Scope
Description
Enterprise Oxfordshire, alongside Oxfordshire Employment, is supporting the Oxfordshire Connect to Work programme, together with Oxfordshire County Council, with funding provided from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
The Connect to Work programme will take a collaborative, locally-led approach to tackling 'hidden unemployment'. It will help connect local work, health and skills support.
The funding provides a coherent, systematic and joined up approach to maximise the benefits available for individuals and local communities.
Connect to Work is the first major element in the new Get Britain Working Strategy which aims to support people into good, sustainable work. It is a voluntary programme to help tackle economic inactivity by providing a specific form of support targeted at the right people at the right time, based on their individual circumstances.
Enterprise Oxfordshire will be responsible for the delivery of the Individual Placement Support (IPS) pathway in conjunction with local-centric delivery partner(s) who will be procured and managed by Enterprise Oxfordshire through this procurement.
Enterprise Oxfordshire will manage fidelity on behalf of its own delivery and that of its delivery partner(s), retaining team leader and programme manager resource to ensure quality and project and participant management as well as being responsible for finance, administration, compliance, etc. for the IPS pathway.
We anticipate that 1,400 to 1,500 participants will be supported through the IPS pathway over the duration of the project.
Enterprise Oxfordshire has £3,271,303 to procure the IPS pathway Employment Advisor delivery.
Contracts will run from November 2025 to 31 March 2030, with an optional 12 to 24 month extension period.
Total value (estimated)
- £3,271,303 excluding VAT
- £3,925,564 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 19 October 2025 to 31 March 2030
- Possible extension to 31 March 2032
- 6 years, 5 months, 13 days
Description of possible extension:
There is potential scope for the programme to be extended for an additional 12-24 month period. Any extension will be at Enterprise Oxfordshire's discretion and is subject to funding availability and adequate performance by the Supplier.
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 79600000 - Recruitment services
Contract locations
- UKJ14 - Oxfordshire
Submission
Enquiry deadline
14 August 2025, 11:59pm
Submission type
Tenders
Tender submission deadline
5 September 2025, 11:00am
Submission address and any special instructions
Tender responses must be emailed to ConnectToWork@enterpriseoxfordshire.com
Tenders may be submitted electronically
No
Languages that may be used for submission
English
Award decision date (estimated)
6 October 2025
Award criteria
| Name | Type | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Approach to delivery | Quality | 25% |
| Experience in Delivering IPS or equivalent | Quality | 20% |
| Team | Quality | 20% |
| Mobilisation and Delivery Timeline | Quality | 15% |
| Data Management, Evidencing and Reporting | Quality | 10% |
| Social Value | Quality | 10% |
Other information
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Competitive flexible procedure
Competitive flexible procedure description
This procurement will follow a competitive flexible process in line with the Procurement Act. The stages of the process are described below, however in summary, all responses from bidders which have passed the review of the Selection Questionnaire will proceed to the first stage which will be the assessment of the tender responses. Responses from bidders will be scored, as described below, and the top three scoring tenders will proceed to the second stage. The second stage will consist of an interview at which the bidder shall be given the change to present their proposal and will then be asked a series of questions (the same questions to all bidders) and their presentation and responses to questions will be scored. The highest scoring bidder at the interview stage will be awarded the contract.
N.B. We do not envisage that the award criteria will be refined after the launch of the procurement, however this may be necessary if additional guidance or information on Connect to Work is issued that affects the procurement. Enterprise Oxfordshire shall communicate any changes through the Clarification Q&As on the Enterprise Oxfordshire website if required.
Documents
Associated tender documents
https://www.enterpriseoxfordshire.com/news/invitation-to-tender-connect-to-work-individual-placement-and-support-pathway-oxfordshire/
ITT documents. Clarification Q&As will also be published here regularly, up to the clarification deadline,
Documents to be provided after the tender notice
Clarifiction Q&As and webinar recording will be added to the webpage at : https://www.enterpriseoxfordshire.com/news/invitation-to-tender-connect-to-work-individual-placement-and-support-pathway-oxfordshire/
Contracting authority
OXFORDSHIRE LOCAL ENTERPRISE PARTNERSHIP LIMITED
- Companies House: 09519056
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PLTR-3152-PVJX
County Hall
Oxford
OX1 1AY
United Kingdom
Region: UKJ14 - Oxfordshire
Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government