--- title: "T2689 - Framework Agreement for the Delivery of Various Employability and Skills Requirements" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-067fbc" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-067fbc" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067fbc.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067fbc.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Tender" buyer: "BELFAST CITY COUNCIL" published: "2026-07-17" --- # T2689 - Framework Agreement for the Delivery of Various Employability and Skills Requirements Buyer: BELFAST CITY COUNCIL Current stage: Tender OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-067fbc [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-067fbc) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067fbc.json) ## Summary Belfast City Council has initiated a tendering process titled "Framework Agreement for the Delivery of Various Employability and Skills Requirements." This tender, identified as T2689, is under the "services" category and focuses on providing agile and flexible employability and skills solutions. The framework is set to commence in October 2026 and will operate initially for two years, potentially extending until 2034. The procurement is organised into an "Open Framework," allowing regular opportunities for new market entrants. Divided into five distinct Lots covering Care Sectors, Customer Services, Practical Sectors, Professional and Business Services, and Employability Support, this procurement stage is currently active, with deadlines for tender submissions and enquiries set for August 2026. This tender represents significant growth opportunities for businesses, particularly SMEs and social enterprises, by providing frameworks to secure ongoing work in various service sectors including education, training, and community services. Companies with expertise in vocational training, employability skills development, and sector-specific interventions are well-suited to benefit from these opportunities. Participation in this framework can enhance a business's market presence and capacity by leveraging the strategic focus areas outlined by Belfast City Council, such as engaging with new initiatives and addressing emerging labour market needs. The open procedure assures transparency and fairness, further encouraging diverse business participation. ## Notice Belfast City Council requires agile and flexible Employability and Skills solutions to be able to respond to challenges and opportunities within the labour market. Sufficient flexibility within the delivery of Employability & Skills interventions is required to take account of: a) Emerging needs. b) New initiatives and areas of development e.g. skills interventions within the Local Economic Partnership, Labour Market Partnership etc. c) Specialist employability and skills delivery. d) To test new areas of work as agreed. e) Sectors that are not covered within the current Employment Academy Framework (T2474) f) To pick up overflow of delivery if the current Contractors on T2474 are working to full capacity On this basis, the Council is setting up an "Open Framework", which would allow an open, fair, and transparent way of procuring the above services in the most efficient way possible. There will be no guarantee of any work for those Contractors on the new Open Framework, and any future call-offs will not be initiated until the following happens sequentially (which is designed to provide budgetary control): 1. Workplan and budget approval. 2. When agreed, a direct award or mini-competitions will then undertaken. 3. Delegated authority approval prior to awarding the call-off contract. An Open Framework will provide an opportunity for SMEs and Social Enterprises/Not-for-Profits to secure a place on the Framework, with the opportunity re-opening at various stages for new entrants to apply/re-apply. The Framework will be split into 5 Lots: 1. Lot 1 - Care Sectors (Health/Social Care/Education/Playwork/Childminding) 2. Lot 2 - Customer Services (Leisure/Hospitality/Retail/Tourism/Beauty) 3. Lot 3 - Practical Sectors (Transport/Green Economy/Construction/Manufacturing) 4. Lot 4 - Professional and Business Services Sectors (Business/Technology) 5. Lot 5 - Employability Support (language/Soft Skills/Capacity Building) The Council intends that this Framework Agreement will form part of a scheme of successive framework agreements on substantially the same terms (the "Open Framework Scheme"). The total duration of the Open Framework Scheme shall not exceed 8 years from the commencement date of the first framework awarded under the scheme. The Open Framework is intended to commence in October 2026 and will be awarded for an initial period of two years until October 2028. Full details on the Framework period can be found in the ITT document. ### Lot Information Care Sectors Lot 1 of the Framework will cover requirements under various Care Sectors, including: - Health Care and/or Social Care - Education and/or Childcare/Playwork - Childminding It is expected that training provision within Lot 1: Care Sectors will typically consist of the following core elements: - Delivery of vocational skills, licences and/or qualifications where applicable to provide participants with the skills and qualifications required for employment, self-employment and 'better job' opportunities available. - Employability skills development such as motivation, team working, communication skills, interview skills, confidence building etc. in order to help optimise employment outcomes for the individual. - Addressing remaining employment barriers facing participants including development of interpersonal skills, confidence building etc. - Using a differentiated approach, where appropriate, to deliver training for those who are newly unemployed to compete for vacancies within the labour market. Renewal: Under the Open Framework Scheme, the first Framework will have the option to be extended for an additional year. Customer Service Sectors Lot 2 of the Framework will cover requirements under various Customer Service Sectors, including: - Leisure - Hospitality - Retail - Tourism - Beauty It is expected that training provision within Lot 2: Customer Service Sectors will typically consist of the following core elements: - Delivery of vocational skills, licences and/or qualifications where applicable to provide participants with the skills and qualifications required for employment, self-employment and 'better job' opportunities available. - Employability skills development such as motivation, team working, communication skills, interview skills, confidence building etc. in order to help optimise employment outcomes for the individual. - Addressing remaining employment barriers facing participants including development of interpersonal skills, confidence building etc. - Using a differentiated approach, where appropriate, to deliver training for those who are newly unemployed to compete for vacancies within the labour market. Renewal: Under the Open Framework Scheme, the first Framework will have the option to be extended for an additional year. Practical Sectors Lot 3 of the Framework will cover requirements under various Practical Sectors, including: - Transport - Green Economy - Construction - Manufacturing It is expected that training provision within Lot 3: Practical Sectors will typically consist of the following core elements: - Delivery of vocational skills, licences and/or qualifications where applicable to provide participants with the skills and qualifications required for employment, self-employment and 'better job' opportunities available. - Employability skills development such as motivation, team working, communication skills, interview skills, confidence building etc. in order to help optimise employment outcomes for the individual. - Addressing remaining employment barriers facing participants including development of interpersonal skills, confidence building etc. - Using a differentiated approach, where appropriate, to deliver training for those who are newly unemployed to compete for vacancies within the labour market. Renewal: Under the Open Framework Scheme, the first Framework will have the option to be extended for an additional year. Professional and Business Services Sectors Lot 4 of the Framework will cover requirements under various Professional and Business Services Sectors, including: - Technology - Business It is expected that training provision within Lot 4: Professional and Business Services sectors will typically consist of the following core elements: - Delivery of vocational skills, licences and/or qualifications where applicable to provide participants with the skills and qualifications required for employment, self-employment and 'better job' opportunities available. - Employability skills development such as motivation, team working, communication skills, interview skills, confidence building etc. in order to help optimise employment outcomes for the individual. - Addressing remaining employment barriers facing participants including development of interpersonal skills, confidence building etc. - Using a differentiated approach, where appropriate, to deliver training for those who are newly unemployed to compete for vacancies within the labour market. Renewal: Under the Open Framework Scheme, the first Framework will have the option to be extended for an additional year. Employability Support Lot 5 of the Framework will cover requirements relating to Employability Support, including areas such as: - Language - Soft Skills - Capacity Building It is expected that interventions within Lot 5: Employability Support will consist of: - Employability skills development such as motivation, team working, communication skills, interview skills, confidence building etc. - Support to employers to help them to provide work opportunities leading to sustainable employment. Renewal: Under the Open Framework Scheme, the first Framework will have the option to be extended for an additional year. ### Planning Information The purpose of this preliminary market engagement notice is to notify the market of Belfast City Council's intention to hold a consulation session with interested parties to help shape and inform the procurement strategy/development of a new Open Framework to deliver various Employability and Skills requirements. The Council will be holding a consultation session on Friday 1st May 2026 at 10am. The consultation session will be a short presentation on MS Teams, and representatives from the Councils Employability and Skills and Procurement Teams will be present. This may be followed by a feedback questionnaire, but this will be confirmed at the consultation session. If you are interested in attending the consultation session, please send an expression of interest email to cps@belfastcity.gov.uk (FAO Rachel Crothers) by 5pm Wednesday 29th April 2026. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/067491-2026 | | Notice type | UK4 - Tender Notice | | Procurement type | Framework | | 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 | 17 Jul 2026 | | Submission deadline | 21 Aug 2026 | | Future notice date | 3 Aug 2026 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 30 Sep 2026 - 30 Sep 2028 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £6,000,000 | | Lots value | £6,000,000 | | 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 | 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 | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 80 - Education and training services - 98 - Other community, social and personal services ### Codes - 80000000 - Education and training services - 80400000 - Adult and other education services - 80500000 - Training services - 80521000 - Training programme services - 80530000 - Vocational training services - 98000000 - Other community, social and personal services ## Release History - 17 Jul 2026 at 06:30 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/067491-2026 - 10 Apr 2026 at 10:05 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/032709-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/067491-2026 17th July 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/032709-2026 10th April 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - https://e-sourcingni.bravosolution.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-067fbc. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067fbc.json.