UK SBS BLOJEU-CR17029LPC - Call for research on the impact of the National Minimum Wage and the new National Living Wage on employment and hours

The final date and time for the submission of bids 13/03/2017 at 14.00hrs DO NOT apply directly to the buyer. All tender information MUST be submitted through the CCS eSourcing Portal.

The Low Pay Commission (LPC) invites tenders for an econometric study of the impact of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and the new National Living Wage (NLW) on employment and hours, including differential effects by sector, firm size, geography, age and gender. The LPC has an ongoing remit to monitor the operation of the NMW, and to assess the impact of increases in the level of the NMW in order to advise the Government on future rates.

An important part of assessing the impact of the NMW is to examine the effect on the labour market. Previous research conducted or commissioned by the Commission (as well as independent research) suggests that the NMW has had limited adverse effects on employment levels but that businesses may have adjusted hours, reduced non-wage benefits, increased prices to their customers and squeezed profit margins.

The introduction of the NLW on 1 April 2016 for those aged 25 and above was a sharp real and relative increase in the level of the minimum wage - 7.5 per cent in nominal terms (around three times median pay growth). Given the commitment to move towards 60 per cent of median earnings by 2020, it is important that the Commission has robust evidence on the effect of the NLW on employment and hours.

The aims of this study are to assess: (1) the impact of the NMW (£6.70) on workers aged 21 and above from October 2015 to March 2016; and (2) the impact of the NLW (£7.20) on workers aged 25 years and above from April 2016. Please ensure you review all attached information to ensure a full understanding of this requirement.

All attachments can be found with the RFx attachments tab within the Emptoris System. This contract will be awarded based on the evaluation criteria set out in the ITQ document.

How to Apply As part of the strategic alliance between UK Shared Business Services Ltd (UK SBS) and Crown Commercial Service (CCS), UK SBS will be using the CCS eSourcing Suite for this procurement. To register on the CCS eSourcing portal please follow the details contained within the Additional Information section of this notice.

Additional information: DO NOT APPLY DIRECTLY TO BUYER All submissions will be assessed in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, for procurement values that exceed Regulation 5 (Threshold amounts) Responses must be received by the date in the bid documents. Responses received outside or concurrently using the eSourcing process will not be accepted or considered further for this opportunity.

How to Register on the CCS eSourcing Suite Full details of this opportunity can be found on the e-sourcing portal please follow instructions below. If you have not yet registered on the eSourcing Suite, this can be done online at https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk by following the link 'Register for CCS eSourcing'.

Please note that, to register, you must have a valid DUNS number (as provided by Dun and Bradstreet) for the organisation which you are registering, who will be entering into a contract if invited to do so. Once you have registered on the eSourcing Suite, a registered user can express an interest for a specific procurement.

This is done by emailing expressionofinterest@crowncommercial.gov.uk. Your email must clearly state: • name and reference for the procurement you wish to register for; • name of the registered Bidder; • name and contact details for the registered individual sending the email.

Crown Commercial Service will process the email and then enable the Bidder to access the procurement online via the e-Sourcing Suite. The registered user will receive a notification email to alert them once this has been done.

The Sourcing documents can then be accessed on the eSourcing Suite at: https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk using the instructions detailed in the Specification documents within Contracts Finder. As a user of the e-Sourcing Suite you will have access to Emptoris email messaging service which facilitates all messages sent to you and from you in relation to any specific RFX event.

Please note it is your responsibility to access these emails on a regular basis to ensure you have sight of all relevant information. For technical assistance on use of the e-Sourcing Suite please contact Crown Commercial Service Helpdesk: Telephone: 0345 010 3503 Training documents to support Bidders to utilise Emptoris CCS eSourcing are available in the Contracts Finder Tender documents section.

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