United Kingdom8 days leftOpen

HCC - 01/26 - Provision of Hertfordshire Growth Hub Service

Tender Overview

LOCATION

Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, United Kingdom

VALUE

£3,060,000

DEADLINE

February 10, 2026 at 12:00

CATEGORY

Other

CPV CODE

79400000

REFERENCE

001910-2026

Project Timeline

Contact Information

View Original

Original Tender Description

Hertfordshire County Council is currently out to procurement for the Provision of Hertfordshire Growth Hub Service. Hertfordshire Futures is looking to commission a provider and delivery partner to deliver the Hertfordshire Growth Hub service in Hertfordshire. Hertfordshire Growth Hub is the entry point to all business support provision within the county and is responsible for the seamless coordination, alignment and collaboration of services. Working in tandem with publicly funded support services and commercial suppliers, Hertfordshire Growth Hub provides access to tailored advice, training and mentoring for SMEs, helping them to accelerate their growth journey. Please refer to the tender documents for full details. This procurement is an open process. Organisations wishing to take part in this project are invited to ‘express an interest’ and also ‘opt in’ which will give access to the full procurement documents in the e-tendering system. To be considered as a Tenderer you must complete and submit a Tender by the deadline of 12 noon on the 10th of February 2026. Please allow sufficient time to make your return, as Tender submissions cannot be uploaded and submitted after this return deadline. Please ensure that where possible documents are uploaded as a PDF and that file names are succinct. Any questions relating to this procurement must be made via correspondence on the website, in accordance with the procurement documents, and can be addressed to the main contact as shown in the details above. Tenderers should be aware that due to the nature of the Services provided, any Contract formed as a result of this procurement process shall be executed as a deed. Tenderers should seek independent legal advice on the implications of this prior to submitting their Tender, where appropriate. Please note that the contract requirements will be subject to available financial resources, supplier performance and flexibility to meet changing demands. To access this opportunity please visit https://in-tendhost.co.uk/supplyhertfordshire/aspx/Home Please Note: The TUPE Employee Liability Information has been provided along with other documentation for this procurement. TUPE related information must be protected as personal data in accordance with the requirements of Data Protection legislation and must also be kept confidential. By clicking on the View Details button and accessing the documentation for this procurement, Tenderers agree: a) To undertake to treat the information as confidential and commercially sensitive at all times and take all reasonable steps to prevent any inadvertent disclosure to any third party . b) That under no circumstances will any of the information be disclosed by your organisation to any third party without the Council's prior consent in writing. c) That the information supplied will be stored securely and destroyed or returned to the Council, after your Organisation's bid has been submitted or you decide not to proceed with a tender submission. d) That you will indemnify the Council for any losses, arising from your breach or breach by any of your personnel of these confidentiality requirements specified above and data protection requirements in relation to TUPE Employee Liability Information. e) The requirements above apply whether the supplier uploads a tender response to this procurement or not.
⚠️

MANDATORY EXCLUSION GROUNDS

  • None explicitly stated in the provided tender information.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

  • Organisations must be capable of delivering the Hertfordshire Growth Hub service, which involves providing tailored advice, training, and mentoring for SMEs to accelerate their growth journey.
  • Organisations must be capable of seamless coordination, alignment, and collaboration of business support services, working in tandem with publicly funded support services and commercial suppliers.
  • Tenderers must agree to treat all TUPE Employee Liability Information as confidential and commercially sensitive at all times.
  • Tenderers must agree not to disclose TUPE Employee Liability Information to any third party without the Council's prior written consent.
  • Tenderers must agree to store TUPE Employee Liability Information securely and destroy or return it to the Council after bid submission or decision not to proceed.
  • Tenderers must agree to indemnify the Council for any losses arising from breaches of confidentiality and data protection requirements related to TUPE Employee Liability Information.
🔧

TECHNICAL CAPABILITY REQUIREMENTS

  • The provider must be able to deliver the Hertfordshire Growth Hub service, acting as the entry point to all business support provision within the county.
  • The provider must be able to ensure seamless coordination, alignment, and collaboration of business support services.
  • The provider must be able to work in tandem with publicly funded support services and commercial suppliers.
  • The provider must be able to provide access to tailored advice, training, and mentoring for SMEs.
💰

FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS

  • None explicitly stated in the provided tender information, beyond the estimated contract value.
📋

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

  • Organisations must express an interest and opt-in via the e-tendering system to gain access to the full procurement documents.
  • Tenders must be completed and submitted by the deadline of 12 noon on 10th February 2026.
  • Tender submissions cannot be uploaded and submitted after the specified return deadline.
  • Documents should be uploaded as PDF where possible.
  • File names for uploaded documents must be succinct.
  • Any questions relating to the procurement must be made via correspondence on the website, in accordance with the procurement documents.
  • Tenderers must visit https://in-tendhost.co.uk/supplyhertfordshire/aspx/Home to access this opportunity.
  • Tenderers should seek independent legal advice on the implications of a contract being executed as a deed, where appropriate, prior to submitting their Tender.

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PDF
Official PDF Version
PDF001910-2026_official.pdf
Summary:
This document is a tender notice from Hertfordshire County Council inviting providers to deliver the Hertfordshire Growth Hub service, which offers tailored business support to SMEs, with a submission deadline of 10th February 2026.

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67
Good

Tender Quality Score

This tender outlines a significant service provision for a Growth Hub, utilizing an open procedure. However, the provided extract lacks crucial details regarding evaluation criteria, comprehensive financial requirements, and full tender documents, which limits a thorough quality assessment.

Score Breakdown

Legal Compliance100/100

The tender demonstrates an awareness of legal obligations by mentioning mandatory exclusion grounds (though not explicitly detailed in the extract) and TUPE Employee Liability Information. The requirement for the contract to be executed as a deed also highlights legal considerations for bidders.

Clarity40/100

The description of the Hertfordshire Growth Hub service and its objectives is clear and well-defined. The process for expressing interest and accessing documents via the e-tendering system is also clearly outlined. However, the absence of detailed technical specifications and evaluation criteria in this extract reduces overall clarity for potential bidders.

Completeness83/100

The provided extract is significantly incomplete for a comprehensive tender. Key elements such as the full tender documents, detailed financial requirements (beyond the estimated value), specific mandatory exclusion grounds, and crucially, the evaluation criteria are missing. This makes it challenging for bidders to fully understand the scope and assessment methodology.

No full tender documents provided in the extract.
Missing detailed evaluation criteria.
Fairness60/100

The use of an open procedure generally promotes fair competition. However, the critical absence of explicit evaluation criteria in the provided extract raises significant concerns about transparency and fairness in the assessment process. Without clear criteria, potential suppliers cannot prepare competitive offers effectively, and the evaluation risks being subjective.

Missing detailed evaluation criteria, which can lead to subjective assessment and hinder fair competition.
Practicality40/100

The e-tendering system for expressing interest and submitting bids is practical. However, the short contract duration of 12 months for a complex service requiring 'seamless coordination, alignment and collaboration' might pose practical challenges for a new provider to establish and deliver effectively. The requirement for independent legal advice regarding the contract as a deed adds a practical step for bidders.

Short contract duration (12 months) for a complex service may limit long-term planning and investment by the provider.
Requirement for independent legal advice on contract execution as a deed adds a burden for bidders.
Data Consistency100/100

The information provided within the extract appears consistent, with the title, reference, organization, and description aligning well.

Sustainability0/100

The provided extract contains no information regarding environmental, social, or innovation criteria. This suggests a lack of focus on broader sustainability aspects within the tender requirements.

Absence of green procurement criteria.
Absence of social criteria.

Strengths

Clear description of the service and its objectives.
Open procedure promotes broad competition.
Estimated value and contract duration are specified.
Use of an e-tendering system for submission.
Acknowledgement of TUPE implications and legal considerations (contract as a deed).

Concerns

Critical lack of detailed evaluation criteria in the provided extract.
Absence of full tender documents for comprehensive review.
Missing detailed financial requirements beyond the estimated value.
Short contract duration (12 months) for a complex, coordination-heavy service.
No explicit mention of sustainability, social, or innovation criteria.

Recommendations

1. Ensure full tender documents, including detailed evaluation criteria and technical specifications, are readily accessible and comprehensive.
2. Clearly define all financial requirements (e.g., turnover, financial stability) to ensure fair assessment of bidders' capacity.
3. Consider a longer contract duration or options for extension to allow for effective service establishment and long-term planning.

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Tender Quality Score
67/ 100 · Good

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