GB-Sheffield: Northern Ireland Regional Business Support Partner

The Start-Up Loans Company is conducting this procurement to establish agreements for Business Support Partners for the Start Up Loans scheme. Business Support Partners will be responsible for providing credit broking services for personal loans

Additional information: The Start-Up Loans Company (the Authority) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Business Bank Plc (BBB). The Authority is purchasing Business Support Partner (BSP) services on behalf of: (a) itself; (b) BBB and any members of its group (within the meaning of the Companies Act 2006); and (c) Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and any entity owned or controlled by it.

The Authority ran a public procurement process under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (as amended) ("PCR 2015") for BSPs. The Find A Tender Service (FTS) contract notice is at: https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/019608-2022?

BSPs will be responsible for providing credit broking services for personal loans for applicants who are preparing to start-up or are an early-stage business. BSPs support loan applicants through the application process, assist applicants in the development of a financial business plan and cash flow forecast. They assess and recommend loans for final approval by the Finance Provider and also enter into a Credit Broking Agreement with the Finance Provider.

Fifteen lots were tendered by the Authority during the BSP procurement process, some of which were regional lots, as detailed on the FTS contract notice. No applications or tenders were received for the Northern Ireland Lot. The Authority has made a contract award decision to direct award the Northern Ireland Lot contract.

The relevant criteria for making a direct award under Regulation 32(2) of PCR 2015 are that no tenders or no suitable tenders have been submitted in response to an open procedure and the initial conditions of the contract are not substantially altered. In this situation, the criteria under Regulation 32 (2) of PCR 2015 are met and can be relied on; the Authority ran an open tender process but received no tenders and the initial conditions of the contract have not substantially altered. Therefore the criteria for making a direct award of the Northern Ireland Lot contract are met and the Authority is awarding the Northern Ireland Lot contract to Enterprise Northern Ireland. It should be noted that Enterprise Northern Ireland did not meet the minimum experience requirement to apply for or tender for the Northern Ireland Lot during the BSP public procurement process.

The contract value for the Northern Ireland Lot is GBP 390,000 across the maximum term.