---
title: "Connect to Work"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05808c"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05808c"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05808c.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05808c.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "EAST MIDLANDS COMBINED COUNTY AUTHORITY"
published: "2025-12-01"
---

# Connect to Work

Buyer: EAST MIDLANDS COMBINED COUNTY AUTHORITY  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05808c

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## Summary

The East Midlands Combined County Authority has finalised the procurement process for the "Connect to Work" programme, which is a part of the UK Government's "Get Britain Working" initiative. The programme is designed to provide employment support to individuals with disabilities and health conditions across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, striving for an 80% employment rate. The procurement method utilised was an open procedure, with the procurement stage currently in the award phase as of 1st December 2025. The contract value amounts to £32.4 million, and the implementation is set to begin on 2nd January 2026 and last until 31st March 2030. This initiative is expected to aid around 12,243 residents in the East Midlands, promoting local and national economic growth.

This tender offers significant opportunities for businesses across the health and employment support sectors to collaborate with public authorities and contribute to enhancing regional employment rates. Organisations well-suited for participation include those experienced in delivering career guidance, training programme services, and government services. This landscape particularly supports large enterprises as well as small and medium enterprises (SMEs), including voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs). Strategic partnerships, as shown by the involvement of entities like Reed in Partnership Limited and Asuria People Services (UK) Limited, underline the opportunity for robust service delivery collaborations in achieving impactful employment solutions aligned with government goals.

## Notice

The recently launched "Get Britain Working" White Paper outlines Government's strategy to invest PS240m to support the ambition of a national 80% employment rate and help improve workplace health and keep people in work, including trials of combined public services for those out of work due to ill health. Connect to Work is the first major element of the Get Britain Working Strategy. By encouraging join-up between health systems and employment support, Connect to Work will support those, primarily, currently outside the workforce and facing greater labour market disadvantages, to stay in work and get back into work. In turn, supporting the Government's ambition for a more inclusive economy, supporting local people to realise their potential and supporting local and national growth. Connect to Work funding will support around 100,000 disabled people with health conditions and those with complex barriers to get into employment and on in work. In the East Midlands, Connect to Work will support 12,243 residents across the entirety of the programme. The East Midlands Combined Authority is the Accountable Body for Connect to Work in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire and, working in partnership with the four constituent local authorities, is responsible for the commissioning of Connect to Work delivery. Connect to Work is a voluntary programme, delivering the evidence-based Supported Employment model, 'place, train, and maintain', via two different types of interventions based on the needs of the participant - Individual Placement and Support (IPS) and Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF). Delivery is split into 2 Lots, as follows: Lot 1 IPS only Derby City / Derbyshire Lot 2 IPS & SEQF Nottingham City & Nottinghamshire

### Lot Information

Lot 1- IPS - Derby City & Derbyshire

The Connect to Work delivery partner will deliver IPS to participants resident across all areas of Derby City and Derbyshire. The aim is to enable participants to secure and sustain paid, competitive employment by providing person-centred support that respects individual aspirations. This will support residents to improve their health, independence, and social inclusion while also working towards the regional and national target of 80% of working age people being in employment.

Lot 2-IPS & SEQF-Nottingham & Nottinghamshire

The Connect to Work delivery partner will deliver IPS and SEQF to participants resident across all areas of Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire. The aim is to enable participants to secure and sustain paid, competitive employment by providing person-centred support that respects individual aspirations. This will support residents to improve their health, independence, and social inclusion while also working towards the regional and national target of 80% of working age people being in employment.

### Planning Information

Online Session - 19 August 2025 (am)
Supplier Sessions (Bookable 1hr slots) - 19-20 August 2025
The contracting authority would like to invite interested parties to an online session. The purpose of this online session is to provide a high-level overview of the Connect to Work commissioning process, specification, and timescales. 
If you have any questions prior to the online event, please send them to connecttowork@eastmidlands-cca.gov.uk . Questions will be collated by the Project team and responses incorporated into the online session.
To attend the webinar, please follow the Eventbrite link and complete your registration.
https://ctw190825.eventbrite.co.uk
Following the online session An Invitation to Tender for the provision of services will be launched on 1st September 2025, 12:00 2025 and will be live for 30 days on https://www.eastmidstenders.org/ 
The tender will comprise of two lots: 
Lot1: Provision of IPS for Derby City and Derbyshire (circa £8.5M)
Lot 2: Provision of IPS and SEQF for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire (circa £16.5M)
Suppliers are invited to bid for one Lot only 
It is anticipated that delivery will start in January 2026.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078618-2025 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Planning, Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 1 Dec 2025 |
| Submission deadline | 6 Oct 2025 |
| Future notice date | 1 Sep 2025 |
| Award date | 1 Dec 2025 |
| Contract period | 2 Jan 2026 - 31 Mar 2030 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £32,612,559 |
| Lots value | £32,612,559 |
| Awards value | £32,600,000 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | EAST MIDLANDS COMBINED COUNTY AUTHORITY |
| Additional buyers | NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL |
| Locality | CHESTERFIELD |
| Post town | Sheffield |
| Postcode | S40 1UT |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLF East Midlands (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLF1 Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire |
| ITL 3 | TLF16 South Nottinghamshire |
| Local authority | Rushcliffe |
| Electoral ward | Trent Bridge |
| Westminster constituency | Rushcliffe |
| Delivery location | TLF1 Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 2 |
| Supplier names | ASURIA PEOPLE SERVICES (UK; REED IN PARTNERSHIP |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 75131000 - Government services
- 79634000 - Career guidance services
- 80521000 - Training programme services

## Release History

- 1 Dec 2025 at 16:12 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078618-2025
- 4 Sep 2025 at 11:34 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053887-2025
- 4 Aug 2025 at 15:00 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/045742-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078618-2025
  1st December 2025 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053887-2025
  4th September 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/045742-2025
  4th August 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://ingeus.co.uk
- http://www.asuria.com.au
- http://www.maximusuk.co.uk
- http://www.qdostraining.com
- http://www.reedinpartnership.co.uk
- http://www.shawtrust.org.uk
- http://www.standguide.co.uk
- http://www.workpays.co.uk
- https://ctportal.org/
- https://ctw190825.eventbrite.co.uk
- https://www.derby.gov.uk/
- https://www.eastmidstenders.org/
- https://www.emc-dnl.co.uk
- https://www.growthco.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-05808c. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05808c.json.