Planning

3S_26 Strategic HR and Recruitment Services

  • Leicestershire County Council, trading as ESPO

UK2: Preliminary market engagement notice - Procurement Act 2023 - view information about notice types

Notice identifier: 2025/S 000-016251

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-0505ab

Published 22 April 2025, 2:08pm



Scope

Reference

3S_26

Description

This is for a Preliminary market engagement (PME) where the tender documentation is not yet available. However, interest (Expressions of interest) can still be registered (see below for details on how to complete, and please also refer to the Engagement Section for further details on this).

A framework that offers a range of strategic HR services relevant in the public sector, including; executive and managerial interim recruitment, executive and managerial permanent recruitment, multi role temporary recruitment, multi role permanent recruitment, assessment and testing services, outplacement and career transition services, and HR business process outsourcing.

To express an interest:

(a) Go to https://www.eastmidstenders.org/; (b) Register (if not already registered on ProContract); (c) Search for tender opportunity '3S_26' (via "View Opportunities" from the EastMidsTenders Portal); d) Express an interest.

Please access the Messages area/section of the eProcurement Portal (ProContract / EastMidsTenders - Messages can be accessed via the Activity dashboard once an Expression of interest has been completed) for any further communications on this preliminary market engagement, including the RFI documentation.

For further details on the Procurement Act, including registration on the Central Digital Platform, this can be found as follows:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/information-and-guidance-for-suppliers

Or otherwise, please refer to the ESPO Website as follows:

https://www.espo.org/the-procurement-act-2023

Commercial tool

Establishes a framework

Total value (estimated)

  • £600,000,000 including VAT

Above the relevant threshold

Contract dates (estimated)

  • 7 July 2026 to 6 July 2028
  • Possible extension to 6 July 2030
  • 4 years

Main procurement category

Services

CPV classifications

  • 79600000 - Recruitment services

Contract locations

  • UK - United Kingdom

Engagement

Engagement deadline

30 May 2025

Engagement process description

Suppliers are required to register and complete the relevant stages on the Central Digital Platform if they wish to participate in or bid for this framework. Tender Submission deadlines cannot be extended to allow for late supplier registrations to the CDP. Tenderers should be aware that CDP registration could be a prolonged process. How to register on the CDP can be found using the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-act-2023-short-guides/suppliers-how-to-register-your-organisation-and-first-administrator-on-find-a-tender-in-three-easy-steps-html.

The Request for Information (RFI) documents are available on the EastMidsTenders Procurement Portal and the submission deadline is 2nd May 2025 at 12.00pm (noon). Suppliers wishing to participate must first register interest for 3S_26 on the Portal (further details on expressing your interest are captured below).

The RFI is captured within a Public Message on the Portal and suppliers are expected to follow the instructions for completing the RFI as per this Public Message and as detailed within the RFI itself.

Suppliers are being engaged with to determine:

• If there have been any changes or developments within the market

• Feedback on ESPO's proposed procurement methodology

• Any potential risks within the market etc.

• Feedback on our proposed procurement strategy

Following on from the RFI exercise, 1-2-1 preliminary market engagement sessions will only take place with those suppliers that have provided responses to questions that ESPO consider require additional information or clarification to further inform the procurement process.

Preliminary market engagement meetings will take place between 12/05/2025 and 23/05/2025.

It is anticipated that Suppliers taking part in the preliminary market engagement will not be put at an unfair advantage when bidding for this framework. For the avoidance of doubt those not participating in the engagement piece will still be able to tender for the framework and it will not mean they are excluded from tendering.

A record of the information shared and received as part of the preliminary market engagement will be kept ensuring that the information gathered is considered in the procurement. An anonymised summary of the information/outcomes will also be shared with other parties and used to help ensure that participating suppliers are not unfairly advantaged.

For the purposes of this Preliminary market engagement (PME), please express your interest as follows:

(a) Go to https://www.eastmidstenders.org/; (b) Register (if not already registered on ProContract); (c) Search for tender opportunity '3S_26' (via "View Opportunities" from the EastMidsTenders Portal); d) Express an interest.

Please access the Messages area/section of the eProcurement Portal (ProContract / EastMidsTenders - Messages can be accessed via the Activity dashboard once an Expression of interest has been completed) for any further communications on this preliminary market engagement, including the RFI documentation.

In the case of any questions or clarifications relating to this PME, these should also be submitted to ESPO as a Message on the eProcurement Portal (again once an Expression of interest has been completed).


Participation

Particular suitability

  • Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
  • Voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE)

Contracting authority

Leicestershire County Council, trading as ESPO

  • Public Procurement Organisation Number: PYDD-1122-TCVN

Barnsdale Way, Grove Park, Enderby

Leicester

LE19 1ES

United Kingdom

Contact name: Corporate Solutions Procurement Team

Email: tenders@espo.org

Website: https://www.espo.org/

Region: UKF22 - Leicestershire CC and Rutland

Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government