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af94b494-4a7c-4b26-9945-605d7e96d8e2 · Contract

GB-Newcastle Upon Tyne: T25-0047 Start Up Support Services Lot 4 UX & Service Design

Northumbria University at Newcastle

Estimated Value

£100,000 – £500,000

Deadline

7 July 2026

Published

9 June 2026

Type

services

North EastGBCPV: 79990000 79000000 79400000 79410000 79411100 79900000
CategoryBusiness & professional

Overview

NOTE: This notice was updated on 11 June 2026 for the following reason: Is this notice suitable for SMEs? The original notice stated 'no'.

This has now been amended to state 'yes'.(The University is seeking to procure advice, guidance and support for students and graduates that are either considering the idea of self-employment or business start-up as a chosen career path, or who are looking to develop enterprising skills and entrepreneurial mindset to enhance their employability. Support will be delivered using a mixed methods approach, through dedicated one-to-one mentoring sessions, workshops, in-residency days at our on-campus Incubator, as well as through bootcamp style events. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE VALUE STIPULATED IS FOR THE TOTAL CONTRACT WHICH CONSISTS OF EIGHT LOTS)

AI Analysis

Powered by AI — always verify against official documents

Medium Complexity

A university in Newcastle is looking for a supplier to provide business start-up support and mentoring services for their students and graduates who want to start their own business or develop entrepreneurial skills. This is Lot 4 (UX & Service Design), which is part of a larger eight-lot contract, so the total value shown covers all lots combined, not just this one.

Requirements

  • Ability to deliver one-to-one mentoring sessions for students considering self-employment or business start-up
  • Capability to design and deliver workshops on enterprise and entrepreneurship
  • Ability to facilitate in-residency days at the university's on-campus Incubator facility
  • Ability to organise and run bootcamp-style events
  • Experience with mixed-methods delivery approaches (combining mentoring, workshops, events, and residencies)
  • Understanding of how to support development of enterprising skills and entrepreneurial mindset
  • Ability to work with both students and graduates

Key Tasks & Deliverables

  • Deliver dedicated one-to-one mentoring sessions to students and graduates considering self-employment
  • Design and deliver entrepreneurship and business start-up workshops
  • Facilitate in-residency days at the university's on-campus Incubator
  • Organise and run bootcamp-style events for enterprise training
  • Provide guidance and support for students developing enterprising skills and employability
  • Support students looking to develop entrepreneurial mindset

How to Read This Tender

  • 1This is Lot 4 of an 8-lot contract — the value shown is the TOTAL for all lots combined, so Lot 4 will be worth significantly less. You need to get the full tender documents to find Lot 4's individual budget and scope.
  • 2Pay close attention to what 'UX & Service Design' specifically means for Lot 4 — this phrase suggests the focus may be on how the service is designed and experienced by users (students), not just content delivery. Check the full specification.
  • 3This is an education/skills contract, not a commercial business one — the buyer is a university, so understand their sector language and how they measure success (student progression, satisfaction, employability outcomes).
  • 4The 'mixed methods' requirement means you can't just do one thing (e.g. only workshops) — you need to combine multiple delivery formats. Make sure your proposal covers mentoring, workshops, residencies, and bootcamps.
  • 5Flag that this involves on-campus delivery at their Incubator — confirm you can access the site, understand any health & safety requirements, and plan logistics for facilitating residency days.

Tips for Small Businesses

  • This is a service delivery contract ideally suited to small training and mentoring businesses — if you're a sole trader or micro-business with strong enterprise mentoring experience, you could bid solo, but consider forming a consortium with another provider to cover all delivery methods (e.g. partner with a bootcamp specialist if you're strong on one-to-one mentoring).
  • Universities often score heavily on 'social value' and impact — emphasise how your support leads to measurable outcomes: student start-ups launched, jobs created, graduate employment in self-employment. Collect case studies and metrics.
  • The value warning is critical — with 8 lots in total, Lot 4 might be worth £20k-£100k depending on the full contract value. Get the full tender documents before investing time, and consider whether the contract is big enough for your overheads. Ask the buyer directly for Lot 4's individual budget.
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Buyer Profile

Northumbria University at Newcastle
Typepublic body
RegionNorth East
Total contracts8
Total spend£4,000,000
View buyer profile

Key Dates

Published

9 June 2026

Submission deadline

7 July 2026

Notice type

Contract

Source

contracts finder

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