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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

Workforce Development Services for Care Providers in Suffolk

Suffolk County Council · Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 30 Sept 2026, 06:16.

Opportunity overview

The overarching requirement of this service is to support the care market regarding the forecast of the future needs of Suffolk customers. To increase awareness of good practice, have a stable workforce, encourage a positive culture with increased staff retention. To work with the council to identify and address gaps in the Suffolk social care workforce skills and training to enable them to deliver a range of care and support, from promoting independence to complex care. And work closely and positively, with all stakeholders to improve market capacity and better equipped to develop and be sustainable. Suffolk County Council has joined the government's Devolution Priority Programme (DPP), a fast-track programme towards devolution and local government reorganisation. Under the DPP it is proposed that: a) a Mayoral Combined County Authority (MCCA) for Norfolk and Suffolk is established, with strategic powers and headed by an elected mayor ("Devolution"). b) the existing two-tier council structure in Suffolk is abolished and replaced with one or more unitary councils covering the current geographical boundary of Suffolk ("LGR"). It is possible that both, one or neither of these changes will happen. These changes are declared as known risks as we do not yet know the implications of Devolution and/or LGR. As a result of LGR and Devolution, contract modifications may be necessary to novate, transfer or disaggregate the contract from the one you entered into to one or more successor authorities or the MCAA. Impacts could include changes to geographical boundaries, significant increases and/or decreases in the goods and/or services required due to the change in size/scope of any successor authority or the MCAA. This may also change the scope of the contract Interested Parties should refer to the Invitation to Tender and Contract Terms for the Known Risks.

Classification

  • CPV80000000 — Education and training services
  • CPV85000000 — Health and social work services

Lots

  • Support Activity£1m
  • Training Provision£982k

Documents and notices

Published notice details

Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.

Scope, procedure and submissions

Id
PA0027
Status
cancelled
Published risks
Interested Parties should refer to the Invitation to Tender and Contract Terms for the Known Risks. Known Risks are: Contract novation, transfer or disaggregation to one or more Successor Authorities or the MCAA within the current geographical boundary of Suffolk. Contract novation, transfer or disaggregation to one or more Successor Authorities or the MCAA outside the current geographical boundary of Suffolk.
Has Recurrence
Yes
Above Threshold
Yes
Procurement Method
open
Main Procurement Category
services
How to submit
Tenders must be submitted electronically at www.suffolksourcing.uk. Instructions for using the Suffolk Sourcing System are either included with the tender documents or can be found by clicking on the "Guidance for Suppliers" link which can be accessed from the Suffolk Sourcing home page via "All Opportunities". All correspondence must be communicated via the Suffolk Sourcing System at www.suffolksourcing.uk using the Correspondence function at any time up to and including 14/11/25. Any questions after this date may not be answered.
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure

Amendments

Entry 1
Id
070282-2025
Description
Amended question 'Are the conditions of participation the same for all lots?' to No

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Recurrence

Dates

Entry 1
Starts
1 Aug 2031, 23:59

Expected award period

Ends
19 Feb 2026, 23:59

Tender Period

Ends
2 Dec 2025, 12:00

Communication

Future Notice Date
16 Sept 2025, 23:59

Special regime

lightTouch

Submission terms

Electronic Submission Policy
allowed

Languages

en

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Title
Support Activity
Status
cancelled
Has Options
Yes
Has Renewal
Yes
Description
Focus on being the trusted source of information, advice, guidance and networking that raises the standards of adult social care • Organise and lead at least 2 large Care Market events alongside other smaller events and achieve at least 70% attendance capacity • Ensure events are representative of the whole of the care market, including private & voluntary organisations. Achieving involvement of 70% of care providers across Suffolk • Follow up on impact of activities at 3 and 6 months after event • Promote care careers, including different care pathways • Proactive support to care campaigns and branding, including iCare brand • Engaging and promoting graphics and other materials on websites/marketing • Active engagement and support to Community Catalysts / Personal Care Assistants • Active engagement and support to micro enterprises • Take active part in market need reviews and provide information for market shaping • Identify themes and gaps for future development and focus • Flexibility to meet fluctuating market needs and take advantage of new funding and proactively bidding for opportunities • Care provider peer support and the promotion of good practice across recruitment, training, retention and organisational culture • Work effectively across partner organisations and be a Suffolk representative on relevant regional and local events and forums. • Provision of information / guidance / advice and signposting for the care market and create a comprehensive resource bank of information for providers across a range of accessible platforms • Work in collaboration with other partner organisations. • Active engagement and development with key performance indicators as the service progresses • Incorporate regular (as determined by the local authority) reviews of market needs to provide information for shaping the support provided to and direction of the market, to meet fluctuations. • Actively gather feedback on activities that care providers have attended, their challenges and concerns, • Support all activities in Lot 2 where appropriate

Value

Amount
1,018,000
Currency
GBP
Including VAT
1,221,600

Options

Description
Additional funding may become available during the life of the contract. The contract value reflects potential additional funding

Renewal

Description
Extension period of 24 months can be split into 12-month increments. The advertised value includes this extension period.

Suitability

Sme
Yes
Vcse
Yes

Award criteria

Criteria

Criterion 1
Name
Value for Money
Type
cost

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
15
Weight
percentageExact
Criterion 2
Name
Technical Evaluation (Quality)
Type
quality

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
85
Weight
percentageExact

Contract period

Ends
31 Mar 2029, 23:59
Starts
1 Apr 2026, 00:00
Max Extent Date
31 Mar 2032, 23:59
Entry 2
Id
2
Title
Training Provision
Status
cancelled
Has Options
Yes
Has Renewal
Yes
Description
Focus on the supply of training provision, deliver an online platform to provide training, that raises the skills of adult social care. • Delivery of a training portal that is accessible to the whole care market • Maintain / upgrade and develop a training portal that is user friendly including a robust SLA, to be shared if requested • Design and delivery of training programmes in a timely manner • Delivery of face to face and online training and ensure other options are available for attendance • Ensure access for care providers to learning and development opportunities, including the ability to have community-based training sessions across the County • To use approved training providers including a verification of standard of delivery e.g. from Skills for Care or NHS approved trainer lists, including local SME providers with a proven track record of success • Identify a range of training and source programmes to satisfy these needs in a cost-effective manner • Support the use of SME training providers with a proven track record of success. • Annual survey of the care market to identify training gaps • Respond to training gaps and source the support for future needs • Use feedback consultation and collaboration to make amendments of training programmes to best meet the market needs • Gain feedback on training activities that providers have attended, the challenges and concerns • Discuss with Suffolk County Council the results of training gaps and collaboratively shape training programmes required • Flexibility to respond quickly to the changing needs of the care sector • Proactive support to care campaigns and branding, including iCare brand • Engaging and promoting graphics and other materials on websites/marketing • Take advantage of new funding opportunities and evidencing bids for this • Be a Suffolk representative on relevant regional and local forums / events • Engaging and promoting graphic and other materials on websites/marketing • Linking and following the county council on their own social media • Work effectively across partner organisations with a focus on collaboration and joint working • Achieving collaboration with 70% of care providers across Suffolk • Training attendance rate to be reported and a minimum of 70% of full capacity • To ensure full evaluations are completed / demonstrated including cost effectiveness exercises, for all commissioned training for the care market • Collate post-training evaluations and attendee satisfaction rate • Active engagement and development with key performance indicators as the service progresses • Support all activities in Lot 1 where appropriate

Value

Amount
982,000
Currency
GBP
Including VAT
1,178,400

Options

Description
Additional funding may become available during the life of the contract. The contract value reflects potential additional funding

Renewal

Description
Extension period of 24 months can be split into 12-month increments. The advertised value includes this extension period.

Suitability

Sme
Yes
Vcse
Yes

Award criteria

Criteria

Criterion 1
Name
Value for Money
Type
cost

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
15
Weight
percentageExact
Criterion 2
Name
Technical Evaluation (Quality)
Type
quality

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
85
Weight
percentageExact

Contract period

Ends
31 Mar 2029, 23:59
Starts
1 Apr 2026, 00:00
Max Extent Date
31 Mar 2032, 23:59

Items and delivery

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
UKH14
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 2
Region
UKH14
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 3
Region
UKH14
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Id
80000000
Scheme
CPV
Description
Education and training services
Entry 2
Id
85000000
Scheme
CPV
Description
Health and social work services
Item 2
Id
2
Related Lot
2

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
UKH14
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 2
Region
UKH14
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Id
80000000
Scheme
CPV
Description
Education and training services
Entry 2
Id
85000000
Scheme
CPV
Description
Health and social work services

Published documents

Entry 1
Id
conflictOfInterest
Description
Not published
Document Type
conflictOfInterest
Entry 2
Id
L-1
Url
www.suffolksourcing.uk
Document Type
biddingDocuments
Entry 3
Id
070136-2025
Format
text/html
Notice Type
UK4
Description
Tender notice on Find a Tender
Document Type
tenderNotice
Published
31 Oct 2025, 14:37
Entry 4
Id
070282-2025
Format
text/html
Notice Type
UK4
Description
Tender notice on Find a Tender
Document Type
tenderNotice
Published
3 Nov 2025, 06:49
Entry 5
Id
077057-2025
Format
text/html
Notice Type
UK12
Description
Procurement termination notice on Find a Tender
Document Type
tenderCancellationNotice
Published
26 Nov 2025, 07:36

Planning and budget

Documents

Entry 1
Id
040958-2025
Format
text/html
Notice Type
UK2
Description
Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
Document Type
marketEngagementNotice
Published
17 Jul 2025, 14:03

Milestones

Entry 1
Id
engagement
Type
engagement
Status
scheduled
Due
7 Aug 2025, 23:59
Description
Interested Providers are requested to complete a questionnaire - the deadline for this is 7 Aug From this the commissioner may contact providers who have made pertinent comments relating to the service Comments may have influence on the specification and points that could affect the evaluation criteria Link for Market Engagement Questionnaire https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=7GqcEEZQlUqPPIT2O6GK9HLcCX-syTtEk4X3GALxfF5UM0NIMFNGRzRWS0hGSTZEUDNXM1BTTktLQS4u Potential providers are also encouraged to register for our e-tendering portal at: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/suffolksourcing/aspx/Registration (if not already done so).

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Id
GB-PPON-PHVH-1657-HHMV
Name
Suffolk County Council

Roles

buyer

Address

Region
UKH14
Country
GB
Locality
Ipswich
Postal Code
IP1 2BX
Country Name
United Kingdom
Street Address
Endeavour House, 8 Russell Road

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Id
publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Description
Public authority - sub-central government

Identifier

Id
PHVH-1657-HHMV
Scheme
GB-PPON

Contact

Name
Marie Grace
Telephone
+441473260672

Award information

Award 1
Id
1
Status
cancelled
Final Status Date
25 Nov 2025, 00:00

Related lots

1
2

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · Ipswich · UKH14 · IP1 2BX · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UKH14 · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

1 published notice version reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

1 VERSION
  1. ocds-h6vhtk-056147-2025-11-26T07:36:22ZPreliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·