Find a TenderAwardedContract award notice
Published 14 Aug 2026, 14:23 BST

Official UK procurement notice

In-Work Poverty and Good Work Grants

Official notice

Authority: North East Combined Authority (Local council)

ServicesOpen procedureAbove thresholdSME suitableVCSE suitable
Published estimate£2,500,000≈ £732k / year · £2,500,000 inc. VAT
Submissions closed 8 Sept 2026awarded 29 Oct 2026
Award (standstill) to SOCIETY MATTERS COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY
Contract term 3 yrs 5 moends 31 Mar 2030 · starts 1 Nov 2026

What is being bought

Published requirement description

Delivering on the North East MSA's commitment in the North East Child Poverty Action Plan, to reduce in-work poverty through funded support for employers. This work will help more organisations to better understand the financial circumstances of their employees and make meaningful changes to improve working conditions.

The work aims to drive social change within the workplace, to reduce the incidence and impact of in-work poverty, increase financial resilience, and create better jobs that make work pay. This is part of a wider programme of work delivering against the North East child poverty action plan and connects directly with SHINE, which is designed to recognise employers who lead with fairness, opportunity and respect.

CPV: Research and development services and related consultancy services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1Awarded 3 yrs 5 moSMEVCSEPublished value£2,500,000
Contract period: 1 Nov 2026 – 31 Mar 2030 (3 yrs 5 mo)Value: £2,500,000 exc. VAT · £2,500,000 inc. VAT
Delivery: North EastEligibility: SME eligibleVCSE eligible

What it takes to win
i

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 more
How bids were scored
Quality: 80%Price: 20%
Published award criteria (2)
  • Price
  • Quality
What this means for your bid
  • Price carries 20 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 2 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.

Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.

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
14 Aug 2026, 14:23 BST
Last source update
29 Oct 2026, 08:35 GMT
Award evaluation window
Submission end – 30 Oct 2026
Authority reference
OPEN20261761
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-077729
Latest notice
Contract award notice (UK6)
Classification (CPV)
Research and development services and related consultancy services
Delivery area
North East (UKC14)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06e4bf Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice
Run through: OPEN-UK
Supplier login requiredElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Free
Submission deadline
8 Sept 2026, 15:00 BST
Clarification deadline
4 Sept 2026, 15:00 BST
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

Tender Documentation is available at www.open-uk.org ↗ under project # OPEN20261761.

Timeline

14 Aug 2026 → 9 Nov 2026 · 8 dates
  1. Tender notice published76 days ago
    14 Aug 2026, 14:23 BST
  2. Clarification questions by55 days ago
    4 Sept 2026, 15:00 BST
  3. Submission deadline51 days ago
    8 Sept 2026, 15:00 BST
  4. Assessment summaries sent35h ago
    29 Oct 2026
  5. Latest notice published27h ago
    29 Oct 2026, 08:35 GMT
  6. Today
    30 Oct 2026
  7. Award decision expected byin 12h
    30 Oct 2026, 23:59 GMT
  8. Contract startsin 36h
    1 Nov 2026
  9. Standstill endsin 10 days
    9 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT

Notice history

4 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 14 Aug 2026
  1. Tender notice published
    14 Aug 2026, 14:23 BST
    UK4
  2. Contract award notice published
    29 Oct 2026, 08:35 GMT
    UK6
  3. Status changed to complete
    29 Oct 2026, 08:35 GMT
  4. Contract signature expected
    10 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
    scheduled

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast
Awards 1some still in standstill
Awarded value £2,499,0131 award exc. VAT
Bids received 11 from SMEs
Awarded toValueDateStatus
SOCIETY MATTERS COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANYVCSE11 Nov 2026 – 31 Mar 2030£2,499,01329 Oct 2026standstill to 9 Nov 2026Standstill

Bid statistics published by the authority

BidsSMEVCSEValid bid range
1final-stage tenders11—

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

North East Combined Authority

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PJMR-6594-BRGH The Lumen, St James' Boulevard, Newcastle Upon Tyne, North East, NE4 5BZContact email

Bidders & participating suppliers

1 commercial party on the notice

Official documents & specifications (2)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure

  • Contract award notice awardContract award noticeUK6Contract award notice on Find a Tender
  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender