AWARD OUTCOME
What happened
Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council awarded its Return to Work Programme 2026/2027 requirement to DFPF Ltd t/a People 1st. The published contract record states that the contract was signed on 23 September 2026 and is active, with a core term from 25 September 2026 to 31 March 2027.
Published outcomeOne active award, covering lot 1, is recorded. The supplier name is unverified because the completed company-matching workflow did not identify a safe Companies House match.
Market significanceThis is a below-threshold open-competition services contract with a published gross contract value of £48,210 and a possible nine-month renewal or extension.
AWARDED SUPPLIERS AND LOTS
1 supplier record analysed
DFPF Ltd t/a People 1st
96% confidenceAward 1 · Lots 1 · £48,210 gross is published for the associated single-supplier contract; no separate award-level value is published. GBP · Active award; identity unverified
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Award 1 names DFPF Ltd t/a People 1st as its supplier and relates to lot 1. Contract 1, linked to award 1, has amountGross 48210 GBP. Supplier verification status is checked_unmatched.
LIFECYCLE
Award or contract stage
Tender notice published
99% confidence26 June 2026
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Release history records tender notice 060441-2026 on 2026-06-26.
Competition deadline
99% confidence17 July 2026, 12:00 BST
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Process field submission_deadline is 2026-07-17T12:00:00+01:00.
Award status
99% confidenceActive
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Award 1 has status active.
Contract signed
99% confidence23 September 2026
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Contract 1 states dateSigned: 2026-09-23.
Contract start
99% confidence25 September 2026
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Contract 1 period startDate is 2026-09-25.
Contract details notice published
99% confidence15 October 2026
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Contract document 097416-2026 states datePublished 2026-10-15; release history also records this date.
VALUES
Published values explained
Published contract value
99% confidence£48,210 gross
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Contract 1 value states amountGross 48210, currency GBP.
Published opportunity maximum value
91% confidence£72,000 gross
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Process fields state value_max 72000, currency GBP and value_basis gross.
TIMELINE
Procurement timeline
Core contract end
99% confidence31 March 2027
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Contract 1 period endDate is 2027-03-31T23:59:59+01:00.
Maximum stated contract extent
99% confidence31 December 2027
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Contract 1 period maxExtentDate is 2027-12-31T23:59:59+00:00.
SCOPE
What was awarded
Requirement
99% confidenceDevelopment and delivery of a Labour Market Partnership Return to Work Programme for 2026/2027.
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Procurement and contract title.
Lot coverage
99% confidenceLot 1
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Award 1 items and relatedLots both identify lot 1.
Service categories
99% confidenceTraining, education, adult education, vocational and personal-development training, coaching, recruitment, and business/management consultancy.
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Award 1 item classifications list the relevant CPV descriptions.
PROCEDURE
Procedure and competition
Procedure
99% confidenceOpen competition
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Tender fields state procurementMethod open and procurementMethodDetails 'Below threshold - open competition'.
Threshold status
99% confidenceBelow threshold
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Tender procurementMethodDetails says below-threshold; contract aboveThreshold is false.
Number of bids
100% confidenceUnknown
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Information not supplied in the published notice data.
CONTRACT TERMS
Published contract terms
Core term
99% confidence25 September 2026 to 31 March 2027
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Contract 1 period startDate and endDate.
Renewal or extension provision
98% confidencePossible 9 months
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Contract 1 hasRenewal is true and renewal description is 'Possible 9 mth'.
Maximum possible extent
99% confidenceUp to 31 December 2027
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Contract 1 maxExtentDate is 2027-12-31.
COMMERCIAL VIEW
Commercial observations
Value position
91% confidenceThe £48,210 published contract value is below the £72,000 gross opportunity maximum recorded in the source data.
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Contract 1 amountGross is 48210 GBP; process value_max is 72000 GBP gross.
Market route
99% confidenceThe requirement was competed through a below-threshold open procedure.
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Tender procurementMethodDetails is 'Below threshold - open competition'.
DATA QUALITY
Gaps and source limitations
Supplier identity
99% confidenceUnverified supplier name
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The source names the supplier as 'DFPF Ltd t/a People 1st', but supplier_identity_status is checked_unmatched after the Companies House workflow completed without a safe match. No verified legal company name or number is supplied.
Lot detail
99% confidenceLot 1 has no published title, description or individual value in the supplied data.
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Lot 1 fields for title, description and value are null.
Competition detail
100% confidenceBid count, evaluation scores and award rationale are not supplied in the published notice data.
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Information not supplied in the provided fields.
SOURCE DATA LIMITATIONS
Information not supplied in the published notice
- The supplier source name 'DFPF Ltd t/a People 1st' is unverified: the Companies House matching workflow completed without finding a safe match, and no verified legal name or company number is supplied.
- Lot 1 has no published title, description or individual value.
- Information on bids received, evaluation, pricing breakdown, award rationale and individual award value is not supplied in the published notice data.
- The source records both a £48,210 gross contract value and a £72,000 gross opportunity maximum; the data does not explain the difference beyond their separate fields.
MARKET THEMES
Relevant award themes
Armagh Banbridge Craigavon Borough CouncilReturn to Work ProgrammeDFPF Ltd t/a People 1stlabour market partnershiptraining servicesNorthern Ireland public procurement
COMMON QUESTIONS
About this award
Who won the ABC Council Return to Work Programme contract?
The published award names DFPF Ltd t/a People 1st for lot 1. This supplier name remains unverified because no safe Companies House match was identified in the completed matching workflow.
What is the published contract value?
The associated contract has a published gross value of £48,210.
When does the contract run?
The core term runs from 25 September 2026 to 31 March 2027, with a possible nine-month renewal or extension and a stated maximum extent date of 31 December 2027.
ProcuraAxis award analysis supplements, but does not replace, the official award notice, contract data or procurement documents. “Awarded” does not by itself prove that a contract has been signed.