The Delivery of a Digital Assessment to Action Programme for Winchester District Businesses
Winchester City CouncilEstimated Value
£10,000 – £0
Deadline
8 June 2026
Published
19 May 2026
Type
services
Overview
The council is seeking a local delivery partner to provide ten local (micro or small) businesses with a digital assessment that evaluates their current digital capability across key operational and commercial areas. This delivery partner must be local to the Winchester district due to the need to complete the majority of this programme in person.
The assessment will be followed by a structured action plan, prioritising immediate improvements alongside longer-term strategic opportunities. Digital assessment pathway: 1.
Digital assessment: each business to be assessed in-person to establish baseline digital capability across key operational and commercial areas. 2.Tailored digital action plan: findings from the assessment are translated into a practical action plan, including prioritised recommendations, signposting to relevant support, introductions and funding opportunities where appropriate. (Provided within two weeks of the assessment date). 3.
Submission
All clarification requests must be submitted by email to Emily Reason, Sector Project Officer, ereason@winchester.gov.uk by 9am Monday 1 June 2026.
Contact & helpdesk
All quotes must be submitted by email to Emily Reason, Sector Project Officer, via the email address: ereason@winchester.gov.uk by no later than 9am Monday 8 June 2026.
Additional details
One-to-one digital support: businesses can receive up to four hours of tailored one-to-one digital support, focused on implementing priority actions (level of support dependent on complexity and need). 4.Progress check with each business: a check-in to review progress against the action plan, address barriers and refine next steps if required. 5.Final review and close with each business: a final review to summarise progress, capture outcomes and impact and formally close the support. If continued support is required, signposting to further support is essential. 6.Final report to the council of project summary: A full final programme report will be required at the end of the project.
Including, business names, location, size of businesses, summary of assessments and their action plans and recommendations. Case studies of at least three businesses taking part that can be used for publicity and learning.
All assessments and action plans to also be submitted to the council. Bidders may seek clarification on any aspect of the request to quote.
Any questions received by this deadline, together with the council's responses will be circulated to all organisations who have shown interest in the project. Please ensure you answer all of the requirements and questions throughout the specification document.
AI Analysis
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Winchester Council wants to hire a local business to deliver digital capability assessments to 10 small businesses in their area. You'll evaluate each business's digital strengths and weaknesses, create a practical improvement plan for them, provide hands-on support to implement changes, and report back to the council on progress and outcomes.
Requirements
- Must be based locally in Winchester district — the majority of work must be delivered in person, not remotely
- Must be able to conduct in-person digital assessments with 10 micro or small businesses
- Must deliver tailored digital action plans within two weeks of each assessment
- Must provide up to four hours of one-to-one digital support per business, tailored to their needs and complexity
- Must conduct progress check-in meetings with each business to review implementation and address barriers
- Must conduct final review meetings to document outcomes and impact
- Must provide signposting to further support and funding opportunities where appropriate
- Must submit a comprehensive final programme report to council including: business names, locations, business sizes, assessment summaries, action plans, recommendations, and at least three detailed case studies suitable for publicity
- Must submit all individual assessments and action plans to the council
- Must answer all requirements and questions in the full specification document in your bid
Key Tasks & Deliverables
- Conduct in-person digital capability assessments with 10 micro or small businesses, evaluating their current digital capability across operational and commercial areas
- Create tailored digital action plans for each business within two weeks of assessment, prioritising immediate improvements and longer-term strategic opportunities
- Deliver up to four hours of one-to-one digital support per business to help them implement priority actions from their plans
- Hold progress check-in meetings with each business to review how they're getting on against the action plan and address any barriers they've hit
- Hold final review meetings with each business to document progress, capture outcomes and impact, and close the support formally
- Write and submit a full final programme report including: all 10 business names and locations, their sizes, summaries of assessments and action plans, case studies from at least three businesses with enough detail for council to use in publicity, and copies of all assessments and action plans
How to Read This Tender
- 1This is a service delivery contract, not a supply contract — you're being paid to provide expertise and time, not products. The council is buying your knowledge and ability to work with small businesses one-to-one.
- 2Pay close attention to the six-step pathway (assessment → action plan → support → progress check → final review → reporting). The council will measure your success against each step, so your bid must show you understand and can deliver each stage.
- 3The 'local to Winchester district' requirement is non-negotiable and likely a scoring criterion. If you're not already based there, explain clearly in your bid how you'll manage the in-person delivery requirement — don't ignore this.
- 4The final report and case studies are as important as the delivery itself. The council wants to show impact and learn from the project. Plan how you'll capture good case study material from the start, not at the end.
- 5Read the full specification document thoroughly — the instructions say you must 'answer all of the requirements and questions throughout the specification document.' This suggests there are detailed questions you must address point-by-point in your quote.
Tips for Small Businesses
- If you're a one-person business or small team, consider whether you could subcontract the one-to-one support element to trusted digital specialists while you manage assessments and action plans. This could help you bid for a larger value contract without overcommitting yourself.
- The case study requirement is an opportunity — plan to produce really strong, detailed case studies from day one. Take photos, collect quotes from business owners, document before-and-after metrics. Councils love this, and it strengthens your bid narrative.
- Check whether there's any social value scoring or weighting in the full tender documents. If the council values local employment, training, or community benefit, spell out clearly how your delivery will create those benefits — this could be a differentiator over larger competitors.
Before you bid, buyers check
two years of filed accountsyour financial standingturnover vs contract valueyour Companies House recordcash flow for 30-day termscredit scores and ratios
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Buyer Profile
Winchester City CouncilKey Dates
Published
19 May 2026
Submission deadline
8 June 2026
Notice type
Contract
Source
contracts finder
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