---
title: "Delivery of the Gateway to Choices Service"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-036460"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-036460"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-036460.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-036460.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "BELFAST CITY COUNCIL"
published: "2023-01-03"
---

# Delivery of the Gateway to Choices Service

Buyer: BELFAST CITY COUNCIL  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-036460

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[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-036460.json)

## Summary

The Belfast City Council has awarded the contract for the "Delivery of the Gateway to Choices Service" to GEMS NI Ltd. The service aims to enhance employability and skills by providing independent advice and guidance to individuals in Belfast who are furthest from the labour market. The contract value is £2,000,000 GBP, and the contract was signed on January 3, 2023. The procurement process was conducted using an open procedure, and the main industry category is education and training services. The service will focus on creating a database of employability and skills provision, targeting the long-term unemployed and economically inactive individuals in Belfast.

The "Delivery of the Gateway to Choices Service" tender presents an opportunity for businesses in education and training services and related sectors to engage with Belfast City Council. Interested business operators can benefit from partnering with the awarded contractor, GEMS NI Ltd, to deliver services that support individuals seeking better job opportunities. Businesses with experience in providing employability and skills-focused services, especially those targeting disadvantaged groups, are well-suited to compete in this tender. The contract offers a chance for growth through collaborations with the NI Careers Service, Jobs & Benefits Office, health service providers, and VCSE organisations to deliver quality, impartial, and tailored advice to individuals in need.

## Notice

The ultimate goal of the Gateway to Choices Service is to get more of those further back in the labour market to engage in the existing provision that will support their employability and skills journey.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

The Gateway to Choices service/contract will: - create a database of employability and skills provision, ensuring support for Belfast residents through a Gateway to Choices service. - deliver employability and skills focused independent information, advice and guidance(IAG) to help those living in Belfast, who are furthest from the labour market, make informed choices about their employability and skills pathway and to support those living in Belfast and currently in work (in Belfast or elsewhere) who are seeking better/more sustainable jobs to identify the requisite supports that are available to them. - target those furthest from the labour market are (a) the long-term unemployed (LTU), (b)non-work ready claimants as referred by JBO Work Coaches, or (c) those economically inactive. - support individuals seeking better/more sustainable jobs including those wishing to move on from entry level jobs, or from jobs on minimum wage, or from jobs with zero-hour contracts, or from jobs with short-term contracts. - provide specialist triage support resource which will support individuals through referrals to appropriate provision and utilise all existing funding mechanisms and interventions, including those in health. The ultimate goal is getting more of those further back in the labour market to engage in the existing provision that will support their employability and skills journey. The awarded Contractor will work closely with the NI Careers Service, Jobs & Benefits Office(JBO) Work Coaches, relevant health service providers and local VCSE organisations for quality, up to date, impartial and independent advice tailored to individual needs and career aspirations.

Renewal: The contract shall be for an initial period of 3 months with the option to extend for a further period of 24 months, and then 12 months.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/000071-2023 |
| Notice type | Planning Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Planning, Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 3 Jan 2023 |
| Submission deadline | 5 Dec 2022 |
| Future notice date | 31 Oct 2022 |
| Award date | 3 Jan 2023 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £2,000,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £2,000,000 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Cancelled |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | BELFAST CITY COUNCIL |
| Locality | BELFAST |
| Post town | Northern Ireland |
| Postcode | BT2 8DJ |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| ITL 1 | TLN Northern Ireland |
| ITL 2 | TLN0 Northern Ireland |
| ITL 3 | TLN06 Belfast |
| Local authority | Belfast |
| Electoral ward | Central |
| Westminster constituency | Belfast South and Mid Down |
| Delivery location | TLN06 Belfast |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | GEMS NI |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 79600000 - Recruitment services
- 80000000 - Education and training services

## Release History

- 3 Jan 2023 at 14:51 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/000071-2023
- 4 Nov 2022 at 08:15 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/031165-2022
- 31 Aug 2022 at 11:35 - Planning - Planning Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/024279-2022

## Notice URLs

- http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk
- http://www.e-sourcingni.bravosolution.co.uk

## 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-h6vhtk-036460. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-036460.json.