CST328 Local Government Reorganisation Strategic Delivery Partnership

Derbyshire County Council, acting as Lead Contracting Authority on behalf of the participating Derby and Derbyshire authorities, is seeking to appoint a Strategic Delivery Partner to provide programme leadership, implementation support, specialist expertise, independent assurance and additional delivery capacity to support the implementation of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) across Derbyshire. Following the Ministerial decision of 16 July 2026, Derbyshire will transition to two new unitary authorities. The Northern Derbyshire Unitary Authority will comprise Bolsover District Council, Chesterfield Borough Council, Derbyshire Dales District Council, High Peak Borough Council, North East Derbyshire District Council and 21 parishes from Amber Valley Borough Council. The Southern Derbyshire Unitary Authority will comprise Derby City Council, Erewash Borough Council, South Derbyshire District Council and 14 parishes from Amber Valley Borough Council. The successful Supplier will provide programme leadership, implementation support, specialist expertise, independent assurance and additional delivery capacity from mobilisation through to Vesting Day and, where required, a post-vesting stabilisation period. Working alongside elected members, officers and programme leads, the Supplier will support the safe, effective and legally compliant transition to future arrangements, ensuring strong governance, risk management, service continuity and delivery of programme outcomes. The Supplier will operate within an Intelligent Client model, providing expert advice, challenge and delivery support without assuming statutory responsibilities or decision-making functions. The contract will support all programme phases, including:

• Phase 1 - Mobilisation and Transition Planning
• Phase 2 - Design and Development
• Phase 3 - Implementation
• Phase 4 - Vesting Day Readiness and Delivery
• Phase 5 - Post-Vesting Stabilisation and Transformation

Support will be required across a range of specialist themes, including programme management, finance, HR and workforce, legal and governance, ICT and digital, customer and service transformation, communications and engagement, organisational design, change management, procurement and commercial, assets and property, data and insight, and programme assurance. Suppliers must demonstrate significant experience of complex public sector transformation and reorganisation, strong programme management capability, access to specialist resources, and the ability to mobilise rapidly within a complex multi-authority environment.