--- title: "Work Ready Service for Young Adults with Mental Illness" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-051ca2" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-051ca2" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-051ca2.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-051ca2.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Award" buyer: "ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL" published: "2026-06-05" --- # Work Ready Service for Young Adults with Mental Illness Buyer: ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL Current stage: Award OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-051ca2 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-051ca2) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-051ca2.json) ## Summary The contract for the "Work Ready Service for Young Adults with Mental Illness" was awarded to GET SKILLS EMPLOYMENT & TRAINING LTD by Essex County Council. This contract, valued at £1,045,000, aims to support individuals aged 16 to 26 who have severe mental illness, helping them develop life skills necessary for accessing education, training, or employment. The initiative addresses the challenges faced by young adults due to mental health issues exacerbated by the Covid pandemic. Essex County Council, located at County Hall, Chelmsford, and classified under the sub-central government public authority category, conducted this procurement using an open procedure under the "light touch" regime. The procurement stages included planning, tender, and award, with the contract active from 1st January 2026 until 1st January 2029, with a potential extension until 1st January 2031. The location focus of service delivery is within the region of UKJ in England. This tender offers substantial business opportunities, particularly for SMEs like GET SKILLS EMPLOYMENT & TRAINING LTD, which focus on the provision of health and social work-related services. The contract is well-suited for organisations experienced in co-producing services with individuals having lived experiences and those adept in delivering comprehensive support solutions for youth vocational aims amid mental health challenges. Business growth can be achieved by participating in such services which not only demand expertise in vocational training but also the ability to engage with local community resources. Additionally, this tender requires the ability to work collaboratively with public authorities and adhere to evolving service needs, presenting a robust platform for businesses focusing on innovative and adaptive solutions in the public health and social service domains. ## Notice Essex County Council is commissioning a service to support individuals aged 16 to 26 years old who have experienced severe mental illness to achieve their vocational goals and aspirations. This service is in response to the disruption young adults experienced during and following Covid and the high levels of mental health illness now being experienced by young adults which is impacting on their education and employment opportunities This is a newly commissioned service, based on the data, needs and voice of people that use services who have told us that they do not get the support around their vocational aspirations when they need it due to their mental illness. The requirements for this service are not fully prescriptive. Essex County Council would expect the successful provider to work with commissioners and crucially people with lived experience and their carers to inform the design and delivery using a robust approach to co-producing the service. Lived experience and co-production should be at the heart of shaping the service and Essex County Council fully expects the service to evolve over the life of the contract to reflect this. The purpose of the service is to support young adults to: * Be enabled to develop the life skills necessary to access education, training or paid employment. * Build resilience and aspirations and return to school, college and/or begin training * Build confidence, self-esteem and motivation * Develop plans for how to achieve their career plans and aspirations * Build life skills such as time management, financial/budget management, organisation and team work * Become engagement ready and access other resources in the community such as youth services * In particular, the service is to provide opportunities for those individuals who may not have supportive families to guide them through finishing education and planning for work. * The service will also contribute to the delivery of the outcomes set out in the Essex Mental Health Strategy. ### Lot Information Lot 1 Renewal: There is an optional 24 month extension. ### Planning Information The Market Engagement Session was due to be held via Microsoft Teams on Tuesday 3rd June at 12pm, unfortunately this has now been postposed due to unforeseen circumstances. It will be rescheduled within the next few weeks, however the exact date is unclear. Our team is hoping this will be no later than 20th June. However, please contact elizabeth.willis@essex.gov.uk if you are interested in this opportunity or would like further information. (Update note for transparency: the market engagement was held on 25th June 2025 at 11:30am.) ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053360-2026 | | Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice | | Procurement type | Dynamic | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Open | | Procurement method details | Open procedure | | Tender suitability | SME, VCSE | | Awardee scale | SME | | All stages | Planning, Tender, Award | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 5 Jun 2026 | | Submission deadline | 18 Aug 2025 | | Future notice date | 20 Jun 2025 | | Award date | 1 Dec 2025 | | Contract period | 1 Jan 2026 - 1 Jan 2029 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £627,000 | | Lots value | £627,000 | | Awards value | £1,045,000 | | Contracts value | £1,045,000 | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Complete | | Lots status | Complete | | Awards status | Active | | Contracts status | Active | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL | | Locality | CHELMSFORD | | Post town | Chelmsford | | Postcode | CM1 1QH | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLH East (England) | | ITL 2 | TLH3 Essex | | ITL 3 | TLH36 Heart of Essex | | Local authority | Chelmsford | | Electoral ward | Moulsham and Central | | Westminster constituency | Chelmsford | | Delivery location | TLJ South East (England) | ## Supplier | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Number of suppliers | 1 | | Supplier names | GET SKILLS EMPLOYMENT & TRAINING | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 85 - Health and social work services ### Codes - 85100000 - Health services - 85300000 - Social work and related services ## Release History - 5 Jun 2026 at 12:55 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053360-2026 - 1 Dec 2025 at 14:00 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078505-2025 - 13 Aug 2025 at 12:36 - TenderUpdate - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/048404-2025 - 5 Aug 2025 at 15:51 - TenderUpdate - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/046298-2025 - 18 Jul 2025 at 14:17 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/041375-2025 - 18 Jul 2025 at 12:40 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/041308-2025 - 2 Jun 2025 at 19:17 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/029334-2025 - 23 May 2025 at 09:06 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/025801-2025 - 23 May 2025 at 08:44 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/025591-2025 - 22 May 2025 at 08:55 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/024498-2025 - 22 May 2025 at 08:43 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/024483-2025 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053360-2026 5th June 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078505-2025 1st December 2025 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/048404-2025 13th August 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/046298-2025 5th August 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/041375-2025 18th July 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/041308-2025 18th July 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/029334-2025 2nd June 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/025801-2025 23rd May 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/025591-2025 23rd May 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/024498-2025 22nd May 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/024483-2025 22nd May 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - https://procontract.due-north.com/ - https://www.getsetuk.co.uk/ - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents ## 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-051ca2. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-051ca2.json.