DCWW 2015 - Recruitment Services Procurement

What the buyer is asking for

Dŵr Cymru Cyfyngedig, trading as Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water (DCC), is seeking to establish a Hybrid Managed Service Provider (MSP) Recruitment Framework to support its in-house recruitment function with the provision of temporary, interim, fixed-term contract (FTC) and permanent recruitment services across a range of specialist disciplines. DCC currently operates a combination of in-house direct recruitment and recruitment agency support. The purpose of this procurement is to introduce a Hybrid MSP model that will provide DCC with greater control, visibility and consistency across its external recruitment activity, while retaining access to specialist recruitment expertise where required. The Framework is intended to support enhanced value for money, improved management information and expenditure visibility, robust compliance management, effective management of IR35 and payroll requirements, and a streamlined recruitment and workforce management process. Under the Hybrid MSP model, DCC will retain its in-house recruitment function and overall governance and oversight of its recruitment requirements, while outsourcing defined recruitment and workforce management activities to MSP Suppliers appointed to the Framework. There will be no single lead MSP across the Framework. Instead, MSP Suppliers will be appointed to individual Lots according to their relevant specialist recruitment capability. For requirements referred to the Framework, the relevant MSP Supplier will be responsible, as applicable, for candidate attraction, sourcing, screening and presentation; onboarding and pre-employment compliance activities; operational management of IR35 and other applicable tax and employment compliance requirements; payroll and bill-pay administration; workforce administration; and the provision of management information, expenditure reporting and associated workforce management services. DCC will retain overall oversight of these activities, responsibility for its recruitment strategy and final candidate selection and appointment decisions, and responsibility for monitoring and managing MSP Supplier performance against the Service Levels, KPIs and other requirements established under the Framework. Permanent and FTC recruitment requirements will ordinarily be managed through DCC’s in-house recruitment function in the first instance. Where internal sourcing routes have been exhausted, or where a requirement is particularly specialist, difficult to fill or time-critical, DCC may release the requirement to MSP Suppliers appointed to the relevant Lot. Temporary and interim recruitment requirements may be released to the MSP Suppliers appointed to the relevant Lot according to the nature and specialist requirements of the role. Where more than one MSP Supplier is appointed to a Lot, requirements may be released to capable Suppliers in accordance with the allocation methodology established under the Framework. MSP Suppliers will be responsible for identifying and presenting suitably qualified candidates who meet DCC’s requirements. The Framework is intended to cover the following worker categories: • Temporary Agency Workers – agency workers engaged on a temporary basis, typically paid hourly, to support requirements such as sickness cover, operational demand or specific projects. • Interim Workers – contractors or freelance workers, typically paid on a daily-rate basis, engaged temporarily to support specific business requirements. • Fixed-Term Contract Employees – individuals employed and paid directly by DCC for a defined contractual period, with MSP Suppliers providing candidate-finding services where required. • Permanent Employees – individuals employed and paid directly by DCC on an ongoing basis, with MSP Suppliers providing candidate-finding services where required. The requirement is divided into seven Lots, defined by recruitment specialism. DCC intends to appoint up to three MSP Suppliers to each Lot, providing resilience, competition and access to a broader candidate market. Suppliers may tender for one Lot, any combination of Lots, or all seven Lots, subject to demonstrating that they have the capability and capacity to meet the requirements of each Lot for which they tender. The Lot structure reflects the breadth of general business and specialist recruitment requirements across DCC and is intended to ensure that recruitment requirements are supported by Suppliers with the appropriate market knowledge, capability and access to suitable candidates. The commercial arrangements applicable to MSP Suppliers, including recruitment fees, agency mark-ups, MSP management charges and any other relevant charges, will be defined at the ITT stage.

How this is scored

Published by the buyer. A winning response is written to these weightings, not to the question.

• qualityHighest compliant technical assessment score with per-Lot ranked shortlisting

7 lots

You can usually bid for one lot without bidding for all of them.

• Customer Service£20m

  This lot contains omni-channel customer service roles such as Customer Service Advisors, Vulnerable Customer Advisors, Complaint Handlers, Debt Advisors, Receptionists, IT Service Desk Analysts and Social Media Advisors.

• Scientific£20m

  This lot contains roles such as Sampling Technicians, Process Scientists, Water Quality Scientists, Microbiology Analysts, and laboratory personnel such as Technicians, Analysts and Team Leaders.

• Professional & Finance£20m

  This lot contains professional and finance roles such as Accountants, Finance Professionals, Financial Analysts, Management Accountants, Procurement Specialists, Planning and Forecasting roles, Service Delivery Specialists, Quantity Surveyors, and HR & Legal Professionals.

• Technical & Operations£20m

  This lot contains roles such as Industrial Electricians, Mechanical Fitters, Instrumentation and Automation Technicians, Process Operators, Tanker Drivers, HGV Technicians, and Clean and Wastewater Network Inspectors.

• Engineers£20m

  This lot contains roles such as Civil, Process, Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, as well as Design Technicians.

• IT & Data£20m

  This lot contains roles such as Data Scientists, Cyber Security Specialists, SAP Specialists, Technical Delivery Leads, Database Developers and Analysts, Desktop Engineers, Desktop Applications Support, Network and Telecommunications Engineers, Technical Architects, Solution Architects and Enterprise Architects.

• Retail, Catering & Activities£20m

  This lot contains roles such as Café and Catering Staff, Chefs, Retail Assistants, Activity Instructors, Rangers, and other leisure and activity-based roles.

How contested is this?

Buyers publish how many bids they received. Across 54 comparable procurements we can tell you the typical field size, how often one of these goes uncontested, and whether the buyer awards on price or on quality.

Timeline

4 published dates · Europe/London

1. Tender notice published17 days ago

   4 Sept 2026, 17:07 BST
2. Clarification questions byin 4 days

   25 Sept 2026, 14:00 BST
3. Submission deadlinein 18 days

   9 Oct 2026, 14:00 BST
4. Award decision expected byin 137 days

   5 Feb 2027, 23:59 GMT

Commercial outcome and contract awards

Nothing awarded yet

Notice history

2 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender

1. Tender notice4 Sept 2026, 17:05 BST084119-2026
2. Tender updated4 Sept 2026, 17:07 BST084120-2026

Documents

• Tender notice on Find a Tender