Returners Business-to-Business Communications Contract

The Government Equalities Office (GEO) are seeking appoint an agency with specialist background and experience in business-to-business communication to raise awareness of and drive engagement with the returners best practice guidance and returner programmes amongst employers within identified priority groups. The Government's 2017 Spring Budget allocated £5 million over two years to the GEO to "promote returnships in the public and private sector". The GEO seek to increase the number of opportunities available to support returners back into work at a level commensurate with their skills and experience, and also ensure that these opportunities are of a high standard and meet returners' needs. Specifically, the agency's objectives will be to: • Identify and target employer networks and businesses in priority sectors and regions (outside London and with a reasonable distribution across England) to make them aware of our best practice guidance, encourage them to access it and understand the value of recruiting returners • Securing commitments from employers to provide 500 new returner opportunities across private sector partners by the end of the contract term (200 of these commitments to be achieved by 30th April 2018) We expect the agency to identify business networks, or use their existing business connections to engage employers and deliver business communications activities such as hosting roundtable events or through direct contact. They will deliver contacts to the returners policy team, who will work with them to deliver additional returner places.

Additional information: Please e-mail Returners.Team@geo.gov.uk for an invitation to tender letter.

The value of the contract to the successful bidder is £30,000 exclusive of VAT.

Deadline for receipt of tender 2pm noon on 16 February 2018.