Official UK procurement notice
Connect to Work Programme - Individual Placement Support (IPS) in Darlington, Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees and Redcar & Cleveland
Authority: Hartlepool Borough Council (Local council)·On behalf of: Stockton on Tees Borough Council
Sectors: Education & Training (80)Health & Social Care (85)Community & Cultural Services (98) Delivery: North East (UKC1)
Published estimate£2,769,200≈ £2.2m / year · £2,769,200 inc. VAT
Submissions closed 23 Sept 2026awarded 8 Oct 2026
Awarded to Humankind Charity
Contract term 1 yr 3 moends 31 Mar 2028 · up to 31 Mar 2030 with extensions · starts 4 Jan 2027
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionHartlepool Borough Council (the Council) has been appointed as the Lead Authority by Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) for the Connect to Work Programme. As such, the Council is responsible for ensuring successful management and delivery of the programme across Tees Valley.
Connect to Work will support disabled people, people with health conditions and those with complex barriers to get into or remain in work. It will be delivered up to 31st March 2030, and the primary focus is on those who are inactive and out of work, but it will also support some people who are at high risk of becoming inactive if they become unemployed. At its peak, the programme will support nearly 2,000 people per year in Tees Valley - and more than 5,000 people over the period to 2030.
CPV: Education and training services · Other community, social and personal services · Social work and related services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedRenewalPublished value£2,769,200
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
How bids were scored
Published award criteria (1)
- Quality: 100%
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 20 Aug 2026, 15:29 BST
- Last source update
- 21 Oct 2026, 11:51 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 23 Oct 2026
- Authority reference
OPEN20261866- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-079565- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06e8dbFind a Tender
How it was run
Official noticeRun through: OPEN-UK
Access & registration note: Free
- Submission deadline
- 23 Sept 2026, 14:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 14 Sept 2026, 14:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release
Timeline
20 Aug 2026 → 4 Jan 2027 · 8 dates- Tender notice published68 days ago20 Aug 2026, 15:29 BST
- Clarification questions by43 days ago14 Sept 2026, 14:00 BST
- Submission deadline34 days ago23 Sept 2026, 14:00 BST
- Assessment summaries sent19 days ago8 Oct 2026, 00:00 BST
- Standstill ends7 days ago19 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST
- Latest notice published6 days ago21 Oct 2026, 11:51 BST
- Award decision expected by3 days ago23 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST
- Today27 Oct 2026
- Contract startsin 68 days4 Jan 2027
Notice history
5 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 20 Aug 2026- Tender notice published20 Aug 2026, 15:29 BSTUK4
- Contract award notice published8 Oct 2026, 09:57 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete8 Oct 2026, 09:57 BST
- Contract signature expected20 Oct 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
- Contract details notice published21 Oct 2026, 11:51 BSTUK7
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecastAwards 1
Awarded value (inc. VAT) £2,769,2001 award inc. VAT; no net value published
Bids received 22 from SMEs
Contracts signed 1latest 21 Oct 2026
| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Humankind CharityVCSE1 Nov 2026 – 31 Mar 2028 · up to 31 Mar 2030Extensions: Dependant upon contract performance and available funding. | £2,769,200 inc. VAT | 8 Oct 2026 | Awarded |
Contracts
Contract 1 · Humankind CharityVCSE
- Signed
- 21 Oct 2026
- Value
- £2,769,200 inc. VAT
- Period
- 1 Dec 2026 – 31 Mar 2028 · up to 31 Mar 2030 with extensions
- Status
- active
- Extensions
- Dependant upon satisfactory contract performance and budget availability.
4 agreed KPIs: Job Starts · Outcomes 1 · Outcomes 2 …
- Job Starts, At least 50% of total Programme Starts to achieve first earnings ('Out-of-Work' Participants) To be achieved up to 456 calendar days from the Participant's programme start date, or if extended up to 638 calendar days from the start date.
- Outcomes 1, At least 40% 'Out-of-Work' participants of total Programme Starts to achieve a Lower Threshold Job Outcome. Earnings threshold calculation (9hrs x 13 weeks x National Living Wage (NLW)) and self-employed equivalent measured over 13 cumulative weeks. To be achieved up to 456 calendar days from the Participant's start date, or if extended up to 638 calendar days from the start date.
- Outcomes 2, At least 29% 'Out-of-Work' participants of total Programme Starts to achieve a Higher Threshold Job Outcome. Earnings threshold calculation (18 hrs x 26 weeks x NLW) and self-employed equivalent measured over 26 cumulative weeks. To be achieved up to 456 calendar days from the Participant's start date, or if extended up to 638 calendar days from the start date.
- Outcomes 3, At least 80% of 'In-Work' Retention Support participants to achieve a Higher Threshold Job Outcome (higher only - Employed and Self-employed Job Outcomes). Earnings threshold calculation (18 hrs x 26 weeks x NLW) and self-employed equivalent measured over 26 cumulative weeks. To be achieved up to 365 calendar days from the Participant's start date.
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2final-stage tenders · 3 at stage one | 2 | 0 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
5 public bodies on the noticeConsortium members and other public bodies
- Darlington Borough CouncilContracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central governmentEnd user and evaluator
- Middlesbrough CouncilContracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central governmentEnd user and evaluator
- Redcar and Cleveland Borough CouncilContracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central governmentEnd user and evaluator
- Stockton on Tees Borough CouncilProcuring entityPublic authority - sub-central governmentUser of the service
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- WAYTHROUGHAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender