---
title: "653F_27 Managed Services for Temporary Agency Resources (MSTAR5)"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0682a3"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0682a3"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0682a3.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0682a3.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "LEICESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL, TRADING AS ESPO"
published: "2026-05-07"
---

# 653F_27 Managed Services for Temporary Agency Resources (MSTAR5)

Buyer: LEICESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL, TRADING AS ESPO  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0682a3

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## Summary

Leicestershire County Council, trading as ESPO, is in the planning stage of establishing a national framework for managed services related to temporary agency resources, titled "653F_27 Managed Services for Temporary Agency Resources (MSTAR5)." This involves a supply chain of agencies to meet staffing needs with services like Vendor Management Systems, Talent Pool Technology, and project delivery. The total estimated contract value is £4 billion, and the procurement process initiated with a pipeline notice published on 7th May 2026. Final procurement notices are anticipated around 2nd October 2026, with the framework to be actively managed from 11th April 2027 through 10th April 2029, and may extend until 2031. This initiative fits under the services category and invites expressions of interest and involvement from businesses in the UK.

This framework presents significant opportunities for business growth, especially for companies specializing in recruitment and staffing services. Ideal competitors include Managed Service Providers (MSPs) capable of delivering comprehensive agency management and specific technology solutions. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are encouraged to participate, with preliminary market engagement sessions scheduled between May and July 2026 for further insights and information sharing with potential suppliers. This presents an opportunity for businesses to engage early, understand procurement requirements, and position themselves effectively in this substantial and strategic public sector procurement exercise.

## Notice

Please note, this is a Pipeline notice only for ESPO contracts that are forecast to be re-procured or new procurement projects that are expected to be undertaken. However, in this instance interested suppliers may also wish to view the linked UK2: Preliminary market engagement notice that has already been published (Published 15 April 2026) at the time this Pipeline notice was published - see https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/034054-2026 For all current ESPO opportunities, please also visit https://www.eastmidstenders.org/ For details of ESPO Frameworks, please visit https://www.espo.org/frameworks.html This Pipeline notice is being published to alert the supplier market that ESPO expects to establish a national framework for the appointment of a Managed Service Provider to manage a supply chain of agencies to fulfil a customer's staffing needs. Services available include Neutral/Master Vendor, Vendor Management System (VMS), Talent Pool Technology and Statement of Works (Project Delivery).

### Planning Information

Suppliers are required to register and complete the relevant stages on the Central Digital Platform if they wish to participate in or bid for this framework.
Engagement is initially being undertaken via a Request for Information (RFI) questionnaire, with details being captured on the EastMidsTenders eProcurement Portal (www.eastmidstenders.org). The deadline for responding to the RFI is 17:00 (5pm) on 08 May 2026.
Suppliers wishing to participate in the RFI MUST first express an interest as follows:
(a) Go to https://www.eastmidstenders.org/; (b) Register (if not already registered on ProContract); (c) Search for opportunity '653F_27' (via "View Opportunities" from the EastMidsTenders Portal); d) Express an interest.
Suppliers can access the RFI questionnaire in the Messages section of the eProcurement Portal (via the Activity dashboard once an expression of interest has been registered). Instructions on how to respond are captured in the RFI (a link is provided to respond online). In case of any questions or clarifications, these should be submitted to ESPO as a message on the eProcurement Portal.
Following the RFI, 1-2-1 preliminary market engagement sessions will take place between May to July 2026. These will be limited in number (and will be undertaken via in-person or Teams meeting, invites to be issued out by ESPO for these). Meetings will be based on ESPO seeking further information on points raised within the Supplier’s RFI, with these meetings seeking involve a sample of market leaders, incumbents, SMEs and new entrants to the market, to capture a variety of views and ensure our sample of suppliers reflects the diverse range of MSPs within the staffing solutions market. 
For those not selected to participate in 1-2-1 sessions, outcomes of the engagement piece will be published within the Invitation To Tender Document, access to which will be published via the Tender Notice. Those that do not wish to participate in engagement or are not chosen for 1-2-1 sessions will not be at an unfair disadvantage when bidding for this framework. For the avoidance of doubt those not participating in the engagement piece will not be impacted in being able to participate in any resulting tender exercise, and will not be excluded from tendering.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/042055-2026 |
| Notice type | UK1 - Pipeline Notice |
| Procurement type | Framework |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 7 May 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 2 Oct 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 10 Apr 2027 - 10 Apr 2029 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £3,333,333,333 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | LEICESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL, TRADING AS ESPO |
| Locality | LEICESTER |
| Post town | Leicester |
| Postcode | LE19 1ES |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLF East Midlands (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLF2 Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire |
| ITL 3 | TLF22 Leicestershire CC and Rutland |
| Local authority | Blaby |
| Electoral ward | Enderby |
| Westminster constituency | South Leicestershire |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

### Codes

- 79600000 - Recruitment services

## Release History

- 7 May 2026 at 14:12 - Planning - UK1 - Pipeline Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/042055-2026
- 15 Apr 2026 at 09:30 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/034054-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/042055-2026
  7th May 2026 - Pipeline notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/034054-2026
  15th April 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.eastmidstenders.org/
- https://www.espo.org/
- https://www.espo.org/frameworks.html
- 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-0682a3. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0682a3.json.