-81f5-7f0e22cde9a6" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-a0bf82a6-5aa1-4539-81f5-7f0e22cde9a6.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-a0bf82a6-5aa1-4539-81f5-7f0e22cde9a6.json" source: "Contracts Finder" current_stage: "Tender" buyer: "The Growth Company" published: "2026-08-21" --- # The Growth Company Expression of Interest - Manchester City Council Worklessness Programme Buyer: The Growth Company Current stage: Tender OCID: ocds-b5fd17-a0bf82a6-5aa1-4539-81f5-7f0e22cde9a6 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-a0bf82a6-5aa1-4539-81f5-7f0e22cde9a6) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-a0bf82a6-5aa1-4539-81f5-7f0e22cde9a6.json) ## Summary The Growth Company is seeking a lead provider for a new Worklessness Programme across the Manchester district, commissioned for Manchester City Council. The service is intended to reduce barriers to employment, help people who are unemployed enter the labour market, and support people at risk of leaving work because of health conditions or disabilities. It will provide a joined-up local offer covering work, health and skills, with employer engagement to create meaningful work opportunities. The requirement includes job-search, career guidance and wider guidance services. Delivery will take place in Manchester, including priority neighbourhoods and communities. The opportunity is aimed at community-based organisations with a strong local presence and trusted relationships with residents and referral partners. The process has reached tender: the buyer invited expressions of interest through an open procedure below the threshold. The required EOI document must be submitted through the Panacea Supplier Platform by 17:00 on 28 August 2026. The planned contract period runs from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2029. The procurement is suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community or social enterprises. The programme will use a holistic, partnership-led approach, with the primary outcome that participants move into work or sustain employment. The EOI will consider providers’ local presence, relationships with residents and referral partners, relevant experience, ability to reach priority communities and underrepresented groups, and capacity to deliver specialist support and employer engagement. This opportunity suits Manchester-based or strongly Manchester-embedded community organisations, including SMEs and voluntary, community or social enterprises, that can work through local partnerships. Relevant experience includes helping people facing health, disability, wellbeing, housing, debt or other barriers to employment, and supporting people to remain in work. Providers should be able to engage racially minoritised and other underrepresented groups through culturally competent, trauma-informed or neurodiversity-aware services. Useful specialist capabilities include mental health and wellbeing, disability, youth, ESOL and language support, digital inclusion, confidence and motivation building, outreach and community engagement, employer engagement, and wider wraparound support. Businesses able to contribute to coordinated work, health and skills provision across priority Manchester neighbourhoods are well placed to compete. ## Notice The Growth Company (GC) is seeking Expressions of Interest from community-based organisations in Manchester to deliver a new Worklessness Programme across the Manchester district. Manchester City Council is seeking a lead provider to deliver this programme from April 2027 to March 2029. The programme aims to reduce the barriers to employment faced by Manchester's residents and to support those struggling to stay in work, using a holistic, partnership-led approach. The primary outcome is for participants to move into work or sustain employment. The programme aims to: * Reduce the barriers to employment for Manchester residents. * Engage and support people who are not in employment to participate in the labour market. * Support people in work, at risk of falling out of work due to health conditions or disabilities, to remain in employment. * Engage employers to provide meaningful work opportunities. * Deliver a coherent, joined-up local work, health and skills offer. GC is seeking Expressions of Interest from locally embedded providers who: 1) Are based in, or have a strong presence within, Manchester communities 2) Have trusted relationships with local residents and referral partners 3) Have experience supporting people facing health, disability, wellbeing or wider barriers to employment 4) Work effectively with racially minoritised communities and other underrepresented groups 5) Deliver culturally competent, trauma-informed and/or neurodiversity-aware services 6) Can contribute to delivery in priority Manchester neighbourhoods and communities 7) Can provide specialist interventions such as: 8) Mental health and wellbeing support 9) Disability support 10) Youth support 11) ESOL and language support 12) Digital inclusion 13) Confidence and motivation building 14) Community engagement and outreach 15) Employer engagement 16) Housing, debt or wider wraparound support To apply for this EOI opportunity, please register as a supplier on the Panacea Supplier Platform at the following web address: https://app.panacea-software.com/growth Once you have accessed the site, to view the opportunity you need to navigate to 'Register Interest', click the 'Participate' Button, then navigate to 'My Questionnaires' where you will be able to download the relevant EOI document. Your EOI submission must be made on the Panacea Portal. The deadline for submission of the required EOI document is at 17:00pm on Friday 28th August 2026. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Contracts Finder | | Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/6e72e5ff-59c8-4904-9384-8f95f6d6d206 | | Notice type | Tender Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Open | | Procurement method details | Open procedure (below threshold) | | Tender suitability | SME, VCSE | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Tender | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 21 Aug 2026 | | Submission deadline | 28 Aug 2026 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 1 Apr 2027 - 31 Mar 2029 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | Not specified | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Active | | Lots status | Not specified | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | The Growth Company | | Locality | MANCHESTER | | Postcode area | Manchester | | Postcode | M1 5JW | | 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 | TLD North West (England) | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security - 85 - Health and social work services ### Codes - 79611000 - Job search services - 79634000 - Career guidance services - 85312310 - Guidance services ## Release History - 21 Aug 2026 at 08:36 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/6e72e5ff-59c8-4904-9384-8f95f6d6d206 ## Documents - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/6e72e5ff-59c8-4904-9384-8f95f6d6d206 21st August 2026 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder - https://app.panacea-software.com/growth/ Click above to Apply (link to e-procurement portal) ## Notice URLs - https://app.panacea-software.com/growth ## 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-a0bf82a6-5aa1-4539-81f5-7f0e22cde9a6. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-a0bf82a6-5aa1-4539-81f5-7f0e22cde9a6.json.