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Tender Opportunity for Executive and Senior Specialist Recruitment Contractor.

APUC is seeking contractors to provide executive and senior specialist search and associated recruitment services for higher education and further education institutions, NHS bodies, Scottish Government organisations, and affiliated public sector bodies across the UK. The framework agreement, valued at £12,000,000, will cover activities including succession planning, board reviews, salary benchmarking, skills audits, candidate market scoping, panel and unconscious bias training, and access to recruitment technology. The framework is available for multiple lots across the UK, for a 36‑month period with the possibility of a 12‑month extension

 

Key Dates  

  • Tender deadline: 13 April 2026, 2:00pm

  • Tender opening: 13 April 2026, 3:00pm

  • Contract duration: 36 months with option to extend up to 12 months

 

Scope of Works  

  • Provide executive and senior specialist search and recruitment services

  • Support succession planning, board reviews, and skills audits

  • Conduct salary and remuneration benchmarking

  • Deliver candidate market scoping and panel training

  • Offer unconscious bias training and access to recruitment technology

  • Provide recruitment services across multiple public sector bodies and educational institutions

  • Submit quarterly performance and spend reports

  • Engage with community benefits including mentoring, coaching, diversity initiatives, and volunteering support

 

Ideal Contractor  

  • Demonstrated experience in executive and senior specialist recruitment

  • Ability to identify, assess, and present highly qualified candidates

  • Expertise in succession planning, board governance, and strategic HR

  • Capacity to provide training and workshops on inclusive recruitment and unconscious bias

  • Skilled in managing and reporting recruitment performance across multiple organisations

  • Proactive approach to community engagement and leadership development programs

Interested in this tender?

  • Full Tender Overview
  • Bid / No-Bid Recommendation
  • What to Include in Your Bid
  • Buyer Insights

How can Nurture help?

Want to increase your chances of success? Nurture offers tailored support to suit your business and bid experience.

Stay Ahead of Public Sector Opportunities.

Get clear, straightforward tender insights that help you quickly decide whether an opportunity is right for your business.

What you will get.

  • Plain-English Tender Summaries. Quick breakdowns of client, contract type, scope, location, estimated value, and ideal contractor profile.
  • Bid/No-Bid Questionnaire. Fast assessment tool to decide whether a tender is suitable, saving time and focusing effort.
  • Key Date Reminders. Never miss submission deadlines, contract start/end dates, or duration. Optional calendar-ready alerts keep your team organised.
  • Ideal Contractor Profile. Quickly see required skills and experience to target opportunities that match your capabilities.
  • Access our Additional Bid Support if needed.

The Benefits.

  • Save Time and Effort. All essential tender info in one place
  • Make Smarter Decisions. Combine bid/no-bid and key date reminders to prioritise opportunities
  • Increase Success Rates. Focus on tenders that match your expertise
  • Plan Your Bidding Pipeline. Organise, schedule, and manage bids efficiently
  • Stay Ahead of Competitors. Alerts as soon as tenders are published

Recruit a dedicated Bid Writer to join your team, whether that means building your bid function from scratch or strengthening your existing bid team. We support you through the recruitment process to find someone who can manage this tender and future opportunities with confidence.

Why Nurture?

  • Builds long-term bidding capability
  • Adds capacity to an existing bid team
  • Creates consistency and quality across submissions
  • Develops deep knowledge of your services, clients and positioning
  • Strengthens your competitive edge over time

Best suited for.

  • Businesses bidding regularly
  • Growing organisations needing more bid capacity
  • Established bid teams looking to expand
  • Companies wanting to build sustainable, in-house expertise
Find out more

Engage an experienced freelance Bid Writer to prepare, refine or strengthen your submission. This provides professional, hands-on writing support without the commitment of a permanent hire.

Why Nurture?

  • Immediate access to expert bid writing skills
  • Flexible support tailored to your specific tender
  • Improved clarity, structure and persuasive impact
  • Cost-effective solution for short-term or one-off needs

Best suited for.

  • Businesses bidding occasionally
  • Teams without internal bid writing capacity
  • Organisations needing expert input for a key opportunity
  • Companies wanting specialist support without long-term recruitment
Find out more

Supporting Your Growth. From Opportunity to Delivery.

 

At Nurture, we help SMEs at two key stages of growth: winning work and delivering it.

Some months you need help with a live tender. Other times you need support recruiting after a contract win. Sometimes you need help with marketing, website management, or payroll.

That’s why our services are flexible and designed to be used as and when you need them, so you get practical, hands-on support that aligns with your business priorities.

 

Bid Support

We provide practical support to help you submit clear, compelling, and compliant tenders.

Support can include:

  • Reviewing and refining draft responses

  • Strengthening executive summaries

  • Ensuring alignment with evaluation criteria

  • Light compliance checks

  • Editing for clarity, structure, and consistency

  • Improving document layout and presentation

  • Adding visuals, timelines, and diagrams

We work alongside you to reduce pressure, improve quality, and ensure submissions are focused and competitive.

 

Recruitment Support

Winning work often means growing your team. We help you attract and appoint the right people efficiently and effectively.

Support can include:

  • Writing and optimising job adverts

  • Candidate sourcing and talent mapping

  • Pre-screening and shortlisting

  • Supporting interviews and candidate communication

  • Mobilisation recruitment after a contract win

  • Optional branded careers page support

 

Wider Business Support

Growth often extends beyond bids and hiring. We can also provide practical support across:

  • Marketing and website management

  • Payroll and basic accounts

  • Operational processes and business administration

This means you can get expert help across the areas that matter most — without hiring full-time staff or relying on multiple providers.

 

Flexible Hour Packages

All our services are available through monthly hour packages. Choose how many hours support you need and use however you need.

Time can be allocated across:

  • Bid Support

  • Recruitment Support

  • Marketing & Website Management

  • Payroll & Accounts

Use all your hours on one service, split them across several, or focus on what matters most to your business that month.

This approach gives SMEs expert, joined-up support while staying flexible and cost-effective.

 

Why Nurture?

We help you win the work, build the team to deliver it, and strengthen the foundations behind the scenes.

Practical, flexible, and human. Nurture gives SMEs the confidence to grow sustainably without unnecessary complexity.

Find out more

Take the next step: Complete the form to request more details and find out which support option is right for you.

Thank you for requesting details of Tender Opportunity for Executive and Senior Specialist Recruitment Contractor. One of our Team will send you further details shortly.