AWARD OUTCOME
What happened
Home Office has published a transparency notice for a proposed direct award to GATENBYSANDERSON LIMITED for executive and managerial permanent recruitment services under the ESPO 3S_26 Strategic HR & Recruitment Services Framework. The award remains pending; the published record does not evidence a signed or active contract.
Published outcomeOne pending award (award 1) names GATENBYSANDERSON LIMITED. The stated net award value is £500,000 (£600,000 gross), with no commitment to minimum or maximum spend or work volumes.
Market significanceThis is an above-threshold, framework-based direct award for specialist permanent recruitment across corporate and professional functions.
AWARDED SUPPLIERS AND LOTS
1 supplier record analysed
GATENBYSANDERSON LIMITED
99% confidenceAward 1 · Lots 1 · 500000 GBP · Pending award
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Verified Companies House identity 04451141 is linked to award 1; award 1 names Gatenby Sanderson Limited as supplier and records a net value of £500,000.
LIFECYCLE
Award or contract stage
Notice type
99% confidenceTransparency notice on Find a Tender
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Award document 097913-2026 is described as a Transparency notice on Find a Tender.
Award status
99% confidencePending
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Award 1 status is recorded as pending.
Contract conclusion
98% confidenceNot evidenced
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The award is pending and a future signature date is scheduled for 30 October 2026.
Procurement stage
96% confidenceContract stage; displayed as awarded
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Process stage is contract and display status is awarded, while underlying award status is pending.
VALUES
Published values explained
Award value, excluding VAT
99% confidence£500,000
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Award 1 value.amount is 500000 GBP; amountGross is separately stated as 600000 GBP.
Award value, including VAT
99% confidence£600,000
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Award 1 value.amountGross is 600000 GBP.
Spend commitment
99% confidenceNo minimum or maximum spend commitment; no guaranteed work volumes
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The procurement description states there is no commitment to spend a maximum or minimum value and no guarantee of volumes of work.
TIMELINE
Procurement timeline
Award decision date
93% confidence15 October 2026
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The award record gives award_date as 2026-10-15.
Transparency notice published
99% confidence16 October 2026
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Award notice 097913-2026 was published on 16 October 2026.
Scheduled signature date
99% confidence30 October 2026
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Award milestone type futureSignatureDate is scheduled for 2026-10-30.
Planned contract start
98% confidence2 November 2026
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Award 1 contractPeriod startDate is 2026-11-02.
Planned initial end
98% confidence2 November 2027
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Award 1 contractPeriod endDate is 2027-11-02.
Maximum possible end date
98% confidence2 November 2029
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Award 1 maxExtentDate is 2029-11-02.
SCOPE
What was awarded
Service requirement
99% confidenceExecutive and managerial permanent recruitment
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Process title and description specify executive and managerial permanent recruitment.
Recruitment disciplines
99% confidenceAdministration, HR and business support; commercial; finance; procurement and legal; IT; digital; media and marketing
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These disciplines are listed in the procurement description.
Classification
99% confidenceCPV 79621000 — Supply services of office personnel
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Award item 1 carries CPV 79621000.
Lot
99% confidenceLot 1
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Award 1 is linked to related lot 1.
PROCEDURE
Procedure and competition
Procedure
99% confidenceDirect award
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The process records procurementMethod as direct and procurementMethodDetails as Direct award.
Award route
99% confidenceCompliant direct award under ESPO 3S_26 Strategic HR & Recruitment Services Framework
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The published procurement-method rationale states: Compliant direct award under ESPO 3S_26.
Competition information
99% confidenceNot supplied in the published notice
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No bid, participant, evaluation-score or ranking information is provided.
Above-threshold status
99% confidenceYes
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Award 1 is marked aboveThreshold: true.
CONTRACT TERMS
Published contract terms
Initial term
98% confidence12 months planned, from 2 November 2026 to 2 November 2027
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The published contract period runs from 2026-11-02 to 2027-11-02.
Extension options
99% confidenceOptional 12-month extension plus optional further 12-month extension
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The renewal description states: Optional extension period of 12+12 months.
Maximum term
97% confidenceUp to 36 months, subject to options
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The initial end date is 2 November 2027 and maximum extent date is 2 November 2029.
Volume terms
99% confidenceNo committed minimum or maximum spend and no guaranteed volumes
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The procurement description expressly states this is a no-commitment arrangement.
COMMERCIAL VIEW
Commercial observations
Commercial structure
99% confidenceNo-commitment recruitment arrangement
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The notice states there is no commitment to minimum or maximum spend and no guarantee of work volumes.
Route-to-market implication
98% confidenceThe requirement was placed through an existing recruitment-services framework rather than an open competition
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The notice states a compliant direct award under ESPO 3S_26.
DATA QUALITY
Gaps and source limitations
Award versus contract status
99% confidenceThe record is displayed as awarded but award 1 is pending; signature is scheduled and contract conclusion is not evidenced.
View supporting evidence
Process display status is awarded, award status is pending, and a futureSignatureDate milestone is scheduled for 30 October 2026.
Supplier source-name difference
99% confidenceThe source notice names “Gatenby Sanderson Limited”; verified legal identity is GATENBYSANDERSON LIMITED. The verified legal name is used in this analysis.
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Supplier verification matched company number 04451141 and flags nameMismatch: true.
Lot detail
99% confidenceLot 1 has no published title, description or separate value.
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Lot 1 fields for title, description and value are null.
Evaluation and competition detail
99% confidenceInformation not supplied in the published notice.
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No bids, scores, evaluation narrative or participant count is present.
SOURCE DATA LIMITATIONS
Information not supplied in the published notice
- The pending award status and future signature milestone do not establish that a contract has been signed, concluded or started.
- Information on bids, evaluation, pricing, scoring and reasons for supplier selection was not supplied in the published notice.
- Lot 1 has no published title, description or individual value.
- The stated award value should not be treated as guaranteed spend because the notice expressly provides no minimum or maximum spend commitment and no guaranteed work volumes.
MARKET THEMES
Relevant award themes
Home OfficeGATENBYSANDERSON LIMITEDpermanent recruitmentESPO 3S_26direct awardexecutive recruitment
COMMON QUESTIONS
About this award
Who is named as supplier?
GATENBYSANDERSON LIMITED, verified against company number 04451141.
Is the contract signed?
Not evidenced. The award is pending and the notice schedules signature for 30 October 2026.
What is the stated value?
£500,000 excluding VAT and £600,000 including VAT; the notice also states there is no committed minimum or maximum spend.
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.