Decision details

At its meeting on 24th January 2020 Cabinet approved a number of interventions detailed in its report Tendring4Growth. This included proposals to procure a third party organisation to provide a District-Wide Business Support Service.
The procurement (which commenced in December 2020) sought to secure a contractor to provide a comprehensive range of business support and outreach services (Information, Advice and Guidance) to be made available to emerging and established businesses across the district for a period of three years from the date of appointment.
As part of the Council's specification the services to be made available by contractors under this scheme were required to respond to, and align with the aims and objectives of the Council’s Economic Development Strategy and with the ambitions of the North Essex Economic Strategy.
Services and interventions to be included:
•Generic business support (Information, Advice and Guidance);
•Proactive outreach services, embracing new and established
businesses;
•Sector specific support linked to the district’s growth sectors
(Clean Energy, Blue Tech, Assisted Living, Tourism
•Business planning;
•Cash-flow management;
•Marketing and communications;
•Assisting businesses with funding applications;
•B2B networking;
•Events and conferencing;
•COVID safe working and COVID recovery support;
•New ways of working; and
•Sign-posting businesses to IAG provided by other local, regional
and national agencies (e.g. BEST Growth Hub, South East Local
Enterprise Agency, Government).

The procurement process secured competitive bids from which the Interview/Assessment Panel were able to select a winning and compliant bid.
The Interview/Assessment Panel determined to appoint COLBEA on a fixed term three year contract to provide its District Wide Business Support Service.

Option 1 - Do Nothing
The Council's in-house Economic Growth Team lack the capacity to provide the level of information, advice, and guidance required by businesses at this time (COVID and Post COVID Recovery).
Option 2 - Recruitment
Recruiting staff to the the in-house team was not an option, as the addition of new staff would not provide the range of skills or the capacity to provide the service required.
Option 3 - Procurement
The procurement of a contractor was considered the most appropriate route through which to provide the service required.