UK Tenders: Live Public Sector Contracts

Enterprise Cheshire and Warrington (ECW), working alongside the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the North West Net Zero Hub (NWNZH) is seeking to appoint an individual consultant or small group of consultants to oversee the implementation of the Clean Energy Skills Regional Action Plan (CESRAP), and in partnership with relevant neighbouring regions. The CESRAP brings together evidence from extensive stakeholder consultation, employer engagement, provider input, and regional modelling to identify where demand for clean energy skills is growing most quickly and where the provision is already strong. It identifies an urgent need to intervene in the skills ecosystem so that local people, employers, and their supply chains can develop the skills needed to benefit from the transition to clean energy to meet a significant increase in demand in 2030 and beyond. It sets out recommendations for local leaders and policymakers, proposals for a near-term programme of skills interventions, and a framework for long-term collaboration to enable joined-up local delivery of the Government's Clean Energy Jobs Plan . It is intended to be a practical, living framework that can guide immediate implementation, support regional collaboration, and adapt as policy, investment pipelines, and labour market conditions evolve. ECW is seeking consultancy support to implement the plan in the period up to March 31st, 2027. The work is funded by The North West Net Zero Hub. The consultant/s will need to identify one to two people who will be available to act as the Regional Lead for an agreed number of days per week, for the length of the project.

The newly established Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority (CWCA) has recently stated its intention to commission an Independent Economic Review (IER) for the subregion - setting out the evidence for the opportunities for and constraints on local growth. In support of this, it is vital to better understand where water infrastructure may require upgrades to support local ambition, and how we can better work together to ensure that flooding and drought are not impediments to growth whilst ensuring that wider ecosystem services and farming resilience are better supported. Simultaneously, the Water White Paper published in January 2026 committed Government to act on the Independent Water Commission recommendation, setting up Regional Systems Planning in England. DEFRA have set out an intention to pilot this through Regional System Planners (RSPs), established across each region of England with the aim of influencing both PR29 and other water system investment plans. Defra are keen for partnerships to pilot RSP governance and structures during this set-up year. and have set out that they only intend to provide high level direction on form. Within this context there is a significant opportunity to influence water planning, and ensure alignment with local growth and wider environmental ambitions. To support the IER along with engagement with the establishing North West RSP, ECW is seeking to appoint consultants to develop a strategic, place based evidence base and outline water plan that sits between national/regional water planning processes and local spatial, economic, and infrastructure planning.

This ITT sets out the information which is required in order to assess the suitability of bidders in terms of their capacity to deliver flexible, responsive business support, quality assurance processes, relationship management, service levels and innovative solutions to meet the requirements of ECW for Cheshire and Warrington Growth Hub Support Services Across Cheshire and Warrington, businesses have had access to a wide range of support offers. However, this provision is often time limited, programme specific, or fragmented across organisations, which can make navigation difficult for SMEs. Businesses frequently report uncertainty about who does what, leading to disengagement after initial enquiry. The available services have been curtailed recently due to funding reductions. ECW is commissioning a service to address this gap on an interim basis via an embedded service within the existing Cheshire and Warrington Growth Hub. The service should be designed to also add resource to the National Business Growth Service by ensuring businesses receive timely, proportionate, hands on support that helps them take action and progress. The additional service will operate as part of the Growth Hub and is intended to complement, existing provision at a national, regional and local level. The interim provision will include practical delivery, hands on adviser support, follow up, and business readiness -ensuring clear referral pathways, feedback loops, and effective navigation across the ecosystem. ECW wish to secure efficiencies and economies of scale by means of a procurement exercise for meeting the requirements detailed within this documentation. The principle benefits anticipated by ECW in this procurement include; • Ability to maximise opportunities for best value and efficient services • To allow bidders to explore efficiencies, which may be possible by suggesting innovative and cost-effective solutions • Presentation of cost savings to ECW in order to maximise economical operational efficiency and value for money • A resultant contract that meets the tender requirements and supports ECW with their ambition This service would be commissioned on an interim basis for 12 months, with quarterly reviews. This is intended to maintain continuity of business support during the transition to a Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority-led service, while also establishing a scalable model capable of adapting to future devolved arrangements. During the contract life, the successful bidder will need to achieve continuous improvement against KPIs, customer satisfaction and other contract measures. Failure to do so may result in the contract being terminated.