Business Support for the Third Sector

Concepts

• business development
• glasgow
• scottish government
• business support
• enterprising third sector
• start-up support
• range of potential business models
• pipeline support
• technical tendering support
• mainstream business support agencies

Location

Scotland:

Description

The Scottish Government is seeking a service provider to work with them to market and deliver start-up, business support, and leadership development services to the enterprising third sector in Scotland.

Total Quantity or Scope

The Scottish Government has a requirement to place a contract with an external service provider for the provision of tailored Business Support to the Third Sector. The Scottish Government is seeking a supplier to work with them to market and deliver start-up, business support, and leadership development services to the enterprising third sector in Scotland. The Service Provider must deliver the following components to service recipients through the contract: - Start-up support which considers a range of potential business models, and makes effective referrals if social enterprise models are not the most appropriate based on sound legal understanding of each business model. - Support for organisations post start-up moving to trading and becoming established enterprises - Business skills and competencies, for example, strategy and business planning and income generation - Planning for growth and achieving financial sustainability - Leadership training, coaching and development - Business recovery and resilience, with early intervention where possible - Pre-investment support, financial planning and an independent brokerage service to assist the enterprising third sector to access the most appropriate social investment products across a spectrum of levels of investment - Procurement and technical tendering support to both individuals and consortia (tender training and development, bid writing, bid review) with effective signposting to existing resources like the Supplier Development Programme - Support for marketing/communications and digital/online services and ecommerce with effective signposting to existing resources such as Digital Boost - Sector-specific support for just transition to Net Zero - Raising awareness of the service across equality and diversity groups and capacity building and pipeline support for ethnic minority and disabled social entrepreneurs, working with specialist partners where necessary, and in a way that is mainstreamed across all service areas. - Support for the sector to enhance its impact reporting of and approach to equality and diversity including effective equality data collection and monitoring - Social impact measurement advice with a focus on smaller organisations, providing one to one support for the enterprising third sector to improve their impact measurement practice based on available tools and methods, ensuring a balanced approach to demonstrating value - International awareness raising and capacity building to identify and unlock the potential of the enterprising third sector to trade internationally prior to referral to Scottish Development International. This must interface with the work of the International Social Enterprise Observatory which acts as a hub for knowledge and best practice for social enterprise and seeks to make international connections. It must also cross-refer to Challenges who are funded by the Scottish Government to set up a pipeline of support for organisations looking to internationalise their social enterprise - The new service provider will resource and initiate a series of knowledge exchanges in partnership with social enterprise delivery partners and mainstream business support agencies as part of its stakeholder relations, service promotion, horizon scanning and staff development

Renewal Options

The Purchaser may, by giving notice to the Service Provider, extend the period of the Contract to a date falling no later than 31 March 2027

Award Criteria

CPV Codes

• 79411100 - Business development consultancy services
• 66171000 - Financial consultancy services
• 79632000 - Personnel-training services
• 79900000 - Miscellaneous business and business-related services

Indicators

• This is a one-off contract (no recurrence)
• Renewals are available.
• Financial restrictions apply.
• Staff qualifications are relevant.
• Technical restrictions apply.

Other Information

** PREVIEW NOTICE, please check Find a Tender for full details. ** Technical Assessment - Full details of the technical criteria detailed within Invitation to Tender. Please note there are minimum requirements concerning Cyber Security for this contract. Tenderers will be required to complete an online Supplier Assurance Questionnaire using the Cyber Security Procurement Support Tool. A link to CSPST can be found here: https://cyberassessment.gov.scot/ The questionnaire will be aligned to a Cyber Risk Profile that has been established for the contract, based on the Contracting Authority’s assessment of cyber risk. Further details will be set out in the procurement documents. A contract condition for this procurement requires the Tenderer to comply with the minimum security requirements. Tenderers must also confirm, - they will pay staff that are involved in the delivery of the contract, at least the real Living Wage - they will meet standards on payment of subcontractors The estimated contract value includes the option for a potential 12 month extension. The contract start date allows for a mobilisation period of 3 months (24 Feb - 23 May 23) where fully service delivery is required by 24 May 23. The buyer is using PCS-Tender to conduct this ITT exercise. The Project code is 22495. For more information see: http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/info/InfoCentre.aspx?ID=2343 A sub-contract clause has been included in this contract. For more information see: http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/info/InfoCentre.aspx?ID=2363 Community benefits are included in this requirement. For more information see: https://www.gov.scot/policies/public-sector-procurement/community-benefits-in-pr... A summary of the expected community benefits has been provided as follows: The service provider must set out what community benefits can be identified in the delivery of the contract. For example: - Number of jobs that will be created to deliver the contract and number of jobs filled by those in a Priority Group; - Number of Apprenticeships to be created to deliver the contract and number of Apprenticeships filled by Priority Groups; - Number of work placements for school pupils, college and university students and number of work placements for Priority Groups and; - Number of qualifications achieved through training by Priority Groups and number of qualifications achieved through training by other employees. (SC Ref:708552)