Scope
Reference
2730488
Description
West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), in partnership with City of Wolverhampton Council, Dudley MBC, Sandwell, MBC and Walsall MBC are pleased to announce their intention to procure Supported Employment provision for disabled residents, residents with long-term health conditions, and other agreed disadvantaged groups with complex barriers to sustain work.
Set out in the Adults Skills and Employment Functional Strategy https://governance.wmca.org.uk/documents/s23891/Appendix 3 Functional Strategies Merged.pdf, our ambition is to develop an integrated employment and skills system that stimulates economic growth and delivers better outcomes for residents and businesses. Central to realising this is the flexibility we have secured as part of our deeper devolution deal, which gives the WMCA further policy influence with our system partners DWP and DfE, and control over adult skills and employment spending through the Integrated Settlement.
The opportunity created by the Get Britain Working White Paper paves the way for further devolved responsibility for employment support working in partnership with DWP. Demonstrated through a devolved role in supported employment through the new Connect to Work programme and stronger role in partnership with DWP to deliver better outcomes for residents, it will further enable us to deliver our ambition for an integrated system that meets residents' needs, especially those disadvantaged in the labour market through ill health or disability, in alignment with the region's three Integrated Care Board's WorkWell pilots.
Through Integrated Settlement, WMCA has secured funding to support up to 1400 participants to sustain work through the delivery of Individual Placement & Support (IPS) and Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF) models in 2025-26, with the potential to extend and scale up delivery in subsequent years. WMCA's Adult Skills & Employment Functional Strategy is available online through the following link: https://www.wmca.org.uk/documents/integrated-settlement/adult-skills-employment-functional-strategy/ with WMCA's approach to Connect to Work outlined in the Connect to Work Business Justification Case found here: https://governance.wmca.org.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=135&MId=1228&Ver=4
Total value (estimated)
- £3,804,000 excluding VAT
- £4,564,800 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 15 December 2025 to 31 March 2027
- Possible extension to 31 March 2028
- 2 years, 3 months, 17 days
Description of possible extension:
From 1st April 2026 potential variation and extension to deliver Phase 3 and Phase 4 (1st April 2026 to 31st March 2028)
Phase 3 = 12 months (Engagement & Support)
Phase 4 = 12 months (Support only)
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 85140000 - Miscellaneous health services
Contract locations
- UKG38 - Walsall
- UKG37 - Sandwell
- UKG36 - Dudley
- UKG39 - Wolverhampton
Participation
This procurement is reserved for
Supported employment providers
Legal and financial capacity conditions of participation
A Financial Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT) and accompanying guidance has been provided as part of the attachments to the PSQ. Prospective Bidders are required to read these documents thoroughly and follow the instructions in order to complete the self-assessment prior to the PSQ submision deadline.
If the Prospective Bidder has failed or flagged as a risk for any of the self-assessment metrics, they should contact WMCA via the Bravo messaging function to explain the situation and agree a range of risk mitigation measures with the WMCA Finance Team during the clarification period of the PSQ. Any Prospective Bidder that has failed or flagged as a risk for any of the self-assessment metrics and has not engaged with the WMCA Finance Team during the clarification period will be deemed to have failed the Financial Standing condition of participation.
WMCA will only engage with Prospective Bidders to discuss their Financial Risk Assessment results prior to the PSQ submision deadline.
Technical ability conditions of participation
3 x Technical Ability questions, scored in line with the WMCA Scoring Matrix, found at Annex A of the PSQ Guidance document in the attachments to the PSQ. The score for each question will be added together to give a Total Score for each Prospective Bidder who passes the other conditions of participation. All Prospective Bidders who receive a Total Score will be ranked. The top 10 ranked Prospective Bidders will be invited to tender.
Particular suitability
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
Submission
Enquiry deadline
8 August 2025, 5:00pm
Submission type
Requests to participate
Deadline for requests to participate
22 August 2025, 5:00pm
Submission address and any special instructions
Tenders may be submitted electronically
Yes
Languages that may be used for submission
English
Suppliers to be invited to tender
Maximum 10 suppliers
Selection criteria:
Responses to this PSQ will first be checked for compliance and completeness. WMCA reserves the right to reject any submissions that do not comply with the requirements of this PSQ, that are incomplete in any way or that are submitted after the applicable deadline. Submissions rejected due to being uncompliant or incomplete will not be evaluated.
All compliant and complete PSQ responses will progress to PSQ evaluation. The Pass/Fail elements of the PSQ will be evaluated first, any response that receives a 'Fail' on any of the Pass/Fail elements will be rejected and will not have any Scored elements evaluated and will not progress any further in the procurement. All responses that 'Pass' all Pass/Fail elements will progress to the evaluation of Scored questions and will receive a Total Score.
The minimum quality requirement for this PSQ is to reach a Total Mark equal to or above 60% of the total available marks. Any supplier not reaching this minimum threshold will not be considered any further within the process.
WMCA intends to shortlist the top ten (10) scoring Prospective Bidders who will be Invited to Tender that have met the applicable Conditions of Participation. Where multiple Prospective Bidders meeting the Conditions of Participation score the same total score which is within the highest-scoring scores, WMCA shall take forward all such Prospective Bidders, even if this exceeds the maximum threshold. Where a shortlisted Bidder withdraws, is disqualified or otherwise rejected within the period prior to the issue of the Invitation to Tender (ITT) then WMCA reserves the right to take through the next highest scoring Prospective Bidder to replace them.
Award decision date (estimated)
17 November 2025
Award criteria
| Name | Type | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Technical | Quality | 90% |
| Commercial | Cost | 10% |
Other information
Description of risks to contract performance
Risk - Mobilisation Delay
Impact - Under performance against the required outputs and outcomes would be a result of delayed mobilisation.
Risk - No bids or suitable responses are received during the tender period
Impact - The contract will not perform should no bids or suitable responses be received during the tender period.
Risk - Changes in target cohort
Impact - Lack of focus on priority cohort 18-24 year olds
Risk - Changes to outcome measures
Impact - Outcomes are set in line with 25/26 Integrated Settlement outcomes
Applicable trade agreements
- Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Competitive flexible procedure
Competitive flexible procedure description
This Competitive Flexible Procedure procurement will be conducted over 2 stages.
The first stage is the request to participate which will involve completion and submission of the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ). This stage is being used to down-select interested suppliers to invite to tender. Prospective Bidders who pass all Conditions of Participation included within the PSQ will have their Technical and Professional Ability questions scored to give a Total Score for their PSQ. Prospective Bidders will be ranked by Total Score and WMCA will invite the top 10 ranked prospective bidders in to tender.
The second stage is the Invitation to Tender (ITT) stage. The ITT will be issued to the top 10 ranked prospective bidders. Following the tender submission deadline, the evauation panel will evaluate all tenders and WMCA will award the contract to the highest scoring tenderer.
Documents
Documents to be provided after the tender notice
Documents that form the Invitation to Tender Pack will be issued to the bidders who progress to ITT stage through Bravo Solution, WMCA's e-tendering portal.
Contracting authority
West Midlands Combined Authority
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PGMD-1353-PZVX
16 Summer Lane
Birmingham
B19 3SD
United Kingdom
Email: procurement.team@wmca.org.uk
Website: http://www.WMCA.org.uk
Region: UKG31 - Birmingham
Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government
Other organisations
These organisations are carrying out the procurement, or part of it, on behalf of the contracting authorities.
City of Wolverhampton Council
Summary of their role in this procurement: Evaluation of Tenders
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PVBV-7568-LBLL
Civic Centre, St Peters Square
Wolverhampton
WV1 1SH
United Kingdom
Email: Julie.obada@wolverhampton.gov.uk
Website: http://www.wolverhamptom.gov.uk
Region: UKG39 - Wolverhampton
Walsall MBC
Summary of their role in this procurement: Evaluation of Tenders
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PHGR-7481-DHXR
Civic Centre
Walsall
WS1 1XU
United Kingdom
Email: jane.kaur-Gill@walsall.gov.uk
Website: http://go.walsall.gov.uk
Region: UKG38 - Walsall
Dudley MBC
Summary of their role in this procurement: Evaluation of Tenders
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PWYJ-3537-GLBW
The Council House, Priory Road
Dudley
DY1 1HF
United Kingdom
Email: Viv.Webb@dudley.gov.uk
Website: http://www.dudley.gov.uk
Region: UKG36 - Dudley
Sandwell MBC
Summary of their role in this procurement: Evaluation of Tenders
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PJHD-8764-YRJJ
Sandwell Council House, Freeth Street
Oldbury
B69 3DE
United Kingdom
Email: Kelly.Harris@Sandwell.gov.uk
Website: http://www.sandwell.gov.uk
Region: UKG37 - Sandwell