---
title: "CR_5551 Employer Skills Investment"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-07839d"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-07839d"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-07839d.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-07839d.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Department for Business and Trade"
published: "2026-10-08"
---

# CR_5551 Employer Skills Investment

Buyer: Department for Business and Trade  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-07839d

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-07839d)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-07839d.json)

## Summary

The Department for Business & Trade commissioned research and analysis on employer investment in skills. The work is intended to build a clearer picture of what drives employers’ skills investment and how those factors differ across the eight sectors in the UK Industrial Strategy. Establishing the current baseline is intended to inform recommendations for targeted interventions to improve the UK skills system. The work is delivered in the United Kingdom.

The procurement is complete and the contract was awarded in February 2026 to Aston University. The Department used a below-threshold direct award without competition. The contract was signed on 20 February 2026 and runs from 23 February to 31 March 2026. Its value is £29,775 excluding VAT (£35,730 including VAT). The procurement was a single lot. The published evaluation criteria are not stated in the available process details.

For a future requirement of this kind, credible suppliers would need strong research and analytical capability, including the ability to assess what drives employer investment in skills and compare findings across the Industrial Strategy’s eight sectors. They would also need to establish a robust baseline and turn evidence into practical recommendations for targeted interventions in the UK skills system. This award shows that the Department bought a focused, short-term analytical research service from a university supplier. The work is relevant to organisations able to deliver policy-facing research and present findings that can inform decisions about skills provision.

## Notice

This contract was awarded back in February 2026 and is being published for transparency purposes. The Industrial Strategy Advisory Council Secretariat (ISAC) needs to build a more robust understanding of the employer-skills investment landscape, specifically on the determinants of it, and how these may vary across the Industrial Strategy 8 sectors (IS-8). Understanding the current baseline/state of play is a critical step needed to provide recommendations and ideas for targeted interventions that will improve the UK' skills system. The work is predominantly analysis and producing findings.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/095147-2026 |
| 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 | 8 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 23 Feb 2026 - 31 Mar 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £29,775 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Department for Business and Trade |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Postcode area | South West London |
| Postcode | SW1A 2DY |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West |
| ITL 3 | TLI35 Westminster and City of London |
| Local authority | Westminster |
| Electoral ward | St James's |
| Westminster constituency | Cities of London and Westminster |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | Aston University |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 73110000 - Research services

## Release History

- 8 Oct 2026 at 12:08 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/095147-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/095147-2026
  8th October 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- 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-07839d. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-07839d.json.