---
title: "Workforce Planning"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06eb7e"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06eb7e"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06eb7e.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06eb7e.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "West Midlands Combined Authority"
published: "2026-08-25"
---

# Workforce Planning

Buyer: West Midlands Combined Authority  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06eb7e

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06eb7e)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06eb7e.json)

## Summary

West Midlands Combined Authority commissioned the development of a workforce plan for its organisation. The requirement is a professional consultancy service focused on workforce planning, supported by research consultancy and business development consultancy expertise. The work is associated with the Combined Authority in Birmingham and is delivered in the United Kingdom. It was procured as a single requirement rather than being divided into described work packages. The buyer is a sub-central public authority responsible for the West Midlands area. The selected provider, the Institute for Employment Studies, is based in Brighton and is classified as a small or medium-sized enterprise. The requirement therefore suits organisations able to combine labour-market or workforce research with practical advice on business and workforce development.

The procurement has been completed and the contract was awarded to the Institute for Employment Studies. It used a below-threshold limited competition, with one completed lot. The contract was signed on 17 August 2026 and runs from 17 August 2026 to 16 August 2027. Its value is £74,999 gross, and it is below the relevant threshold. The award covers research consultancy and business development consultancy services supporting the workforce plan. The contract is active. The procurement was evaluated through the limited-competition route; the published data does not set out separate quality, price or other scoring criteria. The award was made to one supplier for the full requirement, rather than being split between multiple awarded providers.

This procurement indicates a defined requirement for workforce planning supported by evidence-based research and business development advice. Competitors would need to understand workforce strategy and be able to translate research into a practical plan for a public authority. Credibility would come from demonstrable capability in employment, labour-market or organisational research, together with consultancy experience in workforce or business development. Suppliers should also be able to produce clear strategic recommendations for a combined authority operating across the West Midlands. The selected supplier is an SME, showing that delivery at this scale is within reach of a specialist consultancy rather than requiring a large corporate structure. Organisations combining research capability with applied workforce-planning expertise are the closest fit for comparable requirements from this buyer.

## Notice

Development of a workforce plan for West Midlands Combined Authority.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080810-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Limited |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - limited competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 25 Aug 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 17 Aug 2026 |
| Contract period | 17 Aug 2026 - 16 Aug 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £74,999 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | West Midlands Combined Authority |
| Locality | BIRMINGHAM |
| Postcode area | Birmingham |
| Postcode | B19 3SD |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLG West Midlands (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLG3 West Midlands |
| ITL 3 | TLG31 Birmingham |
| Local authority | Birmingham |
| Electoral ward | Newtown |
| Westminster constituency | Birmingham Ladywood |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | INSTITUTE FOR EMPLOYMENT STUDIES |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services
- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

### Codes

- 73210000 - Research consultancy services
- 79411100 - Business development consultancy services

## Release History

- 25 Aug 2026 at 12:22 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080810-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080810-2026
  25th August 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.employment-studies.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-06eb7e. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06eb7e.json.