Awarded· 15 Dec 2025
Connect to Work (Lot 3)
Devon County Council · Exeter, South West
Devon County Council has awarded Connect to Work (Lot 3). It is a contract for other health and social care in Exeter.
Source: Find a Tender, published 15 Dec 2025. Details are refreshed every 30 minutes.
Key dates
2025
Award notice published
UK5 - Transparency Notice · 14:50
View notice2026
Contract starts
Next
2027
Contract ends
1 year after it starts
About this tender
In brief
Devon County Council has awarded Connect to Work (Lot 3). It is a contract for other health and social care in Exeter. The contract went to Crystal Pathways. It was awarded on 15 December 2025. The awarded value is £566,100. The contract runs from 15 January 2026 to 15 January 2027. It lasts 1 year.
It is run as a direct award. The buyer marks it as suitable for SMEs and VCSEs. Find a Tender published it on 15 December 2025. The notice number is 082970-2025. The OCDS ID is ocds-h6vhtk-05f5e7.
Summary of the contracting process
Devon County Council leads the procurement initiative titled "Connect to Work (Lot 3)" under a direct award system. With the programme grant funded by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), this initiative targets economic inactivity and employment risk among persons with disabilities or other priority audiences.
The procurement process, currently within the award stage, focuses on delivering Improved Placement and Support (IPS) services in Teignbridge, South Hams, and West Devon. The contract starts on 15th January 2026 and extends for a year, with a potential one-year renewal based on performance. Businesses interested in health, social work, and education service sectors can benefit from this opportunity, with a gross contract value of £679,320.
Crystal Pathways Ltd has been selected as the supplier for delivering the services. The initiative adheres to the Procurement Regulations Act 2023, ensuring compliance and accessibility for SMEs and VCSEs. Designed to utilise Fidelity Models, the initiative integrates employment support with health services.
SMEs and enterprises aligned with service delivery through a Supported Employment model may find substantial growth opportunities, enhancing community support and employment sustainment for the target audience.
The notice in full
Connect to Work is a DWP programme grant funded through DCC as the lead accountable body on behalf of Torbay, Plymouth and Devon. The Programme requires the delivery to the following persons with social disability or other priority audiences who are: * Economically inactive or unemployed: Person has not worked for around 6 months due to their disability,
long term health condition or disadvantages and feel they need comprehensive tailored employment support to help them to identify the right roles for their needs and to engage in effective job search towards work. * Employed but risk of dropping out of work: Person is working/Self-employed for at least 3 months and is struggling to sustain employment due to their disability, long term health condition or disadvantages.
However, it is acceptable to offer support to individuals who have been employed for shorter periods where the Accountable Body judges that would be appropriate. * Maintaining work: Person has never been in employment or a track record of struggling to retain jobs/sustain employment due to their disability, long term health condition or disadvantages The programme is delivered through a Supported Employment model - a place train and maintain model delivered through a five-stage process.
There are two approaches, both using recognised international standards (Fidelity Models) and both using the principles that participants are employed in the Open Labour Market, it being Paid Work with Ongoing Support provided. * IPS integrates employment support alongside primary and secondary health services, and other support services. This integration ideally occurs at a physical level, through co-location and other policies, where applicable.
IPS has been successfully utilised within the Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care (IPSPC) programme to support individuals with mild to moderate mental health and/or physical health conditions. Universal Support will utilise and expand on the approach taken with IPSPC.
Whilst Universal Support will complement IPS Severe Mental Illness and IPS Alcohol and Drugs, these will remain separate IPS services. * SEQF is (as required) a more in-depth intervention than the form of IPS used for Universal Support. SEQF is oriented most usually around supporting learning disabled and/or autistic adults as well as others with complex support needs where clinical integration is not needed or appropriate.
Lot 3 is for IPS services delivered in Teignbridge, South Hams and West Devon.
Lots: no lot details came through with this notice. The official notice and the tender pack have the full breakdown.
Key facts
Contract
- Service
- Other health and social care
- Procurement type
- Standard
- Category
- Services
- Contract period
- 15 Jan 2026 to 15 Jan 2027 (1 year)
- Suitable for
- Small and medium sized businesses (SMEs); Voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs)
- Awarded to
- Crystal Pathways
- Number of suppliers
- 1
Procedure
- Notice type
- UK5 - Transparency Notice
- Procurement method
- Direct
- Procedure
- Direct award
- Current stage
- Award
- Stages so far
- Award
- Published on
- Find a Tender Service
- Awardee scale
- SME
Values
- Awards value
- £566,100
Not stated in the notice: tender value, lots value, contracts value.
Status
- Tender
- Complete
- Lots
- Complete
- Awards
- Pending
Not stated in the notice: contracts.
References
- Find a Tender notice
- 082970-2025
- Open Contracting ID
- ocds-h6vhtk-05f5e7
- CPV code
- 79611000 - Job search services; 80000000 - Education and training services; 85000000 - Health and social work services; 98000000 - Other community, social and personal services
- CPV division
- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security; 80 - Education and training services; 85 - Health and social work services; 98 - Other community, social and personal services
Location
- Local authority
- Exeter
- Town
- Exeter
- Postcode
- EX2 4QD
- Electoral ward
- Newtown and St Leonard's
- Constituency
- Exeter
- Region
- South West
- Sub-region
- Devon CC
- Area
- Devon
- Country
- England
Buyer and supplier
Contracting authority
- Organisation
- Devon County Council
- Category
- Services
- Address
- Exeter,, EX2 4QD · South West · England
Not stated in the notice: contact, phone.
Awarded supplier
- Supplier
- Crystal Pathways
- Awardee scale
- SME
- Number of suppliers
- 1
- Awards value
- £566,100
- Company record
- Search Companies House
Documents and links
Questions about Connect to Work (Lot 3)
Who won the Connect to Work (Lot 3) contract?
Devon County Council awarded the contract to Crystal Pathways on 15 December 2025. It is due to end on 15 January 2027, which is when a re-tender would normally follow.
How much is the Connect to Work (Lot 3) contract worth?
The awarded value is £566,100. The contract runs from 15 January 2026 to 15 January 2027 (1 year).
Who is the buyer for Connect to Work (Lot 3)?
Devon County Council, based in Exeter, South West.
Get ready for the next round
Contracts like this come back. We help care providers build the evidence, policies and case studies a buyer scores, so you are ready when the re-tender opens.
What to do next
- This contract has been awarded.
- It is due to end on 15 January 2027.
- A re-tender usually follows near the end.
- Build your evidence and case studies now.
- Keep your policies and training records current.
Bidding for contracts like this
Other tenders in Exeter
- Antipsychotic Medication Review and MonitoringExeter
- CP1421-17 Complex Lives Substance Misuse ServiceExeter
- Complex Care DevonExeter
- Long Term Live-In-Care DevonExeter
- Care (Education) Treatment Review SupportExeter
- All age ASD Assessment RTCExeter
- Satellite Renal sites managed serviceExeter
- Satellite Renal sites managed serviceExeter
Browse by sector
- All open health and social care tendersThe full feed, updated every 30 minutes.
- Tender sectors we coverWhat each sector buys and how bids are scored.
- Supported living tendersSupport for adults in their own tenancies.
- Extra care tendersHousing with care staff on site.
- Reablement tendersShort-term help to regain everyday skills.
- Residential care and care home tendersCare home and nursing home beds.
- Domiciliary care tendersCare visits in people's own homes.
- Children and young people tendersChildren's homes, placements and short breaks.
Get help with your bid
- Health and social care tender writingWe write and review your bid.
- Guidance on managing a bidPlan a bid from notice to submission.
- Providers we have helped win contractsContracts our clients have won.
- What the Procurement Act 2023 changes for care tenders
- Book a consultation about this tenderTalk this tender through with us.