Invitation to quote for business advice for Hong Kong and Ukrainian nationals
Self-employment/starting a business – support for Hong Kong BN(O) visa holders and Ukrainian guests
Invitation to quote
- Context and Purpose of Contract
The Strategic Migration Partnership (SMP) for the East of England is letting a contract for the provision of self-employment / starting a business support for BN(O) visa holders and Ukrainian guests (those arriving under the Ukraine Family Scheme, Homes for Ukraine, Ukraine Extension schemes) in the East of England.
The aim of the contract is to provide the training and support needed for BN(O) visa holders and Ukrainian guests in the East of England who would like to become self-employed and/or to start their own business.
The SMP receives funding from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to establish and operate a Hong Kong Welcome Hub to support BN(O) visa holders arriving in the region. This aims to enable Hongkongers to settle well, access the services that they need, work productively and integrate into their local communities. In addition, the SMP also receives funds from the same government Department to support Ukrainian guests.
BN(O) visa holders and Ukrainian guests who want to become self-employed and/or to start their own business could previously access support through the AMIF-funded programme – Well being and Work for Refugee Integration Project – EELGA SMP. However, this project ends on 1 October 2023.
The purpose of the contract is to provide group training and subsequent one-to-one mentoring support to BN(O) visa holders and Ukrainian guests. The specification is attached at Appendix A.
III. Timing
- Bidding starts: 18 September 2023
- Bidding closes: Noon, Wednesday 4 October 2023
- Contract awarded: Thursday 5 October 2023
- Contract delivery: 01 November 2023 to 31 March 2024
- Contract Management
The contract will be held and managed by the Strategic Migration Partnership, East of England Local Government Association (EELGA) with oversight from the Hong Kong Hub Coordinator and Employability for Overseas Nationals (EON) project manager.
The organisation awarded the contract will be able to contact the Hong Kong Welcome Hub Coordinator and EON project manager as necessary and to discuss any issues with them throughout the project.
The winning bidder must submit written monthly reports with agreed quantitative and qualitative evidence.
EELGA takes a zero-tolerance policy towards modern slavery and will report any suspicion of such activity to the relevant authorities.
The contract holder must be fully committed to comply with the data protection and privacy requirements of the project, including the secure transfer of private information.
- Payment
Applications are expected to be inclusive of all expenses, consultation and other costs (excluding VAT if applicable). EELGA will authorise payment, payable against invoices issued at stages to be agreed when the contract is awarded. All payments will be subject to satisfactory delivery against the conditions of the terms of engagement agreed between EELGA and the appointed organisation.
Variations on terms of engagement will require negotiation and will need to be agreed in writing by both sides in advance if payment is not to be affected. Nothing in this briefing in any respect whatsoever constitutes a contract.
- Property and Contractual Conditions
The final summary document may be shared with partner organisations wishing to learn from our practice. The contract holder will be required to keep confidential and shall not (except as required by the terms of this brief) use or disclose any confidential information, records or other materials related to the work undertaken.
VII. How to Quote
Quotes to be emailed to: [email protected] and CC’d to [email protected] by mid-day, Wednesday 4 October 2023.
Those wishing to quote are required to submit the following information:
- How you will meet the specification, and what you will deliver within the contract
- Relevant background information about your organisation’s work
- Evidence of experience in delivering self-employment support to non-British nationals
- Any outputs proposed in addition to those listed within the specification
- Any added value that your organisation can bring to the contract, for example, from other strands of work that your organisation is currently engaged in
- Any other supporting information that you may wish to include
- Accounts for the last year (externally audited if you are a registered charity)
- 2 references for your organisation
For further information about this project and/or an informal discussion about this work please contact Gill Searl, EON project manager, at email: [email protected].
Scoring Matrix
Please include:
- How you will meet the specification, and what you will deliver within the contract
- Relevant background information about your organisation’s work
- Evidence of experience in delivering self-employment support to non-British nationals
- Any outputs proposed in addition to those listed within the specification
- Any added value that your organisation can bring to the contract, for example, from other strands of work that your organisation is currently engaged in
- Any other supporting information that you may wish to include
- Accounts for the last year (externally audited if you are a registered charity)
- 2 references for your organisation
Score /10 per section
| Score/10 | |
| Demonstrates a good understanding of the Hong Kong Welcome programme and Ukrainian guests.
|
|
| Demonstrates the necessary skills and experience as an organisation to provide training and mentoring in self-employment and starting a business. | |
| Quality and scope of proposed programme of training and support to BN(O) visa holders and Ukrainian guests. | |
| Demonstrates how feedback will be obtained from BN(O) visa holders and Ukrainian guests, and how the programme can flex to meet need. | |
| Demonstrates recent experience and successful outcomes in working with non-British nationals. | |
| Demonstrates that the organisation provides additional outputs which add value to the project. | |
| Demonstrates that the organisation is able to comply with timetable, reporting and contractual arrangements. | |
| Demonstrates that the organisation has the necessary financial stability to deliver the contract. | |
| The proposed cost is at or below £25,000 and demonstrates good value for money. | |
| Total /90
|
Appendix A
Specification
Overview
The contract holder will provide training and support for up to 30 BN(O) visa holders and Ukrainian guests who wish to become self-employed and/or to start their own business.
We estimate that there are over 5000 BN(O) visa holders in the East of England, and we know that more are arriving. All are able to work, on an employed or self-employed basis, but have No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) and therefore cannot claim benefits The total number of Ukrainians in the East of England is 11,219 under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme. This scheme allows them to start their settlement journey living in a UK host’s home. The majority are adult women, many with dependent children. Their visas entitle them to work in the UK, either employed or self-employed.
The contract holder will be required to:
- Applications and process
- Design an application process which works for their own system.
- Promote and publicise the programme to the target audience of BN(O) visa holders and Ukrainian guests.
- Process applications to ensure only eligible BN(O) visa holders and Ukrainian guests
- Training and one-to-one mentoring
- Design and deliver a bespoke programme of online learning seminars and one-to-one mentoring (in-person if required) for up to 30 clients
- Access to seed funding
- Where possible and where needed, source and provide access to seed funding for attendees from external funding sources.
- Consultation and feedback
- Undertake appropriate consultation and seek regular feedback to ensure that the programme meets the needs of those wanting to become self-employed and/or start their own business.
- Ensure flexibility within the programme to change or flex the content to be able to meet the needs of those attending.
Monitoring and reporting
Contract monitoring will take place according to a timetable to be agreed with the contract holder.
At a minimum, reporting requirements will include:
- Number of BN(O) and Ukrainian guests enquiries
- Number of BN(O) and Ukrainian guest attendees at seminars
- Numbers of BN(O) and Ukrainian guests actively engaged in the programme
- Number of drop outs from the programme
- Results of any attendee surveys or exit interviews
- Numbers of new businesses started, or sole trading commenced, if known
There will be a requirement for an end of contract report which captures learning from the programme to be applied to future provision. The content and format of that report will be agreed with the contract holder.
Support from the Strategic Migration Partnership
The SMP recognises that it will need to work in close partnership with the contract holder to ensure that programme is well publicised within the Hong Kong BN(O) and Ukrainian guest communities, and that any unanticipated barriers are overcome.
The SMP commits to:
- Supporting the development of an appropriate application route
- Publicising the training programme through its own routes and channels
- Producing guidance in undertaking sharecode and other checks to ensure eligibility
- Promoting close working partnerships with the Employability for Overseas Nationals project (EON)
- Helping to resolve any issues that may arise.
