Start Up Business Support

Luton Borough Council is looking to engage qualified organisations to quote for business support and development services to be delivered to businesses operating in the geographical area of Luton.

This service will be divided into 2 Lots as follows;

A bidder can submit bids for one or both Lots. Each Lot will be evaluated separately on its own merits, and will be awarded to the highest scoring bidder for that Lot. This means a bidder can be awarded both Lots if they are the highest scoring bidder for each Lot individually.

Each Lot will provide wider business support to assist the business community and may include advice, guidance and training for businesses to support their ability to trade in changed circumstances. Lot 2 will have specific expertise for supporting businesses owned and operated by BAME communities, whilst Lot 1 will provide this service generally.

In both cases, it will be up to the business seeking support to determine which service to access, i.e. a business can request support from the general service under Lot 1 or the BAME specialist service under Lot 2 at their own discretion.

In addition, the contractor of Lot 1 will also administer the award of Direct Business Grants to businesses impacted by the Pandemic, assessing grant applications, awarding grants and issuing funds to grant applicants. If a business is receiving support through Lot 2, they may still receive a Direct Business Grant, and the Lot 2 contractor should direct them to the grant application process operated by the Lot 1 contractor.

For further details, please review the specification published with the tender documents. This exercise is being conducted electronically, via the Luton Tenders Portal - https://procontract.due-north.com/Register (the Portal) which is free for Contractors to register on and to use.