---
title: "Specialist employment support for economically inactive young people with involvement in the youth justice / criminal justice system"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06ef70"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06ef70"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ef70.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ef70.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "North East Combined Authority"
published: "2026-09-14"
---

# Specialist employment support for economically inactive young people with involvement in the youth justice / criminal justice system

Buyer: North East Combined Authority  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06ef70

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## Summary

North East Combined Authority commissioned specialist employment support services for economically inactive young people aged 16 to 24 who have been involved with the youth or criminal justice system. The service provides one-to-one support to help participants overcome barriers, access coordinated support and progress into education, training and employment. It uses an expanded Navigator model and is intended for residents across the North East, including the wider North East area and the Tees Valley. This is a public service combining career guidance with social work and related support. The requirement is therefore relevant to organisations experienced in employment advice, youth support, rehabilitation, skills progression or coordinated services for people facing complex personal and social barriers.

The procurement is complete and was awarded to The Skill Mill Limited. It was a below-threshold direct award without competition, covering one lot. The award date was 1 September 2026, for £99,000 gross including applicable taxes. The awarded service period runs from 1 September 2026 to 31 March 2027. The contract was signed on 11 September 2026 and has the same end date, with an active contract status. The evaluation route was therefore a direct award rather than an open tender, and the published outcome records The Skill Mill Limited as the selected supplier. The contracting authority is North East Combined Authority, which is responsible for the requirement and the resulting contract.

This award indicates demand for intensive, personalised employment support for young people aged 16 to 24 who are economically inactive and have youth or criminal justice involvement. A credible future competitor would need practitioners able to provide consistent one-to-one guidance, identify and address barriers, coordinate support across relevant services, and help participants move towards education, training and employment. Experience of youth justice, criminal justice, employability, careers guidance, social work or community-based support would be directly relevant. The requirement also favours organisations able to operate across the North East and manage an expanded Navigator-style model for a defined group with complex needs. A voluntary, community or social enterprise background may be commercially relevant, given the profile of the selected provider.

## Notice

Provision of specialist one-to-one support for economically inactive young people aged 16-24 who have had involvement with the youth or criminal justice system, helping them overcome barriers, access coordinated support, and progress into education, training, and employment through an expanded Navigator model delivered for residents across the North East.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/086677-2026 |
| 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 | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 11 Sep 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £99,000 |
| Contracts value | £99,000 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | North East Combined Authority |
| Locality | NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE |
| Postcode area | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Postcode | NE4 5BZ |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLC North East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear |
| ITL 3 | TLC43 Tyneside |
| Local authority | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Electoral ward | Arthur's Hill |
| Westminster constituency | Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | Skill Mill |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security
- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 79634000 - Career guidance services
- 85300000 - Social work and related services

## Release History

- 14 Sep 2026 at 08:27 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/086677-2026
- 1 Sep 2026 at 12:21 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082603-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/086677-2026
  14th September 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082603-2026
  1st September 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.theskillmill.org
- 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-06ef70. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ef70.json.