---
title: "Connect to Work - IPS Targeted Supported Employment provision"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06ee70"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06ee70"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ee70.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ee70.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Somerset County Council"
published: "2026-08-28"
---

# Connect to Work - IPS Targeted Supported Employment provision

Buyer: Somerset County Council  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06ee70

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## Summary

Somerset Council procured targeted Individual Placement and Support (IPS) supported employment services through its Connect to Work programme. The provision is intended to help people in specific parts of Somerset move towards and into employment, with the stated focus on Frome, West Somerset and Sedgemoor. The procurement falls within job search services (CPV 79611000). Somerset Council is the public-sector buyer and the delivery area is Somerset, particularly the named geographical areas. The requirement is service-based rather than for goods, construction or infrastructure. It is suited to organisations that deliver employment support directly in local communities and can tailor provision to the needs of people in distinct geographic areas. The selected provider is SBA WORLDWIDE CIC, an SME based in Langport.

The procurement has been completed and the award is active. Somerset Council used a direct award below the relevant threshold, without competition, under the Procurement Act 2023. One lot was completed and awarded to SBA WORLDWIDE CIC. The award date was 28 August 2026. The contract was signed on 28 August 2026 and runs from 21 September 2026 to 20 September 2027. Its value is £70,000 excluding VAT and £84,000 including VAT. The evaluation outcome was a direct award rather than a competitive assessment, so no competitive scoring basis is reported. The contract covers the targeted IPS supported employment provision and job search services for the specified Somerset areas. The supplier is responsible for the active contract.

For a supplier that did not win this procurement, the award provides a clear indication of Somerset Council’s demand for locally targeted IPS supported employment and job search provision. A credible future competitor would need practical experience supporting people towards employment, an understanding of IPS delivery, and the ability to operate across distinct parts of Somerset, including Frome, West Somerset and Sedgemoor. Local presence or effective community delivery arrangements would be relevant because the service is geographically targeted. Organisations should also be able to work within a council-funded employment programme and demonstrate reliable delivery at the scale represented by a single targeted service contract. The award to an SME shows that this type of requirement can be delivered by a smaller specialist organisation, rather than only by a large national provider.

## Notice

As part of the Connect to Work programme for Somerset we are looking for specific targeted provision for the IPS supported employment delivery. This will be targeted at specific geographical areas such as: Frome, West Somerset and Sedgemoor.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082129-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - without competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 28 Aug 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 21 Sep 2026 - 20 Sep 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £70,000 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Somerset County Council |
| Locality | TAUNTON |
| Postcode area | Taunton |
| Postcode | TA1 4DY |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK6 North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset |
| ITL 3 | TLK62 Somerset |
| Local authority | Somerset |
| Electoral ward | Bishop's Hull & Taunton West |
| Westminster constituency | Taunton and Wellington |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | Somerset Business Agency CIC |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 79611000 - Job search services

## Release History

- 28 Aug 2026 at 11:57 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082129-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082129-2026
  28th August 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.sbacommunities.org
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- https://www.somerset.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-06ee70. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ee70.json.