Growth Hub establishment and development services.

Descriptions

Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership (the 'LEP') is seeking a supplier to provide services to establish and develop a Business Growth Hub and work with other entities to ensure that there is a co-ordinated approach to business support within Cheshire and Warrington.In order to enhance prospects and economic growth within local areas, the Government has been supporting a series of Growth Hubs across the country to make it easier for businesses to start and grow by ensuring business support is simpler, more co-ordinated and easier to access by business. Growth Hubs are locally-led partnerships which cooperate to provide coordinated business, innovation and trade support within a Local Enterprise Partnership area and make it simpler for businesses to access the support they need.Growth Hubs should bring together all of the local bodies involved in supporting businesses and work with national bodies such as UK Trade and Investment ('UKTI'), Innovate UK, Growth Accelerator and Manufacturing Advisory Service to ensure that national and local business support works together in the most streamlined and effective way possible, putting the business customer at the centre of the system. Specifically, a Growth Hub must raise awareness of national and local business support, provide a single point of access for businesses and provide a diagnostic and signposting service to make sure that all businesses, regardless of their size or sector, are aware of what is available and can access the right support for them.The LEP has secured revenue funding from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills ('BIS') for 2015/2016 only, to establish and support a Business Growth Hub in Cheshire & Warrington. The supplier will, under the governance of the LEP, establish the Growth Hub and ensure that local and national partners involved in business support are brought together ensuring:— a co-ordinated and complimentary menu of business support and advice;— business networks and links to specialist information; and— advice and services for pre-start, new, developing and established businesses (urban and rural) to help them grow and/or respond to changes in their market environment and opportunities.The supplier will deliver the following objectives and services in performance of the contract (and setting up the Growth Hub):— creation of a single point of initial contact for businesses seeking advice in the Cheshire and Warrington area;— creation of a unified business interface for business support providers for the Cheshire and Warrington area;— ensuring effective sign posting to local and national business support programmes;— providing in depth advice where needed via a team of locally-based advisors; and— creating a platform for the future joint commissioning of business support programmes in the Cheshire and Warrington area.The initial term of the contract is from contract award until 31.3.2016 and has an approximate value of (300 000 GBP), as secured from BIS. The contract may, at the LEP's discretion, be extended beyond 31.3.2016 by up to three further periods of one year in the event that further funding is secured for the continued development of the Growth Hub. If further funding is secured (from BIS or other public sources, including the European Commission), the contractual value is expected to rise to (2 100 000 GBP). Bidders should note that at the contract award date, only funding from BIS is confirmed. If the LEP receives funding from other public sources and exercises its right to extend the contract, the supplier would be required to comply with the terms and conditions attached to this grant funding, which could amend the service delivery model, outputs, targets, audit and evidentiary requirements and the value of the contract.In awarding the contract, the LEP will exercise its right under Regulation 56(3) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 to examine tenders before verifying the absence of grounds for exclusion and the fulfilment of the selection criteria.The LEP has decided not to sub-divide this contract into lots due to the nature of the services being procured and the need to establish, through the establishment and development of the Growth Hub, a sole point of contact for business support in Cheshire and Warrington.Note: to register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the myTenders Web Site at http://www.myTenders.org/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=154175