Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Essex County Council
County Hall, Market Road
Chelmsford
CM1 1QH
Contact
Mr Andrew Beaver
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
UKH3 - Essex
Internet address(es)
Main address
Buyer's address
one.2) Information about joint procurement
The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body
one.3) Communication
The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at
Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address
Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted electronically via
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Regional or local authority
one.5) Main activity
General public services
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
CO0096 Temporary and Permanent Work Supply Chain
Reference number
DN573901
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 79600000 - Recruitment services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
The purpose of this tender is to install a direct supply chain for temporary and permanent hires, where the contractual arrangement will be held between ECC and the agency supplier. Agency suppliers will be required to use our partner's (Matrix SCM) time and billing technology when temporary staff are placed (permanent hires can be invoiced directly to the council).
To support delivery of our resourcing strategies we now need to secure partners to deliver our vision of an effective agency supply chain, reflecting ECC’s ambition to use agency suppliers effectively and to support our in-house delivery. We are looking for suppliers who can enable our vision that ECC will deliver the right talent at the right time.
We are looking to partner with agency suppliers who can own the contractual engagement of our temporary workforce. Weekly payroll activity such as timesheet, and billing will be managed by our service provider Matrix SCM. The agency supplier will pay their temporary workers directly, upon approved timesheets in the mentioned technology platform. ECC attract workers across all worker categories and types directly in the first instance and then the roles we require support with will be released to our supply chain of third-party agencies.. Our agency partners will own the contractual engagement of the temporary workers provided to ECC as well as the other services described. For agency hires that the agency will manage the timesheet, payment and billing via our partner Matrix SCM their provided technology (CR.Net).
Suppliers will need to provide an adaptive, legally compliant service and use ECC technology platforms to upload CV’s for consideration and our partners technology to manager timesheet, payroll and billing. For temporary hires we require agency contractually engage our temporary workers, contracting such workers to deliver services in the following ways:
• PAYE hourly rate contract for services
• PAYE daily rate contract for services
• Ltd Company hourly rate contract for services
• Ltd Company daily rate contract for services
• Statement of work arrangements whereby temporary services are only paid upon deliverable milestones not time worked, both PAYE and Ltd Company
• Pay per assessment arrangements whereby temporary services are only paid upon deliverable assessments not time worked, both PAYE and Ltd Company
• Umbrella arrangements via compliant umbrella companies (only FCSA compliant umbrella organisation may be used).
• Able to adapt and deliver to emerging working arrangement in the talent marketplace
Any existing temporary workers agency suppliers have onsite at ECC will transfer to the new arrangements, ECC will transfer the agency contractual relationship to our own agency supply chain DPS.
ECC also supports partner Essex Public Sector organisations with their temporary recruitment, such as Unitary, Borough and District Councils, subsidiaries, LATVs and LATCs, County council and local councils: What we do and what we don't - Essex County Council. ECC will manage the recruitment and billing process on behalf of those organisations.
There is the expectation that agency utilisation may increase.
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: Yes
Tenders may be submitted for one lot only
two.2) Description
two.2.1) Title
Tier 1
Lot No
1
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 79620000 - Supply services of personnel including temporary staff
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKH3 - Essex
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
Our first point of call for supplier services for all job categories, including Executive Interims and Qualified Social Work.
Provide temporary workers in line with requisition requests and bill for the provision of temporary worker services. The supplier must be responsive to requests and ensure candidates submitted are of suitable quality, uploading no more than 5 CVs to any one vacancy.
Provision of temporary workers both for volume and seasonal recruitment campaigns: this will ensure ECC is able to maintain frontline service delivery e.g., country parks and outdoor centers, as well as adult community learning.
In addition to the provision and billing of temporary workers we will also ask suppliers to engage with ECC for the provision and billing of permanent workers.
Suppliers must be able to provide workers in line with ECC job categories as outlined in the specification.
ECC has outlined in the specification its three-tiered pricing model, the supplier of temporary workers must clearly identify which pricing model they are prepared to operate on from the onset. The pricing model for this is set out in Appendix A of the Specification.
Ensuring all temporary and interim workers are paid within agreed, and consistently applied, pay rates which demonstrate value for money for ECC and that full and transparent reporting is easily available to ECC showing the detailed breakdown of worker pay rate, individuals’ statutory costs, agency margins and supplier margins.
A consistent, best fit, engagement, and collaborate supply service appropriate for an Authority of the size and diversity of ECC which enables the onboarding of workers at pace and a 24-hour turnaround from a worker becoming compliant to them being able to submit time.
Suppliers must ensure that workers submitted against live roles meet the minimum criteria set out; this includes understanding the job description and willingness to reach out to ECC Temporary Recruitment Team to understand the nature of the role in more detail if required. Suppliers who fail to submit candidates that are in line with the requirements of the role will be removed from the supply chain.
The supplier must ensure the temporary worker receives a positive candidate experience, that is representative of ECC. This should include all candidates receiving feedback regarding their status of a submission, regardless of whether they are placed and regular communication with temporary workers on site at ECC
The supplier must be a member of one of the following recruitment agencies: REC (Recruitment Employment Confederation), APSCO (Associate of Professional Staffing Companies) or BIOR (The British Institute of Recruiters).
We will only work with suppliers who allow temporary workers to use the services of an umbrella company who are FCSA Accredited Members, Professional Passport or APSCO registers.
two.2.5) Award criteria
Price is not the only award criterion and all criteria are stated only in the procurement documents
two.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months
48
This contract is subject to renewal
Yes
Description of renewals
Option to extend for a period of up to 12 months
two.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted: No
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: No
two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No
two.2) Description
two.2.1) Title
Tier 2
Lot No
2
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 79620000 - Supply services of personnel including temporary staff
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKH3 - Essex
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
Our second point of call for supplier services for all job categories, including Executive Interims and Qualified Social Work. (To be called upon after 48 hours of live role requirement).
Provide temporary workers in line with requisition requests and bill for the provision of temporary worker services. The supplier must be responsive to requests and ensure candidates submitted are of suitable quality, uploading no more than 5 CVs to any one vacancy.
Provision of temporary workers both for volume and seasonal recruitment campaigns: this will ensure ECC is able to maintain frontline service delivery e.g., country parks and outdoor centers, as well as adult community learning.
In addition to the provision and billing of temporary workers we will also ask suppliers to engage with ECC for the provision and billing of permanent workers.
Suppliers must be able to provide workers in line with ECC job categories as outlined in the specification.
ECC has outlined in the specification its three-tiered pricing model, the supplier of temporary workers must clearly identify which pricing model they are prepared to operate on from the onset. The pricing model for this is set out in Appendix A of the Specification.
Ensuring all temporary and interim workers are paid within agreed, and consistently applied, pay rates which demonstrate value for money for ECC and that full and transparent reporting is easily available to ECC showing the detailed breakdown of worker pay rate, individuals’ statutory costs, agency margins and supplier margins.
A consistent, best fit, engagement, and collaborate supply service appropriate for an Authority of the size and diversity of ECC which enables the onboarding of workers at pace and a 24-hour turnaround from a worker becoming compliant to them being able to submit time.
Suppliers must ensure that workers submitted against live roles meet the minimum criteria set out; this includes understanding the job description and willingness to reach out to ECC Temporary Recruitment Team to understand the nature of the role in more detail if required. Suppliers who fail to submit candidates that are in line with the requirements of the role will be removed from the supply chain.
The supplier must ensure the temporary worker receives a positive candidate experience, that is representative of ECC. This should include all candidates receiving feedback regarding their status of a submission, regardless of whether they are placed and regular communication with temporary workers on site at ECC
The supplier must be a member of one of the following recruitment agencies: REC (Recruitment Employment Confederation), APSCO (Associate of Professional Staffing Companies) or BIOR (The British Institute of Recruiters).
We will only work with suppliers who allow temporary workers to use the services of an umbrella company who are FCSA Accredited Members, Professional Passport or APSCO registers.
two.2.5) Award criteria
Price is not the only award criterion and all criteria are stated only in the procurement documents
two.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months
48
This contract is subject to renewal
Yes
Description of renewals
Option to extend for a period of up to 12 months
two.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted: No
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: No
two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No
two.2) Description
two.2.1) Title
Tier 3
Lot No
3
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 79620000 - Supply services of personnel including temporary staff
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKH3 - Essex
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
Our third point of call for supplier services for all job categories, including Executive Interims and Qualified Social Work. (To be called upon after 96 hours of live role requirement).
Provide temporary workers in line with requisition requests and bill for the provision of temporary worker services. The supplier must be responsive to requests and ensure candidates submitted are of suitable quality, uploading no more than 5 CVs to any one vacancy.
Provision of temporary workers both for volume and seasonal recruitment campaigns: this will ensure ECC is able to maintain frontline service delivery e.g., country parks and outdoor centers, as well as adult community learning.
In addition to the provision and billing of temporary workers we will also ask suppliers to engage with ECC for the provision and billing of permanent workers.
Suppliers must be able to provide workers in line with ECC job categories as outlined in the specification.
ECC has outlined in the specification its three-tiered pricing model, the supplier of temporary workers must clearly identify which pricing model they are prepared to operate on from the onset. The pricing model for this is set out in Appendix A of the Specification.
Ensuring all temporary and interim workers are paid within agreed, and consistently applied, pay rates which demonstrate value for money for ECC and that full and transparent reporting is easily available to ECC showing the detailed breakdown of worker pay rate, individuals’ statutory costs, agency margins and supplier margins.
A consistent, best fit, engagement, and collaborate supply service appropriate for an Authority of the size and diversity of ECC which enables the onboarding of workers at pace and a 24-hour turnaround from a worker becoming compliant to them being able to submit time.
Suppliers must ensure that workers submitted against live roles meet the minimum criteria set out; this includes understanding the job description and willingness to reach out to ECC Temporary Recruitment Team to understand the nature of the role in more detail if required. Suppliers who fail to submit candidates that are in line with the requirements of the role will be removed from the supply chain.
The supplier must ensure the temporary worker receives a positive candidate experience, that is representative of ECC. This should include all candidates receiving feedback regarding their status of a submission, regardless of whether they are placed and regular communication with temporary workers on site at ECC
The supplier must be a member of one of the following recruitment agencies: REC (Recruitment Employment Confederation), APSCO (Associate of Professional Staffing Companies) or BIOR (The British Institute of Recruiters).
We will only work with suppliers who allow temporary workers to use the services of an umbrella company who are FCSA Accredited Members, Professional Passport or APSCO registers.
two.2.5) Award criteria
Price is not the only award criterion and all criteria are stated only in the procurement documents
two.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months
48
This contract is subject to renewal
Yes
Description of renewals
Option to extend for a period of up to 12 months
two.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted: No
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: No
two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Restricted procedure
four.1.3) Information about a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system
The procurement involves the setting up of a dynamic purchasing system
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
four.2) Administrative information
four.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
Originally published as:
Date
10 November 2021
Local time
5:00pm
Changed to:
Date
23 November 2025
Local time
5:00pm
See the change notice.
four.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted
English
four.2.6) Minimum time frame during which the tenderer must maintain the tender
Duration in months: 6 (from the date stated for receipt of tender)
Section six. Complementary information
six.1) Information about recurrence
This is a recurrent procurement: No
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
High Court, Royal Courts of Justice
London
WC2A 2LL
Country
United Kingdom