Tender opportunity for business advice support
Exeter City Council, East Devon District Council, Mid Devon District Council and Teignbridge District Council have decided to pool their resources to provide a Business Advice Support service covering all four Local Authority areas.
Tenders are sought from suitable providers.
These are the details of the tender:
Duration of Contract: 12 months (from 1 April 2016)
Value of Contract: £100,000
Work required: The successful applicant will be required to provide free business support for new and existing businesses for people living within East Devon, Exeter, Mid Devon and Teignbridge district council areas.
Reporting on a day to day basis to: Exeter City Council
Final date for receipt of formal submissions: 12noon on 19 February 2016
Prior to this tender, Exeter City Council has for some years offered an Exeter Business Support service to new companies or other companies who have needed specific advice. This service will be widened to cover the Exeter and Heart of Devon area.
It is anticipated that, as a result of the new Exeter & Heart of Devon Business Support and Advice service, 160 new businesses will be set up, 240 new jobs will be established, and by the end of the year, 800 people will have attended business support workshops.
Cllr Rosie Denham, Lead Councillor for Economy & Culture at Exeter City Council said: “The Exeter and Heart of Devon area has an excellent track record for creating the right environment for new companies. However, we recognise that start-ups and even companies that have been trading for a few years will, from time to time, require support. We are looking for a dynamic company who can provide that tangible support which will make a difference.”
Councillors from the other three Councils agreed that this was the right way to proceed. Cllr Philip Skinner, East Devon District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Economy, said ”By working together with our partner authorities we can combine our direct business support budgets to create the opportunity for the successful provider to leverage £100k of match funding, potentially doubling our investment in local business support in East Devon.
”I urge local business support providers to tender for this key contract opportunity.”
Councillor Doug Hellier-Laing, Portfolio Holder for Economy Skills and Tourism at Teignbridge District Council, said ‘Businesses are not always aware of local authority boundaries. It makes sense to have a joined-up approach providing a consistent professional service across the Exeter and Heart of Devon region regardless of actual location.’
Cllr Richard Chesterton of Mid Devon District Council said “This is an exciting initiative. By pooling our resources, we are able to be part of a wider support service that will better serve the needs of our businesses.”
How to apply
Initial expressions of interest to request the formal documentation must be sent via email to the Interim Corporate Procurement Manager as follows: howard.gaunt@exeter.gov.uk
Whilst the initial contract is for 12 months, it may be renewed at the end of the stated period. There are no guarantees that this will be the case and, due to the size of the contract, any renewal will need to be subject to a future tendering process.
