---
title: "3rd Sector Supported Volunteering Programme"
ocid: "ocds-r6ebe6-0000827355"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-r6ebe6-0000827355"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000827355.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000827355.json"
source: "Public Contracts Scotland"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL"
published: "2026-03-24"
---

# 3rd Sector Supported Volunteering Programme

Buyer: SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-r6ebe6-0000827355

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## Summary

South Lanarkshire Council has finalised the contract award process for the "3rd Sector Supported Volunteering Programme," aimed at providing employability-focused support through volunteering placements within local third-sector organisations. The contract, awarded to Voluntary Action South Lanarkshire, falls under the general public services category with its geographical focus in Hamilton, UKM95. This procurement, managed by the Council through a limited negotiation process due to technical reasons, followed engagement with local third-sector partners. The contract was signed on 19th March 2026, with a total contract value of GBP 314,712, representing a significant investment in local employability initiatives.

This contract presents a notable opportunity for businesses within the third sector, particularly those involved in social enterprise and volunteering development. Voluntary Action South Lanarkshire, in its role as the Third Sector Interface, will collaborate with local organisations to implement the programme, building on their established network and experience in managing funding distribution to over 200 member organisations. Businesses with a focus on community engagement and employability support will find this opportunity conducive to growth, as the programme promotes direct financial incentives and substantial team support for participant placements. This initiative not only enhances the visibility and impact of local businesses within the third sector but also provides a strategic avenue to contribute to regional workforce development and community planning efforts.

## Notice

Following previous delivery of a capacity building programme and engagement with VASLan, South Lanarkshire Local Employability Partnership and local third sector organisations, a programme was developed and delivered in 2025/26 to provide supported, employability-focused volunteering placements to VASLan local 3rd sector member organisations. Key Features - Target Group: Participants referred from Council employability teams and other third-sector partners. - Supported Volunteering Placements: Participants placed within local third-sector organisations. - Financial Incentives: Daily payment rates provided to host organisations for each active placement. - Keyworker Support: One-to-one guidance from Council/Routes to Work South (RTWS) employability keyworkers. - Monitoring & Evaluation: Progress tracked through structured action plans, placement reviews, and impact reporting.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Placements: The length and duration of placements will be determined by individual need but will typically last between 8-12 weeks with attendance 2-3 days per week. It is anticipated that the programme will support 100 employability participants to access placements. VASLan will be responsible for working with 3rd sector organisations to identify a range of suitable placements and maintaining a database of opportunities which will be circulated to the Council and RTWS keyworkers and updated on a regular basis and will set out the opportunities and tasks to be undertaken. Placement Payment Scheme: 3rd Sector Organisations hosting Supported Volunteering Placements will be eligible to receive GBP 55 per day per placement. The payment will be administered by VASLan. The Placement Payment Scheme will be administered on an actual costs basis with the Council providing up to GBP 88,000 to VASLan subject to evidence of payment. The costs will be covered by the NOLB grant at no expense to the Council. Placement allowance: South Lanarkshire Works / RTWS will be responsible for paying an allowance of GBP 25 per day to participants through the bankline system (this is the finance system that the Council currently uses in employability to pay participants training allowances and expenses). Programme Costing & Budget Breakdown This budget includes costs for four Support Officers (one per locality) to coordinate placements, liaise with third-sector organisations, and ensure programme success.

### Procurement Information

The award of this contract under the Negotiated Tendering Procedure can be justified under Standing Order 9.3.1 (b) of the Council's Standing Orders on Contracts for the following reason: - The works, services or supplies can be supplied by only one suitable contractor because competition is absent for technical reasons, and no alternative or substitute exists, and the absence of competition is not the result of an artificial narrowing down of the parameters of the procurement. Voluntary Action South Lanarkshire (VASLan) is South Lanarkshire's Third Sector Interface (TSI) and were established by the Scottish Government as one of 32 TSIs in each local authority area to provide a single point of access for support and advice for the Third Sector in South Lanarkshire. As a TSI VASLan operate 4 areas of core activity - Supporting and developing a strong Third Sector - Building the Third Sector relationship with community planning - Volunteering development - Social Enterprise development As South Lanarkshire's TSI VASLan are in a unique position to deliver this programme on a non-competitive basis for the following reasons: - One of VASLan's key functions is to act as a distributor of funding resources to member organisations and it has well established and effective processes in place - VASLan currently has a membership of over 200 local third sector organisations - VASLan is a key member of the South Lanarkshire Local Employability Partnership and Community Planning Partnership - VASLan's previous experience of the delivery of the Capacity Building and Volunteering for Employability programmes have resulted in a unique understanding and knowledge of the 3rd sector landscape in relation to volunteering opportunities - VASLan's previous experience means they will be in a position to establish the new programme quickly

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Public Contracts Scotland |
| Latest notice | https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAR552327 |
| Notice type | PCS Notice - Website Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Limited |
| Procurement method details | Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 24 Mar 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 19 Mar 2026 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £314,712 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL |
| Locality | HAMILTON |
| Post town | Motherwell |
| Postcode | ML3 0AA |
| Country | Scotland |
| ITL 1 | TLM Scotland |
| ITL 2 | TLM9 Southern Scotland |
| ITL 3 | TLM95 South Lanarkshire |
| Local authority | South Lanarkshire |
| Electoral ward | Hamilton North and East |
| Westminster constituency | Hamilton and Clyde Valley |
| Delivery location | TLM95 South Lanarkshire |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | VOLUNTARY ACTION SOUTH LANARKSHIRE |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 75 - Administration, defence and social security services
- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 75200000 - Provision of services to the community
- 85322000 - Community action programme

## Release History

- 24 Mar 2026 at 00:00 - Award - PCS Notice - Website Contract Award Notice - https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAR552327

## Documents

- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAR552327
  3rd Sector Supported Volunteering Programme - Following previous delivery of a capacity building programme and engagement with VASLan, South Lanarkshire Local Employability Partnership and local third sector organisations, a programme was developed and delivered in 2025/26 to provide supported, employability-focused volunteering placements to VASLan local 3rd sector member organisations. Key Features - Target Group: Participants referred from Council employability teams and other third-sector partners. - Supported Volunteering Placements: Participants placed within local third-sector organisations. - Financial Incentives: Daily payment rates provided to host organisations for each active placement. - Keyworker Support: One-to-one guidance from Council/Routes to Work South (RTWS) employability keyworkers. - Monitoring & Evaluation: Progress tracked through structured action plans, placement reviews, and impact reporting.

## Notice URLs

- http://
- http://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk
- https://api.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/v1/Notice?id=ocds-r6ebe6-0000827355

## 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-r6ebe6-0000827355. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000827355.json.