---
title: "South Midlands Connect to Work Programme (Milton Keynes Area)"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-059e24"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-059e24"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-059e24.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-059e24.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Tender"
buyer: "MILTON KEYNES CITY COUNCIL"
published: "2026-03-24"
---

# South Midlands Connect to Work Programme (Milton Keynes Area)

Buyer: MILTON KEYNES CITY COUNCIL  
Current stage: Tender  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-059e24

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## Summary

Milton Keynes City Council is actively seeking tender submissions for the South Midlands Connect to Work Programme, focusing on the development of employment opportunities for individuals in the Milton Keynes Area. This initiative, funded by the Department for Work and Pensions, aims to support disabled people, those with health conditions, and individuals facing complex barriers to employment. The tender belongs to the services category, covering training, health, and social work services, and is part of the broader Get Britain Working Strategy. The procurement stage is currently active, with the submission deadline set for 12 noon on 1st April 2026, and the procurement process follows the Open Procedure under the Light Touch Regime.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in supported employment services, training and development, and social work. The contract proposes a term of 2 years and 7 months, offering a substantial revenue potential of up to £1,939,140. Entities adept in vocational profiling, employer engagement, job matching, and tailored support will find this tender well-suited to their capabilities and interests. Due to its focus on engagement and partnership building, organisations that excel in creating collaborative networks and supporting sustainable employment initiatives will benefit from seizing this opportunity to deliver impactful services within the South Midlands region.

## Notice

Milton Keynes City Council are currently out to tender for the provision of South Midlands Connect to Work Programme (Milton Keynes Area). Milton Keynes City Council has been awarded grant funding by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to participate in the Connect to Work initiative, via the accountable body 'West Northants Council (WNC)' as part of the South Midlands region. Connect to Work is the initial and significant element of the Get Britain Working Strategy, the aim of which is to support people with disabilities, those with health conditions and people with complex barriers, to find suitable work. The Connect to Work Programme aims to support individuals furthest from the labour market into sustainable employment. It is a voluntary programme launched by DWP (the Department for Work and Pensions) to help tackle economic inactivity by providing a specific form of supported employment targeted at the right people at the right time, based on their individual circumstances. It is a national programme, delivered in clusters of local authorities. In the case of this region, the South Midlands cluster - namely Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire, Luton, Milton Keynes City, North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. For the purposes of this tender opportunity, it relates to the Milton Keynes City element of the programme. The Contractor will be expected to deliver the five stages of the supported employment model: - Engagement: Building relationships with local services to raise aspirations and confidence among potential Participants. - Vocational Profiling: A detailed discovery process to identify Participants' strengths, needs, and employment goals. - Employer Engagement: Building partnerships with employers to understand their needs and support Participants through the recruitment process. - Job Matching: Identifying job vacancies that match Participants' profiles and working with employers to create suitable roles. - On and Off the Job Support: Providing tailored support to Participants and employers to ensure sustained employment and career progression. This procurement is being undertaken via the Open procedure under the Light Touch Regime. The Council proposes to enter into a contract that will be for a term of 2 years and 7 months with the successful tenderer (Service Provider) unless terminated in accordance with the Conditions of Contract. Tender submissions must be returned electronically via the Authorities e-tendering portal In-Tend: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/milton-keynes/aspx/Home as per the prescribed instructions in the tender documentation. Deadline for submissions of the tender will be 12 noon on 1st April 2026.

### Planning Information

Milton Keynes City Council (‘the Council’) would like to engage with potential providers for a Connect to Work Programme to help tackle economic inactivity.
The Connect to Work Programme (CTW) is a grant funded initiative from the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP) targeting the ‘economically inactive’ in local areas. CTW forms part of the Government’s strategy ‘Get Britain Working’ and it aims to help annually around 93,000 disabled people, those with health conditions and people with complex barriers to seek and find sustainable employment each year. 
Milton Keynes City Council is working as part of the South Midlands regional group of local authorities, including West and North Northants, Central Beds, Beds Borough and Luton Councils. West Northants are the accountable body for the region and have decentralised their model to allow for localism and areas to meet the needs of their demographic. Each LA has created their own delivery plan and grant cost register to feed into the regional ones.
We are keen to hear from providers on the following questions. Please respond to the attached document latest by 5pm on 7th October 2025 via In-Tend Correspondence section/market engagement stage. 
If there is sufficient interest in a market engagement event to explore the proposal in more detail, this will be held on 14th October 2025, via Microsoft Teams. Please also indicate in your response to the Market Engagement if you would like to receive an invitation which will be sent separately subject to interest.
The Market Engagement document can be accessed on our e-tendering portal: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/milton-keynes/aspx/Home

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026703-2026 |
| Notice type | UK4 - Tender Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning, Tender |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 24 Mar 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 1 Apr 2026 |
| Future notice date | 1 Nov 2025 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 31 Aug 2026 - 31 Mar 2030 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £1,615,950 |
| Lots value | £1,615,950 |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | MILTON KEYNES CITY COUNCIL |
| Locality | MILTON KEYNES |
| Post town | Milton Keynes |
| Postcode | MK9 3EJ |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire |
| ITL 3 | TLJ12 Milton Keynes |
| Local authority | Milton Keynes |
| Electoral ward | Central Milton Keynes |
| Westminster constituency | Milton Keynes Central |
| Delivery location | TLJ12 Milton Keynes |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 80 - Education and training services
- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 80500000 - Training services
- 85000000 - Health and social work services
- 85300000 - Social work and related services

## Release History

- 24 Mar 2026 at 11:28 - TenderUpdate - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026703-2026
- 19 Mar 2026 at 11:52 - TenderUpdate - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/025101-2026
- 16 Feb 2026 at 11:32 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/013761-2026
- 19 Sep 2025 at 12:04 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/058119-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026703-2026
  24th March 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/025101-2026
  19th March 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/013761-2026
  16th February 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/058119-2025
  19th September 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://in-tendhost.co.uk/milton-keynes/aspx/Home

## Notice URLs

- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- https://www.milton-keynes.gov.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-059e24. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-059e24.json.