---
title: "South Midlands Connect to Work Programme (West Northants area)"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05f50e"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05f50e"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05f50e.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05f50e.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "WEST NORTHAMPTONSHIRE COUNCIL"
published: "2026-04-29"
---

# South Midlands Connect to Work Programme (West Northants area)

Buyer: WEST NORTHAMPTONSHIRE COUNCIL  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05f50e

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## Summary

West Northamptonshire Council has awarded a contract for the "South Midlands Connect to Work Programme" in the West Northants area as part of a Department for Work and Pensions initiative. The contract, active from 21 April 2026 through 31 March 2030, was awarded to Acorn Training Limited under an open procedure. This programme aims to assist 1,565 economically inactive local residents by providing training and support for employability, in alignment with the UK Government’s strategy for reducing economic inactivity. The programme is designed to support individuals with disabilities or long-term health conditions in finding and maintaining employment, thereby promoting diversity and inclusion within local businesses across various sectors, such as recruitment services and training services. West Northamptonshire Council acts as the accountable body for this initiative within the South Midlands Partnership region, which includes Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire, Milton Keynes, North Northamptonshire, and West Northamptonshire.

This contract offers significant growth opportunities for businesses focused on training services, health, and social work, alongside education and job search services. Firms with expertise in these sectors, particularly those capable of tailoring services to individuals with health conditions or disabilities, stand to benefit from this initiative. The successful bidder, Acorn Training Ltd, represents a small to medium-sized enterprise (SME), exemplifying how SMEs can effectively contribute to public service efforts. This tender is particularly suitable for businesses keen on workplace diversity, inclusivity, and contributing to local economic development. The procurement method details and performance criteria were outlined thoroughly to ensure fair competition and transparency, encouraging a diverse range of providers to participate in supporting the local workforce in West Northamptonshire.

## Notice

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) sought experienced delivery partners to implement the South Midlands Connect to Work Programme in West Northamptonshire. Information on the Connect to Work Grant Guidance for England can be found here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/connect-to-work/connect-to-work-grant-guidance-for-england Connect to Work is a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) initiative supporting people with disabilities or long-term health conditions to find and sustain employment. It forms part of the UK Government's Get Britain Working strategy to reduce economic inactivity and promote inclusive growth. The Connect to Work programme aims to support 1565 economically inactive residents in West Northamptonshire over the next five years by delivering personalised support, including employability training, confidence building, and workplace adjustment advice, increasing awareness and access to local job opportunities, identifying and addressing barriers to employment for people with disabilities and long-term health conditions, reducing economic inactivity and reliance on other services through sustained employment, promoting diversity and inclusion among local employers and working collaboratively with other South Midlands local authorities. This funding is allocated to the South Midlands Partnership region. WNC is the accountable body for Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire, Milton Keynes, North Northamptonshire, and West Northamptonshire. This tender relates specifically to West Northamptonshire.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/039078-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 29 Apr 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 23 Jan 2026 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 26 Feb 2026 |
| Contract period | 20 Apr 2026 - 31 Mar 2030 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £1,422,033 |
| Lots value | £1,422,033 |
| Awards value | £1,422,033 |
| Contracts value | £1,422,033 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | WEST NORTHAMPTONSHIRE COUNCIL |
| Locality | NORTHAMPTON |
| Post town | Northampton |
| Postcode | NN1 1ED |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLF East Midlands (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLF2 Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire |
| ITL 3 | TLF24 West Northamptonshire |
| Local authority | West Northamptonshire |
| Electoral ward | Castle |
| Westminster constituency | Northampton North |
| Delivery location | TLF24 West Northamptonshire |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | ACORN TRAINING |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security
- 80 - Education and training services
- 85 - Health and social work services
- 98 - Other community, social and personal services

### Codes

- 79600000 - Recruitment services
- 79611000 - Job search services
- 80000000 - Education and training services
- 80500000 - Training services
- 85000000 - Health and social work services
- 98000000 - Other community, social and personal services
- 98110000 - Services furnished by business, professional and specialist organisations

## Release History

- 29 Apr 2026 at 10:37 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/039078-2026
- 2 Mar 2026 at 10:31 - AwardUpdate - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/018280-2026
- 26 Feb 2026 at 17:39 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/017606-2026
- 12 Dec 2025 at 15:08 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082577-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/039078-2026
  29th April 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/018280-2026
  2nd March 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/017606-2026
  26th February 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082577-2025
  12th December 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://in-tendhost.co.uk/wnc/aspx/Home

## Notice URLs

- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/connect-to-work/connect-to-work-grant-guidance-for-england
- 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-05f50e. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05f50e.json.