Tendering and Contracts

Here you will find useful information and the latest news on current opportunities to tender for with Cumbria County Council. All contracts over £ 50,000 procured by the council will be published through our Contracts Register. 

Please follow the link to our: Pipeline of future contracts (Subject to Change) (PDF 257KB)

The Chest

For tendering of contracts, Cumbria County Council use an electronic tendering portal called 'The Chest'. The Chest is a web based system and anyone that has access to the internet and email can use it. Suppliers can register for free online to receive email updates on opportunities that match their capabilities. The system can be accessed from anywhere at anytime and allows the flexibility for tendering to be done electronically.

Please follow the link to register: The Chest

The Chest - User Guidance (PDF 1.18MB)

How to Do Business with the Council

Guide to Doing Business with the Council (PDF 7.22MB)

Cumbria County Council also make use of national frameworks for procurement of some services, goods and works where this is the right option for the Council. Details of these frameworks and the opportunity to register your business on these frameworks can be done by following the links below.

NEPO

ESPO

YPO

Crown Commercial Services

Central Buying Consortium

Children's Residential Provider Forum - 26th March 2018

Copy of Slides (432KB)

Open Framework Agreement for the Provision of Older Adults Residential & Nursing Care Services

From time to time as part of the commissioning process, the Council needs to re-contract providers of residential and nursing care. The Council is therefore launching the 'Open Framework for the Provision of Older Adults Residential and Nursing Care Services', a new contract for providers of Older Adults residential and nursing care services. Via this new contract, the Council is aiming to support the provider market to develop the increasingly complex residential and nursing care services required to meet the changing needs of the Cumbrian population. 

For further information please Email:procres@cumbria.gov.uk

Open Framework Clarification Responses following on from enquiries made to Cumbria County Council (84 KB)

Cumbria Early Education & Childcare Flexible Framework

Due to European legislation, Cumbria County Council are required to implement a new process for providers to contract with Cumbria County Council to deliver free early years entitlements.

Next steps

Providers will be asked to complete and submit a short questionnaire, the quality response and provide a copy of their last Ofsted report.

The provider contract has been updated and will be issued to providers for consultation as outline in the timetable below.  

Questionnaires and Quality responses MUST be submitted to the 'chest' or to free.entitlement@cumbria.gov.uk by the deadline.

Once the application forms have been received and verified and the provider contract has been finalised, Early Years Education and Childcare Provider contract will be issued to providers to sign and return.

The length of the contract will be 5 years, with options for Cumbria County Council to extend or revise as appropriate.

ITT Early Education & Childcare

Sch 1 call-off TCs

Sch 1 Framework Agreement

Sch 2 Early Education & Childcare_Spec

Sch 3 Early Education & Childcare Quality Response

Sch 5 Early Education & Childcare_Cert Of Non Collusion

Sch 6 Early Education & Childcare_Form of Tender

Sch 7 Early Education & Childcare_Confidential Info

Sch 8 Early Education & Childcare_H&S

Standard Selection Questionnaire

Any questions can be submitted to free.entitlement@cumbria.gov.uk and responses will be updated on the web page during the consultation period for all providers to read.