AWARD OUTCOME
What happened
Tees Valley Combined Authority published a transparency notice proposing a direct award to Ambient People for interim finance director personnel services. The award remains pending, with a scheduled future signature date of 16 October 2026; the notice does not evidence a signed or started contract.
Published outcomePending direct award to Ambient People, award ID 1.
Market significanceA single-supplier, above-threshold direct award valued at £440,700 excluding VAT (£528,840 including VAT), linked to continuity or compatibility with an existing supplier.
AWARDED SUPPLIERS AND LOTS
1 supplier record analysed
Ambient People
99% confidenceAward 1 · Lots 1 · 440700 excluding VAT; 528840 including VAT GBP · Pending award
View supporting evidence
Award 1 names Ambient People as supplier and records amount £440,700 and amountGross £528,840.
LIFECYCLE
Award or contract stage
Notice type
99% confidenceTransparency notice on Find a Tender
View supporting evidence
Award document 094983-2026 is described as a "Transparency notice on Find a Tender" and published on 8 October 2026.
Award status
99% confidencePending
View supporting evidence
Award 1 has status "pending".
Contract signature
99% confidenceScheduled, not evidenced as completed
View supporting evidence
Award milestone records a futureSignatureDate of 16 October 2026 with status "scheduled".
Contract start
98% confidencePlanned for 18 October 2026
View supporting evidence
Award 1 contractPeriod startDate is 18 October 2026.
VALUES
Published values explained
Award value excluding VAT
99% confidence£440,700
View supporting evidence
Award 1 value.amount is 440700 GBP.
Award value including VAT
99% confidence£528,840
View supporting evidence
Award 1 value.amountGross is 528840 GBP.
Value allocation
98% confidenceAward-level value; no separate lot value published
View supporting evidence
Award 1 contains the value, while lot 1 has no value amount.
TIMELINE
Procurement timeline
Notice published
99% confidence8 October 2026
View supporting evidence
Award notice 094983-2026 datePublished is 2026-10-08T07:51:37+01:00.
Standstill conclusion stated in notice
97% confidence19 October 2026, 23:59
View supporting evidence
The tender description states that the standstill period concludes at 23:59 Monday 19th October 2026.
Scheduled signature date
99% confidence16 October 2026
View supporting evidence
Award milestone futureSignatureDate is 2026-10-16T23:59:59+01:00 and is scheduled.
Planned contract period
99% confidence18 October 2026 to 25 September 2027
View supporting evidence
Award 1 contractPeriod startDate and endDate state these dates.
Maximum extent date
99% confidence25 March 2028
View supporting evidence
Award 1 contractPeriod maxExtentDate is 2028-03-25T23:59:59+00:00.
SCOPE
What was awarded
Requirement
99% confidenceInterim Finance Director
View supporting evidence
Process and award title: "TVCA-PROC-0923 - Interim Finance Director".
Category
99% confidenceServices
View supporting evidence
Award 1 mainProcurementCategory is services.
CPV classification
99% confidence79620000 — Supply services of personnel including temporary staff
View supporting evidence
Award item 1 additional classification gives this CPV code and description.
Delivery region
98% confidenceUKC1
View supporting evidence
Award item delivery address identifies region UKC1.
Lots
98% confidenceOne lot (lot 1)
View supporting evidence
Tender and award each reference lot 1 only.
PROCEDURE
Procedure and competition
Procurement method
99% confidenceDirect award
View supporting evidence
Tender procurementMethod and procurementMethodDetails state "direct" and "Direct award".
Direct-award rationale
99% confidenceExtension to or partial replacement of existing supply where changing supplier would cause incompatibility or disproportionate technical difficulties in operation or maintenance
View supporting evidence
Tender procurementMethodRationale states this rationale.
Threshold status
99% confidenceAbove threshold
View supporting evidence
Award 1 aboveThreshold is true.
Competition information
98% confidenceNot published
View supporting evidence
No bidder count, competing supplier details, scores or evaluation information are supplied in the notice data.
CONTRACT TERMS
Published contract terms
Base term
99% confidence18 October 2026 to 25 September 2027
View supporting evidence
Award 1 contractPeriod startDate and endDate state these dates.
Extension or renewal provision
99% confidenceRenewal indicated if a suitable candidate is not recruited within the time period
View supporting evidence
Award 1 hasRenewal is true; renewal description states this condition.
Maximum possible term endpoint
99% confidence25 March 2028
View supporting evidence
Award 1 contractPeriod maxExtentDate is 25 March 2028.
COMMERCIAL VIEW
Commercial observations
Continuity-based procurement
98% confidenceThe stated rationale positions the requirement as an extension or partial replacement involving the existing supplier, rather than an openly competed opportunity.
View supporting evidence
The direct-award rationale explicitly cites the existing supplier and incompatibility or disproportionate technical difficulties from a supplier change.
Interim resourcing requirement
99% confidenceThe scope is for an Interim Finance Director and is classified as temporary personnel supply services.
View supporting evidence
The title identifies an Interim Finance Director; CPV 79620000 covers supply services of personnel including temporary staff.
DATA QUALITY
Gaps and source limitations
Lifecycle interpretation
99% confidenceThe source labels the process as complete but the individual award as pending and signature as scheduled; pending award data is used for lifecycle assessment.
View supporting evidence
Tender status is complete; award status is pending; futureSignatureDate milestone is scheduled.
Lot detail
99% confidenceLot 1 has no published title, description or individual value.
View supporting evidence
Lot 1 fields for title, description and value are null.
Information not supplied in the published notice
98% confidenceNo award decision date, bidder count, evaluation results, pricing breakdown, signed-contract confirmation or actual contract start confirmation is provided.
View supporting evidence
These fields or documents are absent from the supplied notice data.
Conflict-of-interest information
99% confidenceNot published.
View supporting evidence
Tender document with ID conflictOfInterest is described as "Not published".
SOURCE DATA LIMITATIONS
Information not supplied in the published notice
- No award decision date is published.
- No bidder count, bid prices, evaluation results or award scoring is published.
- No signed-contract record or actual contract-start confirmation is published.
- Lot 1 has no published title, description or individual value.
- No pricing breakdown is published.
- Conflict-of-interest information is not published.
MARKET THEMES
Relevant award themes
Tees Valley Combined AuthorityAmbient PeopleInterim Finance Directordirect awardtemporary staffpublic procurement
COMMON QUESTIONS
About this award
Who is the named supplier?
Ambient People is named as the supplier for pending award 1.
What is the published award value?
The award value is £440,700 excluding VAT and £528,840 including VAT.
Has the contract been signed?
The supplied data does not evidence signature. It records a signature date scheduled for 16 October 2026.
Why was a direct award used?
The notice cites continuity with an existing supplier and states that changing supplier would create incompatibility or disproportionate technical difficulties.
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.