Published date: 15 August 2016

Awarded contract - This means that the contract has been awarded to a supplier.


Closing: 15 September 2016

Contract summary

Industry

  • Business development consultancy services - 79411100

Location of contract

ME14 1XQ

Value of contract

£0 to £500,000

Procurement reference

ACGB-F8K7AX-ACUD-CAW8MQ

Published date

15 August 2016

Closing date

15 September 2016

Contract start date

1 November 2016

Contract end date

31 October 2018

Contract type

Service contract

Procedure type

Open procedure

Any interested supplier may submit a tender in response to an opportunity notice.

Contract is suitable for SMEs?

No

Contract is suitable for VCSEs?

Yes

Description

Background Kent County Council (the Council) is the largest local authority in England covering an area of 3,500 square kilometres. It has an annual expenditure of over £1bn on goods and services and a population of 1.3m. The Council provides a wide range of personal and strategic services on behalf of its residents, operating in partnership with 12 district councils and 289 parish/town councils. Opportunity The Council is the accountable body for the Kent and Medway Growth Hub, receiving funding from Government via the LEP to provide the service. The Council is seeking to contract with a provider or a consortium of providers to manage and run the Kent and Medway Growth Hub. Growth Hubs Growth Hubs are locally based, Government-backed services linked to the National Business Support Helpline. They enable businesses to access local and national business support. Government funding for Growth Hubs is made available via the 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships. A full list of existing Growth Hubs can be found at https://www.lepnetwork.net/growth-hubs/. Growth Hubs in the South East Local Enterprise Partnership Area The South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) covers Kent and Medway, Essex, Southend, Thurrock and East Sussex. It is the largest Local Enterprise Partnership in England. The South East LEP (via Essex County Council as its accountable body) receives funding from Government for a Growth Hub. The South East LEP operates a federal model, with local partnerships for each economic area within the LEP. For Kent and Medway, this is the Kent and Medway Economic Partnership (KMEP). More information about SELEP and KMEP can be found at www.southeastlep.com and www.kmep.org.uk. The Growth Hub for the South East LEP area reflects this federal model, with separately-procured and managed services in Kent and Medway, Essex and East Sussex. A central 'landing page' (www.southeastbusiness.org.uk) directs customers to the relevant service. The Current Kent and Medway Growth Hub Service A pilot Kent and Medway Growth Hub service commenced in November 2015, is operational until November 2016 and will be replaced by the new service set out in this specification. The current service can be accessed at www.kentandmedwaygrowthhub.org.uk. Earlier this year, the South East LEP commissioned an evaluation of the Kent and Medway Growth Hub and the other hubs in Essex and East Sussex. This specification seeks to take account of the findings of the evaluation. A copy of the evaluation report can be found in Annex 1 of Schedule 2 (Specification). Additional Details The contract is anticipated to commence upon 01 November 2016 and will continue for a period of 24 months, unless terminated in accordance with the Conditions of Contract on the Kent Business Portal. Further background and technical information can be found within the tender documentation.

More information

Additional text

Instructions to Suppliers: Expressions of interest will only be accepted via the Kent Business Portal.
Note that in order to successfully submit your interest you will first need to
register for an account. After registration is complete and you've received
your login details you should return to the advert for the opportunity (on the
Kent Business Portal) and express your interest.

You will then be emailed an invitation to submit a tender.

Award information

Awarded date

4 November 2016

Contract start date

4 November 2016

Contract end date

3 November 2018

Total value of contract

£494,561.50

This contract was awarded to 1 supplier.

Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce

Address

Waterbrook Avenue, Sevington, Tn24 0LH, Kent

Reference

None

Supplier is SME?

Yes

Supplier is VCSE?

No

About the buyer

Contact name

Hayley Bradbury

Address

County Hall
Maidstone
ME14 1XQ
UK

Telephone

03000 415566

Email

Procurement.CLI@kent.gov.uk