Start and Specialise Business Support Programmes

This is an open procurement undertaken in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations (PCR) 2015. The Services being procured are classified as 79411100 - Business development consultancy services.

The Council is seeking to award a contract to the Most Economically Advantageous Tender in terms of its ability to best meet our value for money and quality criteria as well as the wider objectives detailed below.

The tender is split into two lots as detailed above, and further detailed in the Specification. Bidders are welcome to bid for either individual lot or both lots.

Tenders are to be submitted electronically via the Proactis Procurement Portal

The 'Specialise' Programme is designed to provide specialist provision to businesses that require technical, specialist, or expert support to help them overcome barriers and continue to deliver a growth in employment, turnover or productivity.

'Specialise' will give local businesses access to high quality support from proven and experienced specialists to enable increased growth. The programme will achieve this through the provision of approximately 12 hours of 1 to 1 support to eligible businesses in the East Sussex area. There is flexibility on the number of hours of support provided to each business, the minimum being 8 hours and the maximum being 16 hours (although in very specific situations these parameters can be amended with approval from ESCC). There is a requirement for the programme to have a minimum average of 10 of hours support provided per business. The number of hours of support provided should be determined through an initial diagnostic session held with each business.

'Specialise' is funded to ensure that it can provide high quality specialist support, and it is therefore expected that this will be done with business with the greatest need and with the greatest potential to grow. The quality of these interventions with these businesses will ensure that these interventions have real impacts on FTE employment, turnover and/or productivity.

'Specialise' will have a budget of £362,464 and will run from 1st January 2023 to 31st March 2025.

A possible extension of up to three months has been built into the contract, and with this extension the budget for this lot may rise to an estimated £434,956 (pro rata extension).