UK Public Sector Contracts & Tenders

The contract is for the appointment of an open framework of suppliers to deliver independent business case appraisal advice as suppliers of the services. This procurement will be focussed on Transport Business Case Guidance and Appraisal.

The North East Combined Authority (North East CA), a mayoral combined authority representing 7 local authorities in the North East of England, is currently undertaking various feasibility studies to understand the potential for deep geothermal heat and power generation in the North East of England and are keen to undertake a complementary soft market test to understand the appetite for such work by specialist contractors. To support this, we would like to gain information from the broader market regarding several issues related to the potential procurement exercise. You are therefore invited to complete the attached questionnaire. This notice is not an invitation for formal expressions of interest. North East CA is issuing this request for information only, to assess the reaction of the broader market and thus make any potential procurement process more focused and efficient. This process is being undertaken to gather knowledge in the following areas: - Appetite for such work - Skills availability - Minimum requirements to attract organisations to the area - Equipment availability - Estimation of cost & draft timelines The information gathered will be used to: - Inform decision making around the techno-economic feasibility study The benefits to your organisation in participating in this process include: - the chance to assess whether the opportunity will be suitable and of interest to you ensuring that specifications are realistic and market-focused - the chance to raise any risks, concerns or issues regarding the potential opportunity Your responses are highly valued and will assist us in creating a procurement process which is well-framed, focused, feasible and likely to be of interest to the market.

On 8 August 2024, the North East Combined Authority published notice of its intention to prepare an assessment of a proposed bus franchising scheme in accordance with section 123B and section 123C(4) of the Transport Act 2000, as amended by the Bus Services Act 2017 (Transport Act 2000) The North East CA is developing the Franchising Scheme Assessment and is now seeking to engage with the bus market in order to inform the definition of the proposed franchising scheme. Bus Reform legislation and guidance requires the CA to state whether the commercial terms are likely to be attractive to operators - including a summary of the extent to which both incumbent and new operators are expected to bid. The North East CA has prepared market testing materials including a note covering the proposed franchising scheme, and a questionnaire to gather operator views on the proposed commercial model. There is also an opportunity to request a 1-2-1 session with the North East CA. The deadline to request 1-2-1 meetings and submit a questionnaire is the 14th November 2025. To receive the market testing materials or for any further information please contact Rachel.smith1@northeast-ca.gov.uk. This market testing exercise does not form part of any pre-procurement.

The new Create Talent Programme will be an innovative, industry led skills programme to support the North East's thriving creative sector, focusing on the music, arts, writing and publishing and the screen industry. The programme will play a key part in delivering the Mayor and Cabinet's mission 'Home to a growing and vibrant economy for all', providing our workforce with the right skills and training to build an inclusive and competitive economy. The programme will provide sector-leading, inclusive and needs-led pathways for aspiring creatives, encouraging people of all ages from diverse backgrounds to aspire to a career in the creative sector. Alongside this, it will support freelancers and enterprises to develop high-level skills in creative practices. By focusing on identified skills needs and transferable skills, it will equip our freelance community with the fundamental skills to build, sustain and grow their practice as effective freelancers employed in the creative sector.

Commissioning of skills provision from the integrated settlement under 3 strands of delivery Skills Foundation Strand Focuses on building essential skills and confidence for individuals facing employment barriers to prepare them for progression. Skills Activation Strand Targets technical and sector-specific skills at Levels 2 and 3 to accelerate study, apprenticeships, and skilled employment opportunities. Skills for Work Strand Aligns with employer demand to address skill shortages and supports career progression through employer partnerships.

The contract is for the appointment of an open framework of suppliers to deliver independent business case appraisal advice as suppliers of the services. The procurement is broken down into three thematic lots focused on: Lot 1: Revenue Funded Projects Lot 2: Capital Funded Projects Lot 3: Transport Business Case Guidance and Appraisal Lot 4: Financial Dur Diligence

Connect to Work The recently launched "Get Britain Working" White Paper outlines Government's strategy to invest £240m to support the ambition of a national 80% employment rate and help improve workplace health and keep people in work, including trials of combined public services for those out of work due to ill health. Connect to Work is the first major element of the Get Britain Working Strategy. By encouraging join-up between health systems and employment support, Connect to Work will support those, primarily, currently outside the workforce and facing greater labour market disadvantages, to stay in work and get back into work. In turn, supporting the Government's ambition for a more inclusive economy, supporting local people to realise their potential and supporting local and national growth. Connect to Work funding will support around 100,000 disabled people with health conditions and those with complex barriers to get into employment and on in work. In the North East, Connect to Work will support 13,500 residents across the entirety of the programme. The North East Combined Authority is the Accountable Body for Connect to Work in the North East and, working in partnership with the seven constituent local authorities, is responsible for the commissioning of Connect to Work delivery. Connect to Work is a voluntary programme, delivering the evidence-based Supported Employment model, 'place, train, and maintain', via two different types of interventions based on the needs of the participant - Individual Placement and Support (IPS) and Local Supported Employment (LSE). This opportunity relates to the IPS intervention only. The Invitation to Tender is open for 30 days from Thursday 20th March. It is anticipated that delivery will start on 1st August 2025.

The purpose of this commission is to appoint a provider to manage and administer a low-interest loan product which will support North East Combined Authority owner-occupiers and private landlords to improve the energy efficiency of their housing through installation of retrofit measures. The loan is intended to facilitate retrofit for households not eligible for grant funding where the upfront cost of measures is the principal barrier to progressing with these or where the full cost of installation is not covered by grant funding.

Commissioning of skills provision from the integrated settlement under 3 strands of delivery Skills Foundation Strand Focuses on building essential skills and confidence for individuals facing employment barriers to prepare them for progression. Skills Activation Strand Targets technical and sector-specific skills at Levels 2 and 3 to accelerate study, apprenticeships, and skilled employment opportunities. Skills for Work Strand Aligns with employer demand to address skill shortages and supports career progression through employer partnerships. Estimated total of this Project is £23.8million (£80million over 3 years).

This notification / Prior Information Notice (PIN) / update is intended to alert providers to an opportunity to deliver the Connect to Work programme for the North East Combined Authority (North East CA). The e-tendering system used by the North East CA is Open. Potential applicants for Connect to Work are encouraged to register on Open as soon as possible. It is free to register and use the system. You will need to create an account on Open to access and bid for public sector opportunities issued by the North East Combined Authority, including this Connect to Work opportunity. Visit www.open-uk.org to register an account. The Open Hub provides resources and information to help you get the most out of Open. There is an FAQ section and a range of how-to guides so you can familiarise yourself with the system at your own pace. Visit the Open Hub to find out more, or contact open.support@nepo.org Connect to Work The recently launched "Get Britain Working" White Paper outlines Government's strategy to invest £240m to support the ambition of a national 80% employment rate and help improve workplace health and keep people in work, including trials of combined public services for those out of work due to ill health. Connect to Work is the first major element of the Get Britain Working Strategy. By encouraging join-up between health systems and employment support, Connect to Work will support those, primarily, currently outside the workforce and facing greater labour market disadvantages, to stay in work and get back into work. In turn, supporting the Government's ambition for a more inclusive economy, supporting local people to realise their potential and supporting local and national growth. Connect to Work funding will support around 100,000 disabled people with health conditions and those with complex barriers to get into employment and on in work. In the North East, Connect to Work will support 13,500 residents across the entirety of the programme. The North East Combined Authority is the Accountable Body for Connect to Work in the North East and, working in partnership with the seven constituent local authorities, is responsible for the commissioning of Connect to Work delivery. Connect to Work is a voluntary programme, delivering the evidence-based Supported Employment model, 'place, train, and maintain', via two different types of interventions based on the needs of the participant - Individual Placement and Support (IPS) and Local Supported Employment (LSE). This opportunity relates to the IPS intervention only.

The North East CA is developing a Photography Services Framework to establish access to reliable, flexible and professional photography services support as and when required. It will enable the North East CA to commission services quickly while maintaining fair competition, transparent procurement and value for money. The Authority is seeking to appoint up to four suppliers to deliver photography services for a period of 2 years from June 2026 with the option to extend by a further 2 years (2 + 1 + 1). Please note that the total value of this framework is £99,000 excl. VAT across ALL lots.

The new Create Talent Programme will be an innovative, industry led skills programme to support the North East's thriving creative sector, focusing on the music, arts, writing and publishing and the screen industry. The programme will play a key part in delivering the Mayor and Cabinet's mission 'Home to a growing and vibrant economy for all', providing our workforce with the right skills and training to build an inclusive and competitive economy. The programme will provide sector-leading, inclusive and needs-led pathways for aspiring creatives, encouraging people of all ages from diverse backgrounds to aspire to a career in the creative sector. Alongside this, it will support freelancers and enterprises to develop high-level skills in creative practices. By focusing on identified skills needs and transferable skills, it will equip our freelance community with the fundamental skills to build, sustain and grow their practice as effective freelancers employed in the creative sector.

This opportunity is to enter into Contract(s) for Service with Provider(s) for an Independent Auditor of the North East Combined Authority's (North East CA) Bus Franchising Scheme Assessment. On 30 July 2024 the North East Mayor Kim McGuiness and Cabinet approved a project to undertake a Franchising Scheme Assessment (FSA) and the Authority is currently preparing an assessment of the proposed bus franchising scheme in accordance with section 123B of the Transport Act 2000 as amended by the Bus Services Act 2017 (the "Act"). The FSA is delivered collaboratively with partners across the region, supported by specialist consultants, with a cabinet decision on whether to proceed to Audit expected in March 2026. As part of meeting the requirements of the Act, if a decision is made to proceed to obtaining a report from an [auditor][independent approved person], the Authority will require a suitably qualified organisation (the "Auditor") to undertake an audit of the Assessment and to provide an opinion in relation to the following areas required by section 123D of the Act: • Whether the information relied on by the Authority in considering the matters referred to in section 123B(3)(d) of the Act (the affordability of the scheme) or section 123B(3)(e) of the Act (the value for money of the proposed scheme) is of sufficient quality; • Whether the analysis of that information in the Assessment is of sufficient quality; and • Whether the Authority had due regard to the Guidance issued under section 123B of the Act in preparing the Assessment. The objective of this project is to deliver an independent audit to the North East CA of the FSA in accordance with relevant requirements of the Act.

The North East Combined Authority (North East CA) is inviting suitably qualified and experienced suppliers to tender for appointment to a framework agreement for event management services. The framework will support North East CA and its partners in the planning, delivery and evaluation of key agreed events that showcase and promote regional initiatives to a range of audiences, including businesses, stakeholders and local communities. High-quality, well-targeted and professionally managed events are a key part of how the North East CA engages partners, communicates strategic priorities and demonstrates the impact of regional programmes.

The North East Combined Authority and its constituent local authorities seek to procure a provider to deliver a domestic retrofit one-stop-shop service across the region. This service will act as a central coordination hub, offering in-person, web, and telephone-based retrofit advice. It will deliver an end-to-end service for the able-to-pay market, while also working to develop partnerships and the local supply chain. The service will ensure inclusive access for all residents with a key focus on addressing fuel poverty, particularly within the private rented sector.