Open Call for research relating to the National Minimum Wage including National Living Wage

The Low Pay Commission (LPC) invites tenders from researchers with ideas for new or innovative research in relation to the National Living Wage (NLW) and the National Minimum Wage (NMW).

The Low Pay Commission is a non-departmental public body that advises the Government about the NMW, including the NLW and the minimum wage rates for young workers and apprentices. We are responsible for evaluating the effects of the NMW and NLW and making recommendations on future rates. To carry out these functions, our work involves:

• carrying out extensive research and consultation with employers, workers and their representatives and taking written and oral evidence from a wide range of organisations;
• analysing relevant data to understand the state of the economy and labour market and the impact of the minimum wage;
• commissioning research projects into these questions.

This research will fill gaps in our current understanding of the impacts of the minimum wage, particularly the increases in the minimum wage rates since 2020. It will complement the LPC's own analysis of pay, the labour market and the broader economy and sit alongside other pieces of commissioned research.

We are aware that the pandemic and its aftermath have disrupted many of the usual data sources upon which we rely. However, there have also been recent developments in new data sources, and in data linking. We are therefore keen to consider tenders that can take advantage of these.

A list of suggested topics for research is provided in Section A2 of the Invitation to Tender document. However, we recognise that there may be areas of investigation worth pursuing that we have not yet identified, or which have not previously been considered in great depth. Researchers who believe that they have a worthwhile proposal that would fall into these categories are welcome to submit it for consideration. We would also encourage proposals from those who wish to extend current research on the impact of the minimum wage, whether that original research was funded by us or another organisation.

We will award up to three contracts under this Procurement. The maximum estimated value of any single contract is £45,000 (exclusive of VAT). However, we welcome proposals for smaller projects and anticipate bids will typically be in the range £25,000 to £40,000. Bids will be assessed on value for money and so should be priced appropriately for the scale of the proposed project and the resources required to complete it.