BLACKBOX HOSTING LIMITED

Sovereign Virtual Servers

BlackBox Hosting delivers UK-sovereign private managed cloud services with predictable fixed pricing, high performance, and built-in resilience. Independently verified as 100% carbon neutral by BSI, we provide secure, scalable cloud platforms managed by expert engineers, delivering significant cost and performance advantages over public cloud

Features

• UK-hosted and UK-operated private virtual infrastructure
• Fully managed compute, storage, and networking services
• Fixed-price commercial model with transparent billing
• High availability architecture across resilient UK data centres
• Built-in security controls aligned to public sector requirements
• Scalable resource allocation without service disruption
• Integrated backup and disaster recovery capabilities
• Dedicated UK-based support and service management
• Flexible deployment models including cloud and co-location
• Environmentally sustainable operations verified under ISO 14068

Benefits

• UK-sovereign hosting operated and managed entirely within the UK
• Predictable fixed pricing with no unexpected consumption costs
• High-performance private cloud exceeding public cloud benchmarks
• Secure by design with compliance aligned to public sector standards
• Fully managed service reducing operational and administrative burden
• Scalable infrastructure that grows seamlessly with organisational demand
• Flexible contracts supporting evolving technical and business requirements
• Expert UK-based architects and engineers providing proactive support
• High availability platforms designed for resilience and continuity
• Carbon-neutral services independently verified by BSI under ISO 14068

• Education pricing available
• Free trial available

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at Justin.field@blackboxhosting.net. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 15

Service ID

756823661709373

Contact

Justin Field
0203 740 7840
Justin.field@blackboxhosting.net

About your service

• Service categories:

  IaaS

  IaaS Compute

  • Other non-x86 instances

  Virtualised x86

  • General purpose
  • Compute optimised
  • Memory optimised

  Accelerated

  • GPUs
  • APUs

Service scope

• Service constraints: The service operates on standard, enterprise-grade virtualised platforms. Planned maintenance is scheduled in advance and performed during agreed maintenance windows. Service availability and support are subject to the contracted service scope, supported configurations, and agreed service levels.
• System requirements:
  • Internet or private connectivity to UK-hosted cloud environment
  • UK data residency requirements agreed at contract initiation
  • Supported encryption standards for data in transit and at rest
  • Named technical contacts for service access and escalation
  • Approved IP ranges for administrative access
  • Supported monitoring and logging integration where applicable
  • Customer-defined maintenance windows and change approvals
  • Compliance with government security classifications as agreed
  • Compliance with UK GDPR and applicable public sector data standards
  • Adherence to government security policies and accreditation requirements as agreed
• Cloud deployment model: Private cloud

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Yes
• Support response times: Out-of-hours and weekend support is available for priority incidents in line with the agreed support level and service level agreement.
• User can manage status and priority of support tickets: Yes
• Online ticketing support accessibility: None or don’t know
• Phone support: Yes
• Phone support availability: 24 hours, 7 days a week
• Web chat support: No
• Onsite support: Yes, at extra cost
• Support levels: BlackBox Hosting provides a fully managed support service included within the monthly cost during business hours. Support includes proactive monitoring and routine professional services delivered by UK-based engineers. Optional 24/7 support is available at additional cost.; ; Support costs; Business-hours support and standard professional services are included in the fixed monthly price. Optional 24/7 support is priced separately and agreed at contract start.; ; Account management; Each customer is assigned a Technical Account Manager and solution architects. Monthly service reviews are included to support ongoing performance, security, and service improvement.
• Support available to third parties: Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: BlackBox Hosting supports service onboarding through structured implementation, documentation, and guided setup delivered by experienced engineers. Users are provided with service documentation and access to support channels. Optional workshops and knowledge transfer sessions can be provided remotely or onsite as required.
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats: PDF
• End-of-contract data extraction: At contract end, BlackBox Hosting supports customers to extract their data in standard, industry-supported formats. Data can be securely transferred to customer-nominated locations or provided on encrypted media where required. Data extraction is managed by engineers to ensure security, integrity, and continuity.
• End-of-contract process: At the end of the contract, BlackBox Hosting works with the customer to agree a service exit plan. This includes coordination of data extraction, service termination, and secure data deletion in line with agreed requirements.; ; Exit planning and standard data extraction support are included in the contract price. Any additional activities, such as extended support, complex migrations, or bespoke data handling, are agreed in advance and may incur additional charges.
• Documentation accessibility standard: None or don’t know
• How the documentation is accessible: Service handover documentation is created and shared with customers in accessible digital formats. An online knowledge base is available through the service management tool and can be accessed using standard web browsers. Documentation can be provided in alternative formats on request to support accessibility needs.

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Using the web interface: Users can access a secure web portal to view service status, raise support requests, and review service information. Service setup is initiated through the web interface by submitting requests for new environments or services, which are then implemented by BlackBox Hosting engineers.; ; Users can request changes such as capacity adjustments, configuration updates, or service modifications via the web interface. Changes are reviewed, approved, and applied by the managed service team in line with agreed change management processes.; ; The web interface does not provide unrestricted self-provisioning or direct administrative control of underlying infrastructure. All changes are subject to service scope, security controls, and agreed operational procedures to ensure stability, security, and compliance.
• Web interface accessibility standard: None or don’t know
• How the web interface is accessible: The web interface is browser-based and supports standard accessibility features provided by the underlying platform. Users can submit service requests, raise support tickets, and view service information. Direct administration of cloud infrastructure is not available; all changes are managed by BlackBox Hosting engineers. Alternative support channels are available where required.
• Web interface accessibility testing: The web interface is provided using a third-party support and service management platform. Formal usability testing with assistive technology users has not been conducted directly by BlackBox Hosting. Accessibility is reviewed as part of supplier selection and ongoing service review, and alternative support channels are available to ensure users can access the service.
• API: No
• Command line interface: No

Scaling

• Independence of resources: BlackBox Hosting ensures customers are not affected by other users’ demand through architectural separation and proactive capacity management. Compute resources are provided using dedicated or non-dedicated clusters with DRS enabled to balance workloads and maintain consistent performance. Resource reservations and capacity headroom prevent contention.; ; Network bandwidth and next-generation firewalls are provisioned with dedicated or guaranteed allocations and are not oversubscribed, ensuring consistent throughput. Storage performance is monitored and managed to agreed thresholds. Continuous monitoring and regular service reviews ensure capacity is expanded before performance is impacted.
• Usage notifications: Yes
• Usage reporting:
  • Email
  • SMS
  • Other
• Other usage reporting: In addition to proactive capacity monitoring by TechOps and regular service reviews, users are notified when usage approaches service limits through service alerts and notifications raised via the service management platform. Threshold-based alerts trigger early warnings, enabling capacity discussions and planned changes before service levels are impacted.
• Optimising consumption: Yes
• Automatic scaling: Yes

Analytics

• Infrastructure or application metrics: Yes
• Metrics types:
  • CPU
  • Disk
  • HTTP request and response status
  • Memory
  • Network
  • Number of active instances
  • Other
• Other metrics:
  • External service availability from multiple global locations
  • Network latency measurements
  • IPS Reports
  • Network Traffic Reports
  • Traffic including Geo Locations
  • SSL/TLS certificate expiry monitoring
  • Website and service uptime monitoring
  • Alerting on external service degradation
  • Ping response and packet loss monitoring
  • Endpoint reachability monitoring
• Reporting types:
  • Regular reports
  • Reports on request
• Resource tagging: No
• FOCUS resource tagging: No

Resellers

• Supplier type: Not a reseller

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Conforms to BS7858:2019
• Government security clearance: Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)

Asset protection

• Knowledge of data storage and processing locations: Yes
• Data storage and processing locations: United Kingdom
• User control over data storage and processing locations: Yes
• Datacentre security standards: Complies with a recognised standard (for example CSA CCM version 4.0)
• Penetration testing frequency: At least once a year
• Penetration testing approach: NCSC approved service provider
• Protecting data at rest:
  • Physical access control, complying with CSA CCM v4.0
  • Physical access control, complying with SSAE-18 / ISAE 3402
  • Physical access control, complying with another standard
  • Encryption of all physical media
  • Scale, obfuscating techniques, or data storage sharding
• Data sanitisation process: Yes
• Equipment disposal approach: A third-party destruction service
• Data sanitisation type:
  • Deleted data can’t be directly accessed / Cryptographic Erasure
  • Data Erasure
  • Explicit overwriting of storage before reallocation / Secure Erase
  • Degaussing
  • Physical Destruction / Hardware containing data is completely destroyed

Backup and recovery

• What’s backed up:
  • Virtual machines hosted within the managed private cloud
  • Operating system and application files
  • Databases running on supported platforms
  • File servers and network-attached storage
  • Application data and configuration files
  • Email and collaboration platform data
  • System configurations and virtual appliance settings
  • Cloud-based workloads and services
  • Customer-managed application data
  • Structured and unstructured data sets
• Backup controls: Backups are delivered as a fully managed 3-2-1 service. Backup scope, schedules, and retention periods are agreed and documented at contract start. Users can request changes to what is backed up, backup frequency, and retention through the service management portal. All changes are implemented by BlackBox Hosting engineers to ensure consistency, security, and compliance.
• Datacentre setup: Multiple datacentres with disaster recovery
• Scheduling backups: Users contact the support team to schedule backups
• Backup recovery:
  • Users can recover backups themselves, for example through a web interface
  • Users contact the support team
• Backup and recovery: Yes
• RPO/RTO: Yes

Data-in-transit protection

• Data protection between buyer and supplier networks:
  • Private network or public sector network
  • TLS (version 1.2 or above)
  • IPsec or TLS VPN gateway
  • Legacy SSL and TLS (under version 1.2)
• Data protection within supplier network:
  • TLS (version 1.2 or above)
  • IPsec or TLS VPN gateway
  • Other
• Other protection within supplier network: In addition to VRFs, VLAN segmentation, TrustSec, and next-generation firewalls with IPS/IDS and honeypots, data is protected through encryption in transit, strict access controls, and network monitoring. Role-based access, multi-factor authentication, and logging are enforced for administrative access. Continuous monitoring, vulnerability management, and regular security reviews further reduce risk and protect data across the network.

Availability and resilience

• Guaranteed availability: BlackBox Hosting guarantees 99.999% network connectivity availability, measured monthly and excluding planned maintenance agreed in advance. Availability is defined as the ability to access the service network.; ; Core managed cloud services are provided with high availability designs aligned to agreed service levels. If network availability falls below the guaranteed level, service credits are applied in accordance with the SLA. Credits are calculated as a percentage of the affected monthly service charge and applied to future invoices.; ; Planned maintenance windows and service exclusions are defined contractually and communicated in advance.
• Approach to resilience: Our service is designed for resilience across compute, storage, and network layers. Infrastructure is architected with redundancy and automated failover to minimise single points of failure. Workloads are distributed across resilient platforms with capacity headroom to maintain continuity under load.; ; Our UK data centres are Tier 3+ facilities with resilient power and cooling. Network connectivity is delivered using multiple carriers with physically diverse routing. Continuous monitoring enables rapid detection and remediation of issues. Service availability has consistently exceeded SLA targets year on year.; ; Further resilience design details are available on request.
• Outage reporting: Service outages and performance incidents are reported through multiple channels. A public status dashboard provides real-time visibility of service availability. Email alerts notify customers of incidents, updates, and resolution progress. Where available, monitoring data can also be accessed programmatically via an API.

Identity and authentication

• User authentication needed: Yes
• User authentication:
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
  • Public key authentication (including by TLS client certificate)
  • Identity federation with existing provider (for example Google Apps)
  • Limited access network (for example PSN)
  • Dedicated link (for example VPN)
  • Username or password
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: Access to management interfaces and support channels is restricted using role-based access controls and least-privilege principles. Administrative access is limited to authorised personnel and protected by strong authentication, including multi-factor authentication where applicable. Access is logged, monitored, and reviewed regularly to prevent unauthorised use.
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least every 6 months
• Management access authentication:
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
  • Public key authentication (including by TLS client certificate)
  • Identity federation with existing provider (for example Google Apps)
  • Limited access network (for example PSN)
  • Dedicated link (for example VPN)
  • Username or password
• Devices users manage the service through:
  • Dedicated device on a segregated network (providers own provision)
  • Dedicated device on a government network (for example PSN)
  • Dedicated device over multiple services or networks
  • Any device but through a bastion host (a bastion host is a server that provides access to a private network from an external network such as the internet)
  • Directly from any device which may also be used for normal business (for example web browsing or viewing external email)

Audit information for users

• Access to user activity audit information: Users receive audit information on a regular basis
• How long user audit data is stored for: User-defined
• Access to supplier activity audit information: Users receive audit information on a regular basis
• How long supplier audit data is stored for: User-defined
• How long system logs are stored for: User-defined

Security governance

• Named board-level person responsible for service security: Yes
• Security governance certified: Yes
• Security governance standards:
  • ISO/IEC 27001
  • Other
• Other security governance standards: CSA Star Level 2
• Information security policies and processes: BlackBox Hosting operates formal information security policies and processes aligned to recognised standards and best practice. These include access control, risk management, incident management, change management, vulnerability management, and data protection. Policies are reviewed regularly, audited and supported by technical controls, monitoring, staff training, and independent assurance to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability of customer data.

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Supplier-defined controls
• Configuration and change management approach: BlackBox Hosting follows formal configuration and change management processes. Service components are recorded and tracked throughout their lifecycle using configuration management records, including build, changes, and retirement. Changes are requested, assessed, approved, implemented, and reviewed in line with defined change procedures.; ; All changes are assessed for operational and security impact prior to implementation. Security considerations include access control, data protection, availability, and compliance requirements. Changes are tested where appropriate and scheduled to minimise risk and disruption.
• Vulnerability management type: Complies with a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v4.0 or SSAE-18 / ISAE 3402
• Vulnerability management approach: BlackBox Hosting operates a formal vulnerability management process. Potential threats are assessed through continuous monitoring, vulnerability scanning, and risk assessment of infrastructure and services. Identified vulnerabilities are prioritised based on severity, exposure, and impact.; ; Security patches are deployed in line with defined patching schedules, with critical vulnerabilities addressed as a priority and applied as soon as practicable following vendor release and testing. Customers are notified where changes may impact services.; ; Threat intelligence is sourced from vendor security advisories, industry alerts, and trusted security feeds, alongside internal monitoring and security reviews.
• Protective monitoring type: Complies with a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v4.0 or SSAE-18 / ISAE 3402
• Protective monitoring approach: BlackBox Hosting operates continuous protective monitoring across infrastructure, network, and security controls to identify potential compromises. Monitoring includes log analysis, security alerting, anomaly detection, and events from firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems.; ; When a potential compromise is identified, alerts are investigated promptly by security and operations teams. Incidents are assessed, contained, and remediated in line with incident management and escalation procedures.; ; Response times are prioritised by severity, with high-priority security incidents investigated immediately in accordance with agreed service levels.
• Incident management type: Complies with a recognised standard, for example, CSA CCM v4.0 or ISO/IEC 27035:2011 or SSAE-18 / ISAE 3402
• Incident management approach: BlackBox Hosting operates a formal incident management process with predefined procedures for common events. Incidents can be reported by users via email or the online service management portal and are logged, prioritised, and managed in line with agreed service levels.; ; Customers are kept informed throughout incident resolution, and incident reports are provided following significant incidents, including details of impact, root cause, and corrective actions.
• Post-quantum cryptography secure: Yes

Secure development

• Approach to secure software development best practice: Independent review of processes (for example CESG CPA Build Standard, ISO/IEC 27034, ISO/IEC 27001 or CSA CCM v4.0)

Separation between users

• Virtualisation technology used to keep applications and users sharing the same infrastructure apart: Yes
• Who implements virtualisation: Supplier
• Virtualisation technologies used: VMware
• How shared infrastructure is kept separate: Customer environments are logically isolated using dedicated virtual clusters or secure multi-tenant platforms. Separation is enforced through hypervisor-level isolation, resource reservations, and network segmentation using VRFs, VLANs, and security policies. Access controls ensure administrative separation between customer environments. These controls prevent data leakage, performance impact, and unauthorised access between organisations.

Energy efficiency

• Energy-efficient datacentres: Yes
• Description of energy efficient datacentres: Our data centres operate in line with the principles of the EU Code of Conduct for Energy Efficient Data Centres. Facilities use energy-efficient power and cooling design, continuous monitoring, and operational best practices to reduce energy consumption. All data centres operate on carbon-neutral electricity and are supported by certified environmental management systems, with regular review and continual improvement of energy efficiency measures.

Pricing

• Discount for educational organisations: Yes
• Free trial available: Yes
• Description of free trial: BlackBox Hosting offers a one-month trial of the service. The trial includes access to the managed private cloud platform with agreed resources and standard support. The trial excludes bespoke configurations, large-scale migrations, and long-term commitments. The trial is limited to one month and subject to agreed scope.

Discount

• Provide your minimum discount applicable to your baseline prices: 10%

Formula for calculating price of your services

• Formula for calculating price of your services:

  Which of the core deployment models you intend to offer

  Private Cloud

  Private Cloud - Formula for calculating price of your services

  ---

  Total Cost

  The Total Cost for a buyer's call off requirement in a Private Cloud Deployment

  =

  Baseline Pricing

  The total cost for a buyer’s call-off requirement under a Private Cloud deployment is calculated using a simple, transparent pricing sheet based on published baseline prices within the G-Cloud catalogue.

  -

  Minimum Discounting

  10%

  +

  Onboarding Activity

  Onboarding costs may vary based on your specific requirements, please confirm with suppliers during the clarification process

  +

  Additional sources of cost

  In a Private Cloud deployment, additional sources of cost may arise depending on the buyer’s specific requirements and chosen service configuration. All potential costs are clearly defined within the G-Cloud catalogue and no hidden charges apply.; ; One-off onboarding costs may apply for new customers and are charged per virtual machine to cover secure provisioning, configuration, access setup, monitoring, and initial training and support.; ; Contracted service charges may vary based on the number and specification of virtual machines, allocated storage capacity, backup retention tiers, and selected networking or security services. Buyers may also choose optional enhanced services such as additional security controls, advanced backup and recovery options, or increased support coverage, which are priced using published unit rates.; ; Changes to the buyer’s requirements during the contract term, such as scaling the environment up or down, will adjust costs in line with the applicable published prices for the services added or removed.; ; There are no mandatory minimum usage charges, long-term commitments beyond the call-off contract, or charges for routine service management activities. All costs are transparent, auditable, and calculated using the pricing published in the G-Cloud catalogue, enabling buyers to maintain full visibility and control over total expenditure.

  -

  Additional sources of cost reduction

  In a Private Cloud deployment, buyers may benefit from cost reductions depending on how the service is configured and managed during the contract term. All reductions are applied transparently in line with published G-Cloud pricing.; ; Costs may reduce where buyers optimise the number and specification of virtual machines, storage volumes, or optional services to better match actual requirements. Scaling services down reduces charges in accordance with the unit prices published in the G-Cloud catalogue.; ; Overall costs may also reduce as onboarding is charged once and does not recur for the duration of the call-off contract.; ; Buyers can further reduce costs by selecting standard service configurations rather than enhanced optional service tiers, such as advanced security or extended backup retention.; ; Where applicable, consolidation of workloads or decommissioning of unused services may reduce the number of virtual machines required, lowering contracted service charges.; ; There are no minimum usage commitments, termination penalties, or hidden fees. All cost reductions are applied through the buyer’s service selections using transparent catalogue pricing.

  ---

• Total Cost: The Total Cost for a buyer's call off requirement in a Private Cloud Deployment
• Baseline Pricing: The total cost for a buyer’s call-off requirement under a Private Cloud deployment is calculated using a simple, transparent pricing sheet based on published baseline prices within the G-Cloud catalogue.
• Minimum Discounting: 10%
• Onboarding Activity: Onboarding costs may vary based on your specific requirements, please confirm with suppliers during the clarification process
• Additional sources of cost: In a Private Cloud deployment, additional sources of cost may arise depending on the buyer’s specific requirements and chosen service configuration. All potential costs are clearly defined within the G-Cloud catalogue and no hidden charges apply.; ; One-off onboarding costs may apply for new customers and are charged per virtual machine to cover secure provisioning, configuration, access setup, monitoring, and initial training and support.; ; Contracted service charges may vary based on the number and specification of virtual machines, allocated storage capacity, backup retention tiers, and selected networking or security services. Buyers may also choose optional enhanced services such as additional security controls, advanced backup and recovery options, or increased support coverage, which are priced using published unit rates.; ; Changes to the buyer’s requirements during the contract term, such as scaling the environment up or down, will adjust costs in line with the applicable published prices for the services added or removed.; ; There are no mandatory minimum usage charges, long-term commitments beyond the call-off contract, or charges for routine service management activities. All costs are transparent, auditable, and calculated using the pricing published in the G-Cloud catalogue, enabling buyers to maintain full visibility and control over total expenditure.
• Additional sources of cost reduction: In a Private Cloud deployment, buyers may benefit from cost reductions depending on how the service is configured and managed during the contract term. All reductions are applied transparently in line with published G-Cloud pricing.; ; Costs may reduce where buyers optimise the number and specification of virtual machines, storage volumes, or optional services to better match actual requirements. Scaling services down reduces charges in accordance with the unit prices published in the G-Cloud catalogue.; ; Overall costs may also reduce as onboarding is charged once and does not recur for the duration of the call-off contract.; ; Buyers can further reduce costs by selecting standard service configurations rather than enhanced optional service tiers, such as advanced security or extended backup retention.; ; Where applicable, consolidation of workloads or decommissioning of unused services may reduce the number of virtual machines required, lowering contracted service charges.; ; There are no minimum usage commitments, termination penalties, or hidden fees. All cost reductions are applied through the buyer’s service selections using transparent catalogue pricing.

Mandatory certifications

• Mandatory certifications:

  Are you are bidding to offer IaaS and/or PaaS as a reseller or are you in sole control of the infrastructure

  Sole Control of the Infrastructure

  ISO 9001 certification

  Provided

  ISO 14001 certification

  Provided

  ISO 27001 certification

  Provided

  ISO 20000-1 certification

  Provided

  ISO 27017 certification

  Provided

  Are you bidding to provide services under Lot 1b or both Lot 1a and Lot 1b?

  No

Cyber Essentials

• Do you have a Cyber Essentials Plus certificate?: Yes
• Cyber Essentials Plus certificate Number: 90c3b08a-d417-40f6-a459-6379da7ce9c6

Non-mandatory Standards and certifications

• ISO 28000:2022 certification: No
• Quality management systems (QMS): Yes
• CSA STAR certification: Yes
• CSA STAR accreditation date: Friday 5 November 2021
• CSA STAR certification level: Level 2: CSA STAR Attestation
• What the CSA STAR doesn’t cover: All services are covered by our CSA Star Level 2
• PCI certification: No
• Other security certifications: No

Social value

• Section B - Commitment for Future: Delivery:

  • Mission: Kick start economic growth. To secure the highest sustained growth in the G7 - with good jobs and productivity growth in every part of the country making everyone, not just a few, better off.

    Policy Outcome 1: Fair work: That offers fair wages and good working conditions. Help people get a job, stay in work, and progress in their careers, with good employment opportunities across the country. Notes: Where there is a large proportion of labour costs in the contract, commercial teams should consider MAC in Outcome 1 as a priority

    • New or retained jobs on the contract workforce in the relevant area that meet the criteria set out in MAC 1b, 1c and 1d
    • New apprenticeships on the contract workforce in the relevant area that meet the criteria set out in MAC 1b
    • Providing opportunities for, and measuring and monitoring of, staff workforce conditions over time, including employee engagement, involvement in decision-making and satisfaction and adapting to any changes in the results, with clear processes for acting on issues identified
    • Plans to engage the contract workforce in deciding the most important workplace issues to address
    • Ensuring new workers are informed of their right to join a trade union
    • Monitoring of employee engagement rates (by protected characteristic) and, where necessary, the development of actions to ensure all voices are heard across the diversity of the workforce
    • Employment contracts that reflect actual hours worked; steps taken to ensure employees understand their contracts and have the ability to review and adjust them if actual hours regularly exceed contracted hours
    • Activities that support an environment where staff are educated about, and feel empowered to, address their physical wellbeing
    • Activities that support an environment where staff are educated about and feel empowered to report and address bullying and harassment
    • Activities to cascade good practice on fair working conditions throughout the supply chain
    • Offer a pay and leave entitlement to all eligible staff who become kinship carers, ideally equivalent to statutory adoption pay and leave
    • Payment of more than the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage (as appropriate) to the contract workforce
    • Monitoring and reporting of gender and ethnicity pay gaps and plans to address them where necessary
    • Entitlement to sick pay for the contract workforce, with provision in place for any staff who do not meet the earnings threshold for statutory sick pay, payment of sick pay from day one of absence and payment of staff on the contract workforce who are off sick a replacement income of 100% of their usual earnings for as long as possible
    • Plans for an appropriate income replacement policy for staff who are required to spend time away from work to care for a sick dependent or close relative
    • Understanding of in-work progression issues affecting the market, industry or sector relevant to the contract, and in the supplier’s own organisation and those of its key sub-contractors
    • Measures to support in-work progression to help people in the contract workforce, to move into higher paid work by developing new skills relevant to the contract
    • Support for the contract workforce by providing career advice, and providing opportunities for staff working on the contract with in-work progression career development into known skills shortages or high growth areas
    • Support for educational attainment relevant to the contract, including training schemes that address skills gaps and result in recognised qualifications
    • Volunteering opportunities for staff
    • Understanding of the modern slavery risks and issues affecting the market, industry, sector or country (of origin or of source) relevant to the contract, and the workforce in the supplier’s own organisation and those of its key subcontractors
    • Measures to identify, mitigate and manage modern slavery risks relating to the contract and how these will be implemented
    • Outline policies and practices to be applied to or put in place for the contract to mitigate and manage modern slavery risks, including: Pre-employment checks, recruitment practices. Workplace conditions, safeguarding plans and processes in place and regular monitoring with relevant groups considered, which may include sampling
    • How these flow down the supply chain and are monitored Illustrative examples include reporting, site visits, audits, etc.
    • How to ensure business decisions re: price/cost, short lead times, payment timescales do not create modern slavery risks in the supply chain
    • How the supplier will work with NGOs, trade unions or other businesses to address modern slavery risk
    • Means of influencing staff, suppliers, customers, communities and/or any other appropriate stakeholders with respect to modern slavery risks relating to the contract

  • Mission: Kick start economic growth. To secure the highest sustained growth in the G7 - with good jobs and productivity growth in every part of the country making everyone, not just a few, better off.

    Policy Outcome 2: Skills for growth: Supporting growth sectors and addressing skills gaps.

    • Understanding of employment and relevant skills issues, and of the education and training issues relating to the contract. Illustrative examples: demographics, skills shortages, new opportunities in high growth sectors, geographic/local community and skills/employment challenges
    • Support for educational attainment relevant to the contract, including training schemes that address skills gaps and result in recognised qualifications
    • Activities to support relevant sector related skills growth and sustainability in the contract workforce. Illustrative examples: careers talks, curriculum support, literacy support, safety talks and volunteering
    • Delivery of apprenticeships, supported internships and T Level industry placement opportunities (Level 2, 3 and 4+) in relation to the contract

  • Mission: Kick start economic growth. To secure the highest sustained growth in the G7 - with good jobs and productivity growth in every part of the country making everyone, not just a few, better off.

    Policy Outcome 3: Resilient, innovative and flexible supply chains: Support economic growth through enabling resilient businesses, opportunities for small businesses and voluntary, community and social enterprises

    • Understanding of the types of businesses in the market and the level of participation by new businesses, entrepreneurs, start-ups, SMEs, VCSEs and mutuals
    • Activities to identify opportunities to open up sub-contracts under the prime contract to a diverse range of businesses, including new businesses, entrepreneurs, start-ups, SMEs, VCSEs and mutuals
    • Plans for engaging a diverse range of businesses in engagement activities prior to appointing subcontractors (including activities prior to award of the main contract and during the contract term)
    • Activities that demonstrate a collaborative way to work with a diverse range of businesses as part of the supply chain
    • Advertising of supply chain opportunities openly and to ensure they are accessible to a diverse range of businesses, including advertising all subcontracting opportunities on Contracts Finder
    • Ensuring accessibility to contracting and subcontracting opportunities for disabled business owners and employees
    • Structuring of the supply chain selection process to ensure fairness (e.g. anti-corruption) and encourages participation by a diverse range of businesses, including with regard to new businesses, entrepreneurs, start-ups, SMEs, VCSEs and mutual
    • Understanding of local demographics, needs and opportunities for the co-design of the goods, services and works to be delivered under the contract
    • Methods for engaging with different parts of the community (including the education system and charities representing the community) and how communities come together to inform decisions, strategy and projects to leave a positive legacy for future generations
    • Measures to involve local stakeholders and/or users in design (e.g. in the design of services, systems, products or buildings)
    • Plans for positive actions with community groups.
    • Measures for making facilities used in the delivery of the contract available for community groups, education or training
    • Measures to engage users and communities and build relationships to increase community integration build trust and influence how the contract is delivered
    • Plans to respond flexibly and adapt approaches to community engagement and initiatives
    • Support for community-led initiatives relevant to the contract. Illustrative examples: improving transport links; reducing loneliness; helping with English language proficiency; and facilitating social mixing among people with different backgrounds
    • Collaborating with anchor institutions and community groups to make facilities available for education, training or community events

  • Mission: Make Britain a clean energy superpower: To cut bills, create jobs and deliver security with cheaper, zero-carbon electricity by 2030, accelerating to net zero

    Policy Outcome 4: Sustainable procurement practices: Reducing carbon footprints, minimising waste, and promoting the use of clean energy and green technologies.

    • Understanding of opportunities for additional environmental benefits delivery in the performance of the contract, including working towards net zero carbon emissions and use of clean energy and green technologies
    • Collaborative ways of working with the supply chain to deliver additional environmental benefits in the performance of the contract, including working towards net zero carbon emissions and use of clean energy and green technologies
    • Delivery of additional environmental benefits through the performance of the contract, including working towards net zero carbon emissions and use of clean energy and green technologies
    • Understanding of how to influence staff, suppliers, customers, communities and/or any other appropriate stakeholders through the delivery of the contract to support climate and nature protection and improvement
    • Activities to reconnect people with the environment and increase awareness of ways to protect and enhance it

  • Mission: Break down barriers to opportunity: By reforming our childcare and education systems, to make sure there is no class ceiling on the ambitions of young people in Britain

    Policy Outcome 6: Employment and training: For those who face barriers to employment

    • Understanding of employment and skills issues, and of the skills and employment shortages of high growth sectors relating to the contract
    • Creation of employment opportunities particularly for those who face barriers to employment, such as prison leavers, care leavers and/or who are located in deprived areas, and for people in industries with known skills shortages or in high growth sectors
    • Delivery of training schemes and programmes to address any identified skills gaps and under-representation in the workforce for the contract (e.g. prison leavers, care leavers, kinship carers, disabled people)
    • Advertising, promotional and outreach activities designed to raise awareness of the offer to reach the target cohort
    • Understanding of the issues affecting the representation of disabled people in the workforce in the market, industry or sector relevant to the contract, and in the supplier’s own organisation and those of its key sub-contractors
    • Collection of the views and expertise of disabled people and their representative organisations on successfully supporting disabled employees or applicants
    • Inclusive and accessible recruitment practices, and retention-focused activities, including those provided in the Guide for line managers on recruiting, managing and developing people with a disability or health condition
    • Introducing transparency to pay and reward processes
    • Offering a range of quality opportunities with routes of progression if appropriate, e.g. T Level industry placements, students supported into higher level apprenticeships.
    • Working conditions which promote an inclusive working environment and promote retention and progression
    • Other measures to provide equality of opportunity for disabled people and those with health conditions into employment, including becoming a Disability Confident employer and inclusion of supported businesses in the contract supply chain
    • Understanding of the issues affecting inequality in employment, skills and pay in the market, industry or sector relevant to the contract, and in the supplier’s own organisation and those of its key sub-contractors. Measures to tackle inequality in employment, skills and pay in the contract workforce
    • Inclusive and accessible development practices, including guidance for line managers on recruiting, managing and developing people with a disability or health condition

  • Mission: Break down barriers to opportunity: By reforming our childcare and education systems, to make sure there is no class ceiling on the ambitions of young people in Britain

    Policy Outcome 7: Creating a pipeline of opportunities: For the contract workforce, reducing barriers to entry for under-represented groups.

    • Understanding of the issues affecting the development of new skills by target cohort
    • Understanding of the underlying factors affecting improvements to reduce barriers to entry and training schemes for the target cohort(s) related to the contract workforce
    • Other measures to offer development opportunities for the target cohort(s) in the contract workforce
    • Advertising, promotional and outreach activities designed to raise awareness of the offer to reach the target cohort
    • Understanding of issues relating to entering the contract workforce
    • Creation of outreach activities to create a pipeline of employees for the future contract delivery
    • Content of the outreach activity is designed to suit the target cohort
    • Advertising, promotional and outreach activities designed to raise awareness of the offer to reach the target cohort

  • Mission: Build an NHS fit for the future: That is there when people need it; with fewer lives lost to the biggest killers; in a fairer Britain, where everyone lives well for longer.

    Policy Outcome 8: Increasing productivity through physical and mental wellbeing: In the supply chain and communities in the relevant area.

    • Understanding of issues relating to health and wellbeing, including physical and mental health, in the contract workforce
    • Understanding barriers to access to health and social care services or employment opportunities e.g. digital inclusion
    • Inclusive and accessible recruitment practices, development practices and retention policies that support-focused activities including those provided in the Guide for line managers on recruiting, managing and developing which support people with a disability or health condition
    • Actions to invest in the physical and mental health and wellbeing of the contract workforce

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

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