CP2243-23 Business Support Framework 2023

Devon County Council (DCC) is reletting its Business Support Framework to deliver business support in the Devon area and other economic geographies, potentially including: the Heart of the South West (HotSW); the Great South West; and a new Combined Authority under devolution.

The Business Support Framework is split into six Lots. Suppliers may bid for more than one Lot.

Lot 1: Business support and growth - delivering holistic business support for all types of businesses and social enterprises at all stages of the business life cycle, including a comprehensive range of diagnostic support, subject-specific support, and essential growth and planning support.

Lot 2: Academic investigation and evaluation support - undertaking bespoke analysis and research of sectors, business support need and programmes. Outputs from suppliers will include a mixture of written reports, research data, and appropriate visuals, as well as potential presentations to officers, members, associated boards, and other parties involved in any of the project work.

Lot 3: Specialist business support - providing specialist services and business support across all sectors, including farming and agriculture, on a variety of topics unique to specific sectors or business development. Themes include diversity in business, green business support, business and family succession planning, routes to market and procurement, and technological and digital business support.

Lot 4: Productivity and skills - providing support for developing a more productive and skilled workforce, including supporting employers and organisations to plan and invest well, develop leadership and management, support recruitment and retention, and identify training needs in addition to accessing appropriate qualifications and/or training.

Lot 5: Farming and agricultural business support - providing support to farming and agricultural businesses at all stages of the business life cycle. Suppliers should be equipped to understand the opportunities for funding and farming practice and have a comprehensive knowledge of the sector in its broadest sense (which includes forestry, horticulture, aquaculture, regenerative land management, agri-tech and innovation).

Lot 6: Marketing and communication support - providing specialist marketing and promotion support for business support programmes. Outputs from suppliers may include the creation and delivery of a multi-media marketing and communications campaign, supplying a comprehensive suite of multi-media assets, a communication and branding plan to drive traffic to sign-up pages, brand development, in addition to analysis and campaign reporting on targeting specific audience(s), trend analysis, market research, and campaign evaluation.

Additional information:

The framework is commissioned and managed by DCC, acting as the lead and responsible body, but will also be available to Somerset Council, Members of the Devon and Cornwall Procurement Partnership (D&CPP), the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership (HotSW LEP), and the new Combined Authority under devolution. For funding that requires a quick turnaround, the Business Support Framework will facilitate the quick mobilisation of business support programmes with suppliers who have already been pre-approved.

Devon County Council will be hosting a virtual Tender Launch Event via Microsoft Teams on Wednesday 18th October, 13:00-14:30. This will be an opportunity to discuss the service provision, ask questions, and help bidders navigate around the tender documentation and the procurement process. This event will be recorded and will be uploaded to ProContract alongside the presentation shortly afterward.

If you would like to attend this event, please complete the following Tender Launch Event form so that we can send you an invite link. NB: Each attendee must complete a form to receive an invitation.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=gzehjWjLP0S7S5l_d_1b-4mLsw8gtztKu6HIP272CL5URTIwSTBEMVUyQTBISlozTlpIVDFUNzE4RC4u

The authority reserves the right to cancel the procurement process at any stage. The authority does not bind itself to accept the lowest or any tender, and reserve the right not to award a contract. The authority reserves the right to award the contract in part, or to call for new tenders should they consider this necessary. Economic operators remain responsible for all costs and expenses incurred by them or by any third party acting under instructions from them in connection with their participation in this procurement, whether incurred directly by them or their advisors or subcontractors and regardless of whether such costs arise as a consequence direct or indirect of any amendments to documents issued by the authority at any time, or as a consequence of the cancellation of the procurement by the authority. For the avoidance of doubt, the authority shall have no liability whatsoever to economic operators or their advisors or subcontractors, for any of their costs, including but not limited to those for any discussions or communications. Any contract(s) or agreement(s) entered into as a result of this contract notice shall be considered as a contract(s) or agreement(s) made under English law and subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts. If an economic operator considers that any information supplied by it during this procurement process is commercially sensitive or confidential in nature, this should be highlighted and the reasons for its sensitivity as well as the duration of that sensitivity specified. Economic operators should be aware that even where they have indicated that information is commercially sensitive, the authority may disclose it pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in response to a request for information where such disclosure is considered to be in the public interest. Please note that the receipt by any of the authority of any materials marked 'confidential' or equivalent shall not be taken to mean that the authority accepts any duty of confidence by virtue of that marking.

The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at: https://www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk.

Additional information can be obtained from the abovementioned address.

Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted electronically via: https://www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk.

The framework arrangement will be awarded for an initial period of 24 months, finishing on the 6th February 2026. There is an option to extend this framework arrangement for a further period totalling 24 months, finishing on the 6th February 2028.