London Legacy Development Corporation is procuring an eight-year open framework for services that support inclusive growth across Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, East London and the areas served by participating authorities. The framework is valued at up to £50 million excluding VAT and is expected to appoint as many as 70 suppliers.
This is much broader than a management consultancy opportunity. Education providers, employment and skills organisations, community engagement specialists, research and evaluation teams, business support providers and strategic consultancies each have a distinct lot. If your organisation is preparing a tender, speak to Thornton & Lowe about your Inclusive Growth Framework bid.
What are the six lots?
The framework covers:
- Education Programme Delivery
- Employment and Skills Support
- Community Engagement and Capacity Building
- Research and Evaluation
- Business Support
- Strategic Consultancy Services
Each lot addresses a different type of delivery. The education lot focuses on programmes for children and young people. Employment and skills covers training, progression and support into work. Community engagement focuses on participation, trust and local capacity. Research and evaluation is concerned with evidence, learning and impact. Business support targets start-ups, growing firms and social enterprises, while strategic consultancy is reserved for high-level advisory work.
The LLDC tender notice provides the detailed lot descriptions and access instructions.
Who should consider bidding?
Potential bidders include charities, social enterprises, training providers, employability organisations, community groups, research consultancies, economic development specialists, business advisers and management consultancies. The right lot should be determined by proven delivery capability rather than the broad language of inclusive growth.
Suppliers are expected to provide accessible, inclusive and culturally competent services. This means submissions should demonstrate more than a general commitment to equality. Bidders need evidence of how they engage priority groups, remove barriers, adapt delivery and measure who benefits.
How will the open framework operate?
The framework is expected to run for eight years, with new suppliers able to join when it reopens at the intervals stated in the procurement documents. Call-off contracts may be awarded directly or through competition.
Pricing may use fixed, capped, time-and-materials, outcome-based or blended models, drawing on the rate cards and information submitted at framework stage. Suppliers should therefore ensure their rates are clear, defensible and suitable for projects of different sizes and durations.
Evidence should focus on outcomes
Strong bids will show how activities lead to measurable social and economic results. Depending on the lot, evidence could include:
- engagement, completion and progression rates;
- employment, skills or education outcomes;
- reach among underrepresented or priority groups;
- community participation and strengthened local capacity;
- research quality and use of findings in decision-making;
- business survival, growth or investment outcomes;
- partnership working with employers, schools, community organisations and public bodies;
- accessible delivery and culturally competent practice.
Our guide to answering social value tender questions explains how to turn broad commitments into specific, measurable and time-bound actions, supported by clear evidence and reporting.
Avoid generic language
Terms such as collaboration, empowerment and community benefit can become vague unless the response explains who will do what, how participants will be reached and how progress will be measured. The methodology should identify delivery stages, responsibilities, safeguarding, data collection, governance and routes for learning and improvement.
Case studies should also match the selected lot. An organisation may have a strong corporate social value programme but still lack evidence of delivering employability services, formal evaluation or business mentoring. Bidders should use examples that prove the exact service being offered.
Build a focused lot proposition
Suppliers should begin by mapping services, staff and evidence against the six lot descriptions. Where several lots appear relevant, consider whether each can be supported with distinct delivery methods, qualified personnel and credible examples.
The framework offers long-term access to work across LLDC and eligible Greater London Authority bodies, but appointment does not guarantee call-offs. A strong submission needs to show both specialist value and the practical ability to mobilise individual assignments efficiently.
