S1513 – Supported Employment Service (Salford): Tender Guide & Bid Support
Published: 26 November 2025
Authority: Salford City Council (Greater Manchester)
Tender title: S1513 – Supported Employment Service
Estimated contract value: £780,000
Portal: ProContract
Submission deadline: 15 December 2025 at 14:00
Note: This article provides a general summary and commentary on the publicly available tender “S1513 – Supported Employment Service” published by Salford City Council on ProContract. No restricted documents or clarification content are reproduced.
About the “S1513 – Supported Employment Service” Tender
Salford City Council has released tender S1513 – Supported Employment Service to commission an evidence-led Supported Employment offer for adults with:
- Learning disabilities
- Autism
- ADHD
The specification focuses strongly on helping people to move into, and stay in, sustainable paid employment. It is not about activity for its own sake, but about real jobs, real employers and ongoing in-work support.
From a commissioning and evaluation perspective, these Supported Employment tenders typically reward bids that show a clear, credible model which can deliver:
- Sustainable employment outcomes (real jobs, not just work tasters or volunteering)
- Employer engagement and job carving linked to local labour market opportunities
- Person-led vocational profiling and planning
- Effective job coaching and in-work support
- Structured reviews, progression and “job retention” planning
- Safe, values-led practice fully aligned with LD / Autism / ADHD needs
What Commissioners Are Looking For
In my experience, Supported Employment tenders like S1513 – Supported Employment Service tend to score highest when the provider can clearly demonstrate:
1. Alignment with BASE and the 5-Stage Supported Employment Model
Commissioners increasingly expect services to reflect the principles of the British Association for Supported Employment (BASE) and the 5-stage Supported Employment model, including:
- Engagement and vocational profiling
- Job finding and employer engagement
- On-the-job support and job coaching
- Ongoing support, reviews and progression
A strong bid will not only reference these elements but show how they are delivered in practice for people with learning disabilities, autism and ADHD in Salford’s local context.
2. Person-Led, Strengths-Based Practice
Supported Employment services are most persuasive when they can evidence a genuinely person-led approach, for example:
- Using structured vocational profiling tools to understand aspirations, strengths and support needs
- Co-producing employment plans with people and their families
- Building confidence, skills and independence over time
3. Robust Employer Engagement and Job Carving
For a tender like S1513 – Supported Employment Service, evaluators will be looking closely at how you will engage employers and create real opportunities. This includes:
- Existing employer relationships and examples of successful placements
- Approaches to job carving and job redesign
- Support to employers with induction, training and reasonable adjustments
- Helping employers understand the value of inclusive recruitment
4. Outcomes, KPIs and Progression Pathways
Commissioners are under pressure to demonstrate impact. Strong bids set out:
- Clear and realistic outcome measures and KPIs
- How progress will be tracked from engagement through to sustained employment
- How “distance travelled” will be evidenced
- How underperformance will be managed
5. Governance, Safeguarding and Risk Management
Finally, providers must reassure the council that they can deliver this service safely, compliantly and consistently, including:
- Clear governance and senior oversight
- Robust safeguarding arrangements
- Risk assessment and risk enablement approaches
- Workforce supervision, training and quality assurance
Free 7-Part Supported Employment Series for Providers
If you are shaping your model for S1513 – Supported Employment Service (or future Supported Employment tenders), you may find my free 7-part Supported Employment series helpful:
Complete 7-Part Supported Employment Series
The series covers:
- From Aspirations to Real Jobs
- Person-Led Vocational Profiling
- Building Employer Partnerships
- Effective Job Coaching
- Measuring Outcomes that Matter
- Making Reasonable Adjustments Work
- Staying Employed: In-Work Support, Reviews & Progression
Each chapter reflects BASE principles, commissioning expectations and typical evaluation frameworks used in Supported Employment tenders.
Specialist Bid Writing Support for S1513 – Supported Employment Service
I work with Supported Employment providers across the UK to design, refine and articulate service models for tenders like S1513 – Supported Employment Service. This includes:
- Developing or refining BASE-aligned service models and 5-stage pathways
- Articulating person-led vocational profiling and personalised employment plans
- Strengthening employer engagement, job carving and retention pathways
- Building robust narratives for in-work support, reviews and progression
- Aligning outcomes, KPIs and value-for-money narratives with commissioner priorities
- Ensuring strong coverage of governance, safeguarding and risk management
- Aligning responses with Procurement Act 2023 scoring requirements
For more detail on how I support Supported Employment tenders, see my dedicated page:
Supported Employment Bid Writer – Specialist Tender Support
Need a Quick View on Winnability or Bid Support?
If you are considering bidding for S1513 – Supported Employment Service and would like:
- A quick, informal view on winnability
- Help shaping or refining your Supported Employment model
- Support with planning, writing or reviewing your submission
You are very welcome to get in touch.
At the time of writing, tender “S1513 – Supported Employment Service” is live with a submission deadline of 15 December 2025 at 14:00. If you are reading this after the deadline, the principles and resources above will still be relevant for future Supported Employment tenders in Salford and beyond.
💼 Rapid Support Products (fast turnaround options)
- ⚡ 48-Hour Tender Triage
- 🆘 Bid Rescue Session – 60 minutes
- ✍️ Score Booster – Tender Answer Rewrite
- 🧩 Tender Answer Blueprint
- 📝 Tender Proofreading & Light Editing
- 🔍 Pre-Tender Readiness Audit
- 📁 Tender Document Review
🚀 Need a Bid Writing Quote?
If you’re exploring support for an upcoming tender or framework, request a quick, no-obligation quote. I’ll review your documents and respond with:
- A clear scope of work
- Estimated days required
- A fixed fee quote
- Any risks, considerations or quick wins
🔁 Prefer Flexible Monthly Support?
If you regularly handle tenders, frameworks or call-offs, a Monthly Bid Support Retainer may be a better fit.
- Guaranteed hours each month (1, 2, 4 or 8 days)
- Discounted day rates vs ad-hoc consultancy
- Use time flexibly across bids, triage, library updates, renewals
- One-month rollover (fair-use rules applied)
- Cancel anytime before next billing date
🚀 Ready to Win Your Next Bid?
Chat on WhatsApp or email Mike.Harrison@impact-guru.co.uk
Updated for Procurement Act 2023 • CQC-aligned • BASE-aligned (where relevant)