Contract award notice
Results of the procurement procedure
Section I: Contracting
entity
I.1) Name and addresses
Department for Work & Pensions
Caxton House, 6-12 Tothill Street, London, SW1H 9NA
London
SW1H 9NA
UK
E-mail: cd.ptwinnovationfund@dwp.gov.uk
NUTS: UK
Internet address(es)
Main address: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions
Address of the buyer profile: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions
I.4) Type of the contracting authority
Ministry or any other national or federal authority, including their regional or local subdivisions
I.5) Main activity
Social protection
Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title
Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund Administration - Call off under the RM6322 - Fund Administration and Disbursement Services (FAADS) Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS)
Reference number: C9407
II.1.2) Main CPV code
75100000
II.1.3) Type of contract
Services
II.1.4) Short description
These services relate to “light touch services” under the Light-Touch Regime as set out in Schedule 3 to the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, using common procurement vocabulary (CPV) codes. The Authority has conducted a call-off from the RM6322 Fund Administration and Disbursement Services Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for this requirement.<br/><br/>The Department for Work and Pensions “The Authority” has awarded a contract to deliver the Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund which aims to stimulate new ideas and test innovative approaches to supporting disabled people and those with health conditions towards, into and to remain in work. It responds to the widening disability employment gap and rising economic inactivity linked to long‑term sickness. The Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund seeks to build evidence of what works through a wide range of grant funded initiatives across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, open to individuals, public, private, academic and third‑sector organisations. <br/><br/>The key objective of the Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund will be to generate evidence of what works through the testing of approaches and ideas that have the potential to be piloted formally (gaining sufficient evidence) and then scaled up. Such evidence would be used to inform future policies that are aimed at supporting disabled people and those with health conditions towards and into work.
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
No
II.1.7) Total value of the procurement
Value excluding VAT:
11 500 000.00
GBP
II.2) Description
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKC
UKD
UKE
UKF
UKG
UKH
UKI
UKJ
UKK
UKL
UKM
UKN
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
This procurement aims to appoint a Supplier to provide full programme management of the Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund. The Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund Administration Supplier will be required to provide the expertise and capability to make sure that the available funding is used to generate as much quality evidence as possible from genuinely innovative Initiatives via the Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund. Full programme management will include the following service requirements: <br/>(a) Design and development. <br/>(b) Market engagement and promotion. <br/>(c) Application, assessment and award services. <br/>(d) Evaluation services. <br/>(e) Due diligence counter fraud services. <br/><br/>The initial value of the Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund Administration requirement is £4.25m and has been procured as a further call-off competition under the RM6322 - Fund Administration and Disbursement Services (FAADS) Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS). <br/><br/>The Authority is awarding a contract for the services for an initial period of 20 months with an option (subject to governance approval, available funding and satisfactory performance) for the Authority to extend the contract for a further period of up to 24 months by giving the Supplier written notice of no less than 3 Months before the initial period of the contract expires, unless terminated earlier in accordance with the provisions of the Contract.<br/><br/>The award criteria is based on the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT) using a Relative Assessment model. The Technical Envelope equates to 60% of the total evaluation score and the Commercial Envelope equates to 40% of the total evaluation score.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Quality criterion: TQ 5.1 - Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund Administration – Pitching Panel Events
/ Weighting: 8.63
Quality criterion: TQ 8.1 - Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund Administration – Evaluation Services
/ Weighting: 4.32
Quality criterion: TQ 3.1 - Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund Administration – Grant Application Launch
/ Weighting: 4.32
Quality criterion: TQ 1.1 - Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund Administration - Implementation
/ Weighting: N/A
Quality criterion: TQ 7.1 - Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund Administration – Performance and Financial Monitoring
/ Weighting: 8.63
Quality criterion: TQ 4.1 - Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund Administration – Grant Application Assessment
/ Weighting: 10.79
Quality criterion: TQ 2.1 - Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund Administration – Design and Development
/ Weighting: 6.47
Quality criterion: TQ 6.1 - Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund Administration – Grant Application Refinement
/ Weighting: 10.79
Quality criterion: TQ 9.1 - Social Value – Theme 4: Equal Opportunity
/ Weighting: 6.04
Price
/ Weighting:
40
II.2.11) Information about options
Options:
No
II.2.13) Information about European Union funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds:
No
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.1) Type of procedure
Restricted procedure
IV.1.8) Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement:
Yes
IV.2) Administrative information
IV.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure
Notice number in the OJ S:
2022/S 000-033630
Section V: Award of contract
A contract/lot is awarded:
Yes
V.2 Award of contract
V.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
17/07/2026
V.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 2
Number of tenders received by electronic means: 2
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators:
No
V.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
Ernst and Young LLP
OC300001
1 More London Place
London
SE1 2AF
UK
Telephone: +44 1215352000
NUTS: UK
Internet address(es)
URL: http://www.ey.com
The contractor is an SME:
No
V.2.4) Information on value of the contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Initial estimated total value of the contract/lot:
Total value of the contract/lot:
: 11 500 000.00
GBP
V.2.5) Information about subcontracting
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.4) Procedures for review
VI.4.1) Review body
Department for Work & Pensions
Caxton House, 6-12 Tothill Street, London, SW1H 9NA
London
SW1H 9NA
UK
Internet address(es)
URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
29/07/2026