Rural Growth Deal (RGD) Business Skills and Leadership Programme

Highlands and Islands Enterprise

Published: Jul 28, 2026

Updated: Jul 29, 2026

Source: uk_fts

This tender has been awarded

Awarded to Skillfluence Limited — £474,000

Browse open Rural Development tenders in United Kingdom

About This Opportunity

This is a grants contract in the rural development, education and training and finance and banking sectors, with a focus on Public Finance. Located in United Kingdom, Europe, this opportunity is open to firms and consortiums.

Published through UK FTS - Find a Tender Service, a national government procurement portal. Public procurement tenders follow the country's national bidding regulations and may have specific eligibility and documentation requirements for grants in the rural development sector. Grant applications generally require a detailed project proposal, a clear results framework, and evidence of the applicant's capacity to deliver the proposed activities. This contract has already been awarded. The information is published for transparency and market intelligence purposes.

Description

THIS IS A CONTRACT AWARD NOTICE AND AS SUCH THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS IS COMPLETE. The supplier will deliver a Business Skills and Leadership Programme specifically for Argyll and Bute Council area. This programme is fully funded by the Argyll and Bute Rural Growth Deal (RGD) and will be available to participants within this geographic area. The programme will consist of 3 strands. 1 Young and Emerging Leaders Programme; 2. Leadership for Growth/Strategic Leadership Programme and 3. Mentoring Programme. Strands 1 and 2 will be delivered to cohort of participants through a series of modules, delivered via workshops. Delivery will be a hybrid model i.e, a blend of on-line and face-to-face delivery. The mentoring programme will be mainly online apart from the first session that must be face-to-face. The contract will be let from 27 July 2026 for 3 years unless terminated in accordance with the provisions of the Contract, with HIE having the option to extend for two periods of one year each (3+1+1) together not exceeding 5 years following the Initial Term. The value used in II.1.7 and V.2.4 is the estimated total budget figure available over the maximum duration of 3 + 1 + 1 years (GBP 474,000). This figure includes provision for annual price increases, including the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Real Living Wage uplifts, from Year 3 onwards. It also incorporates an allowance to account for variations between initial estimates and actual costs for travel, accommodation, and conference venue hire. The successful bidder price for the initial 3 years is GBP 249,900 - Within this figure there are estimated figures of: - GBP 18,000 (conference venue hire, accommodation for participants for strands 1 and 2); - GBP 4,500 (travel and accommodation for mentors for first in persons session); - GBP 6,000 (travel and accommodation for island-based programme delivery)

Data provenance

This notice is sourced from UK FTS - Find a Tender Service and was originally published on July 28, 2026. Last refreshed today. Reference: 071135-2026. BidsFactory mirrors official procurement notices and links back to the source for full legal text.

About Highlands and Islands Enterprise

Highlands and Islands Enterprise has issued 160 procurement notices on BidsFactory, including 31 currently open and 82 awarded contracts. Activity concentrates in General Supplies & Services, Research & Innovation, and Audit, Accounting & Risk. All notices are published for United Kingdom. Notices are distributed via Public Contracts Scotland and UK FTS - Find a Tender Service. Most recent publication: July 28, 2026.

Frequently asked questions about this tender

How can I submit a bid?

Visit UK FTS - Find a Tender Service to access the full notice, required documents, and submission instructions. Quote reference 071135-2026 when communicating with the contracting authority.

Is this tender still open?

No — the contract has already been awarded to Skillfluence Limited. The award notice is archived on BidsFactory for transparency and market intelligence.

Who is the contracting authority?

This notice was issued by Highlands and Islands Enterprise in United Kingdom. The authority is responsible for evaluating bids, awarding the contract, and managing performance.

What type of contract is this?

This is a Grants contract in the Rural Development sector. The classification helps bidders match the opportunity to their qualifications and registered scope of supply.

How much was the contract awarded for?

Skillfluence Limited was awarded the contract for £474,000. The figure reflects the value disclosed by the contracting authority in the award notice.

Where will the contract be performed?

The contract is for delivery in United Kingdom. Foreign bidders should review local registration, taxation, and any in-country presence requirements before submitting.