Public procurement notice: Contract Notice
Published: 2016-06-07
Buyer: Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership
Country: UK
Region: Merseyside
Contract type: Services
Procedure: Open procedure
CPV classification: 79223000
Estimated value: 1 GBP
Submission deadline: 2016-07-08
Award criteria: Explain the process for engaging businesses and moving them through the brokerage process, How will you ensure you engage with the necessary amount of businesses in the relevant Local Authority area, What systems will be in place to ensure businesses move from engagement on to diagnostic/brokerage, How will you ensure that you are able to offer all of the services listed in section 2 of the document, Price
EU fund: ERDF

Technical requirements: Explain the process for engaging businesses and moving them through the brokerage process
How will you ensure you engage with the necessary amount of businesses in the relevant Local Authority area
What systems will be in place to ensure businesses move from engagement on to diagnostic/brokerage
How will you ensure that you are able to offer all of the services listed in section 2 of the document
Price
The Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has been awarded funds by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to establish a Growth Hub for the Liverpool City Region, initially this funding will be matched by European Regional Development Funds (ERDF).
The purpose of the Growth Hub Liverpool City Region (Growth Hub) is to be the central repository of information, advice and support for pre-start, new and existing businesses within the City Region. Providing them with a holistic business support service, by diagnosing their needs and signposting to the most appropriate commercial or public funded assistance available to help them grow.
The Growth Hub seeks to do this through engaging Brokerage Partners covering each of the 6 Local Authority (LA) areas of Halton, Knowlsey, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral. In addition we are seeking a specialist broker to cover harder to reach groups including Women and BME Groups across the City Region. Therefore there will be a total of 7 lots that suppliers can bid for.
Growth Hub Brokerage Partners will be a primary access point for brokerage to a wide range of business support services in the Local Authority area covered by the Growth Hub, which will include the provision of the following Services:
The Supplier shall signpost business into the most appropriate support available from a wide range of local, national and commercial providers. It is then for the business to determine, from the information provided, which provider they select to provide services, using appropriate procurement and evaluation.
The Supplier will be required to record all activity onto the Growth Hub CRM system to ensure support for business through the Growth Hub is coherent and that brokerage destinations and effectiveness can be monitored.
The Supplier shall utilise www.localgrowthub.com or any other system as specified by the LEP for the online search and identification of appropriate services for business. This will be maintained by the Growth Hub with current information on services for businesses in a readily searchable format.
If Suppliers directly deliver services to businesses, they must ensure and demonstrate to the LEP's satisfaction that these services are considered equally alongside those of other providers when performing the Services. Activity and performance will be subject to monitoring and scrutiny by the LEP.
Suppliers will be required to comply with the Growth Hub Handbook, which will be maintained by the LEP. The Handbook will specify standards required of the Supplier, operating protocols, use of diagnostics tools and marketing requirements, including the use of Growth Hub and ESIF branding on the Supplier's documents, websites and communications and information uploads to Growth Hub website. The Handbook will be revised and updated by the LEP periodically and any such revisions will be applicable to the Contract.
The following outputs, outcomes and service levels are required from each Lot by the LEP by 31.3.2018.

Eligibility requirements: Suppliers will be required to self-certify whether they already have, or can commit to provide the following: — Up to date financial information in the form of full audited (or unaudited) financial accounts. Where these are not available it is possible to provide details of most recent year trading or a current statement on financial position backed by a bank letter or alternative means including management accounts. This financial information should support the measures indentified below; — Relevant latest auditor's report identifies that the organisation is a going concern; — Statement that the organisation is not subject of administration or liquation arrangements; — Statement that any outstanding CCJs can be met by existing cash reserves. Suppliers are expected to demonstrate their methodology for engaging businesses in the process and how they will move them through the brokerage process. Suppliers will need to indicate what systems will be in place to ensure businesses move from engagement on to diagnostic/brokerage. Suppliers will need to demonstrate that they will be able to offer all the services set out in this contract notice.
Suppliers will be required to self-certify whether they already have, or can commit to provide the following: — Up to date financial information in the form of full audited (or unaudited) financial accounts. Where these are not available it is possible to provide details of most recent year trading or a current statement on financial position backed by a bank letter or alternative means including management accounts. This financial information should support the measures indentified below; — Relevant latest auditor's report identifies that the organisation is a going concern; — Statement that the organisation is not subject of administration or liquation arrangements; — Statement that any outstanding CCJs can be met by existing cash reserves.
Suppliers are expected to demonstrate their methodology for engaging businesses in the process and how they will move them through the brokerage process. Suppliers will need to indicate what systems will be in place to ensure businesses move from engagement on to diagnostic/brokerage. Suppliers will need to demonstrate that they will be able to offer all the services set out in this contract notice.

Award value: 1