Ends in 7 days
Urgent Award for Personal Health Budget Direct Payment Support Service
NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board · East of England · 1-year contract
Held by Purple Direct Payment Support Service Trading name of Purple Zest Limited
Direct payments payroll tenders and contracts
UK public sector, covering 600+ buyer sites
476 direct payments payroll tenders and contracts, 88 this year.
Updated 4 November 2026 · compiled by BidSkim Limited · How we count
- Awarded a month£620k
- Contracts a month1.5
- Won by SMEs83%
- Renewing in 6 months10
- Frameworks and DPSs7
- Live now6See them →
Direct payments payroll contracts
Tap a region to see its contracts. Pick as many as you like.
37 contracts across the UK, of any size
Live now
6 direct payments payroll opportunities are open now
- OpenCloses in 3 weeksDirect Payment Support ServiceCumberland Council · North WestEst.£264k
- Pre-market20 Oct 2026A028PA Direct Payment Support ServicesEssex County Council · East of England
- Pre-market5 Oct 2026Direct Payment Support ServiceNewcastle City Council · North EastEst.£662k
- Pre-market30 Sep 20262026 Social Care - Aberdeenshire Self Directed Support ServicesAberdeenshire Council · ScotlandEst.£2m
- Awarded28 Oct 2026Brokerage - Targeted Short Breaks for ChildrenCheshire West and Chester Council · North WestWon by Disability Positive
- Awarded7 Sep 2026Personal Assistant (PA) Workforce PathwaySheffield City Council · Yorkshire and the HumberWon by Embrace Wigan & Leigh£93k
- Awarded21 Jul 2026Direct Payment Support ServicePeterborough City Council · East of EnglandWon by Peterborough Council for Voluntary Service£1.8m
- Awarded11 Jun 2026AC2309 Employer Liability InsuranceWiltshire Council · South WestWon by Mark Bates Ltd£117k
- Awarded8 Jun 2026Preliminary Market Engagement - All-Age Direct Payment Support ServiceSwindon Borough Council · South WestWon by People Places Lives£1.4m
- Awarded1 May 2026Provision of Direct Payments Support Service for Hammersmith & FulhamLondon Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham · LondonWon by Action on Disability£848k
- Awarded1 Apr 2026North West London Personal Health Budget Support ServiceNHS North West London ICB · LondonWon by People Places Lives£790k
- Awarded25 Mar 2026ASC25078 Direct Payment Support Service - Market EngagementWorcestershire County Council · West MidlandsWon by Ideal for All Limited£578k
- Awarded16 Mar 2026The Provision of a Short Breaks PA Recruitment ServiceHalton Borough Council · North WestWon by Positive Future Consultancy Limited£33k
- Awarded13 Mar 2026PA072 - Direct Payment Workforce Recruitment and Development ServiceWigan Council · North WestWon by Embrace Wigan & Leigh£114k
- Awarded5 Mar 2026Direct PaymentsCheshire West and Chester Council · North WestWon by Barrie Bookkeeping & Payroll Solutions£1.6m
- Awarded13 Feb 2026Direct Payment Support Services (AACC)NHS Surrey and Sussex Integrated Care Board · South EastWon by Independent Lives£303k
- Awarded4 Feb 2026Direct Payments Support service (Children's)Bath & North East Somerset Council · South WestWon by Wecil Ltd£44k
- Awarded2 Feb 2026Direct Payments Support & Payroll ServiceLondon Borough of Bromley · LondonWon by Disability Direct and 1 more£564k
- Awarded12 Jan 2026Support Services for Direct PaymentsLondon Borough of Bexley · LondonWon by BVSC£433k
- Awarded20 Oct 2025Direct Payment Support ServicePeterborough City Council · East of EnglandWon by Peterborough Council for Voluntary Service£121k
- Awarded15 Oct 2025Direct Payment Support ServicesWest Sussex County Council · South EastWon by Independent Lives£2.4m
- Awarded5 Sep 2025Direct Payment - Payroll ServicePlymouth City Council · South WestWon by Enham Trust£151k
- Awarded22 Aug 2025The Provision of an All Age Direct Payment Support ServiceSefton Council · North WestWon by Sefton Carers Centre£2.1m
- Awarded6 Aug 2025AC2231 - Self Directed SupportWiltshire Council · South WestWon by Independent Lives£964k
- Awarded1 Aug 2025Self Employed Personal Assistants Support NetworkLondon Borough of Hackney · LondonWon by Personal Assistants At Home
- Awarded17 Jul 2025Provision of a Self-Directed Support (SDS) Independent Information and Advice ServiceNorth Ayrshire Council · ScotlandWon by Ayrshire Independent Living Network£750k
- Awarded16 Jul 2025Provision of a Direct Payments payroll and managed accounts support serviceBridgend County Borough Council · WalesWon by Paypacket Ltd£582k
- Awarded2 Jun 2025Direct Payment ServicesLondon Borough of Croydon · LondonWon by Kingston Centre for Independent Living£2.3m
- Awarded25 Mar 2025Provision of a Payroll, Managed Accounts & Employment Support Service through Direct Payments & Personal BudgetsMiddlesbrough Council · North EastWon by Penderels Trust Limited£844k
- Awarded12 Mar 2025CS0422FOP Framework of Providers - Specialist Services for Disabled Children Young People and their FamiliesDerbyshire County Council · East MidlandsWon by Muve Homecare and 7 more
- Awarded12 Mar 2025Direct Payment Support Services in CumberlandCumberland Council · North WestWon by People First Independent Advocacy£276k
- Awarded27 Feb 2025Direct Payment Support ServicesWestmorland and Furness Council · North WestWon by People First Independent Advocacy£132k
- Awarded14 Feb 2025Direct Payment Support Services for the London Borough of EnfieldLondon Borough of Enfield · LondonWon by Care in Finance Ltd£498k
- Awarded11 Feb 202522119 Direct Payment Support ServicesCambridgeshire County Council · East of EnglandWon by Purple Zest£398k
- Open to joinApply by 12 Nov 2026East Midlands framework
- Open to joinApply by 1 Dec 2026East of England DPS
Where to bid
Where direct payments payroll tenders are run
The Chest5 33%
ProContract3 20%
East Midlands Tenders2 13%- Capital eSourcing1 7%
In-Tend1 7%- Other portals (3)3 20%
Tenders published in the last year that name the bid portal they run on.
Frameworks and DPS
7 frameworks and DPSs for direct payments payroll work are running. 2 are open to join now.
Independent Lives won the most direct payments payroll contracts by value
Each dot is one contract, coloured by who bought it.
CouncilsNHS and health
| Rank | Contractor | Contracts won, by buyer | Contracts | Value won | Buyers | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1joint | Independent Lives South East · SME · See every contract | 3 | £3.7m | 3 | ||
| 1joint | Disability Direct North West · SME · See every contract | 3 | £1.1m | 3 | ||
| 3joint | People Places Lives London · SME · See every contract | 2 | £2.2m | 2 | ||
| 3joint | Barrie Bookkeeping & Payroll Solutions North West · SME · 1 framework place · See every contract | 2 | £2.1m | 2 | ||
| 3joint | Peterborough Council for Voluntary Service East of England · See every contract | 2 | £1.9m | 1 | ||
| 3joint | People First Independent Advocacy North West · SME · See every contract | 2 | £408k | 2 | ||
| 3joint | Embrace Wigan & Leigh North West · SME · See every contract | 2 | £207k | 2 | ||
| 8joint | Kingston Centre for Independent Living London · See every contract | 1 | £2.3m | 1 | ||
| 8joint | Sefton Carers Centre North West · SME · See every contract | 1 | £2.1m | 1 | ||
| 8joint | PeoplePlus South East · 1 framework place · See every contract | 1 | £1.5m | 1 |
26 more direct payments payroll contractors ranked. See the full ranking →
Win direct payments payroll contracts? Share your ranking.
Who buys
Councils award 86% of direct payments payroll contracts
Contracts with a published value in the last 2 years, from the type of buyer to the size of the contract.
3 buyers bought direct payments payroll more than once in the last 2 years
Each dot is a buyer, by how many direct payments payroll contracts it awarded in the last 2 years.
See who they are and when they usually buy →
Few and big, or many and small
Each dot is a buyer: how many direct payments payroll contracts it awarded against what they were worth. The busiest and biggest are named.
CouncilsNHS and health
Top buyers by contracts awarded
| Rank | Buyer | Contracts | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peterborough City Council | 2 | £1.9m |
| 2 | Cheshire West and Chester Council | 2 | £1.6m |
| 3 | Wiltshire Council | 2 | £1.1m |
| 4 | West Sussex County Council | 1 | £2.4m |
| 5 | London Borough of Croydon | 1 | £2.3m |
| 6 | Sefton Council | 1 | £2.1m |
| 7 | The City of Edinburgh Council | 1 | £1.6m |
| 8 | Kent County Council | 1 | £1.5m |
| 9 | Swindon Borough Council | 1 | £1.4m |
| 10 | London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham | 1 | £848k |
139 direct payments payroll contracts awarded since 2021
- 172021
- 392022
- 232023
- 292024
- 162025
- 152026 so far
Prices
Half of direct payments payroll contracts are worth less than £474k
CouncilsNHS and health
The 10 biggest direct payments payroll contracts
- West Sussex County CouncilIndependent Lives · 15 Oct 2025
- London Borough of CroydonKingston Centre for Independent Living · 2 Jun 2025
- Sefton CouncilSefton Carers Centre · 22 Aug 2025
- Peterborough City CouncilPeterborough Council for Voluntary Service · 21 Jul 2026
- Cheshire West and Chester CouncilBarrie Bookkeeping & Payroll Solutions · 5 Mar 2026
- The City of Edinburgh CouncilLothian Centre for Inclusive Living · 22 Jan 2025
- Kent County CouncilPeoplePlus · 25 Nov 2024
- Swindon Borough CouncilPeople Places Lives · 8 Jun 2026
- Wiltshire CouncilIndependent Lives · 6 Aug 2025
- London Borough of Hammersmith and FulhamAction on Disability · 1 May 2026
Renewing contracts
13 direct payments payroll contracts come up for renewal in the next 12 months
10 in the next 6 months. The 3 ending soonest are shown in full.
Ends Mar 2027
Direct Payment Support Services in Cumberland
Cumberland Council · North West · 1-year contract
Held by People First Independent Advocacy
Ends Mar 2027
Direct Payment Support Services for the London Borough of Enfield
London Borough of Enfield · London · 26-month contract
Held by Care in Finance Ltd
Direct payments payroll contract for a councilNorth EastUnder £100kEnds Mar 2027
Direct payments payroll contract for a councilLondon£100k to £1mEnds Mar 2027
Direct payments payroll contract for a councilLondonUnder £100kEnds Mar 2027
Direct payments payroll contract for a councilLondon£100k to £1mEnds Mar 2027
Direct payments payroll contract for a councilSouth WestUnder £100kEnds Mar 2027
Direct payments payroll contract for a councilNorth WestUnder £100kEnds Mar 2027
Where and when
The North West awards the most direct payments payroll contracts. February and March are the busiest months.
Contracts by region and by month awarded. Click a region to filter the page.
FewerMore contracts
The regions as a table
| Region | Open now | Contracts | Value | Typical contract | Won the most | Bought the most | Renewing in 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North West | 1 | 9 | £5.1m | £337k | Disability Direct and People First Independent Advocacy (2 each) | Cheshire West and Chester Council (2) | 2 |
| London | 0 | 7 | £5.4m | £677k | – | – | 5 |
| South West | 0 | 5 | £2.7m | £151k | – | Wiltshire Council (2) | 1 |
| East of England | 1 | 4 | £2.3m | £259k | Peterborough Council for Voluntary Service (2) | Peterborough City Council (2) | 1 |
| South East | 0 | 3 | £4.3m | £1.5m | Independent Lives (2) | – | 1 |
| Scotland | 1 | 3 | £2.7m | £750k | – | – | 0 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 0 | 2 | £543k | – | – | – | 0 |
| North East | 1 | 1 | £844k | – | – | – | 1 |
| East Midlands | 0 | 1 | Not published | – | – | – | 1 |
| West Midlands | 0 | 1 | £578k | – | – | – | 1 |
| Wales | 0 | 1 | £582k | – | – | – | 0 |
| Northern Ireland | 0 | 0 | Not published | – | – | – | 0 |
Often bought with direct payments payroll
Related services
Key findings
- £620k a month
of direct payments payroll contracts awarded.
Typical contract £498k x 1.3 contracts a month, last 12 months. - 1.5
direct payments payroll contracts are awarded in a typical month.
37 contracts in the last 2 years. - 10
direct payments payroll contracts come up for renewal in the next 6 months.
Recurring contracts with a named supplier and a published end date before 5 May 2027. - 7
frameworks and DPSs are running for direct payments payroll work.
2 open to join now. - 83%
of direct payments payroll contracts are won by SMEs.
As recorded by the buyer, on 29 award notices.
How many direct payments payroll tenders and contracts are there?
| Last 12 months | Since November 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| Notices published | 88 | 476 |
| Contracts awarded | 15 | 125 |
22 direct payments payroll contracts and frameworks end in the next 12 months, 21 of them recurring services. In the last two years, 34 buyers awarded direct payments payroll contracts to 36 suppliers.
Source: Find a Tender, Contracts Finder, Public Contracts Scotland, Sell2Wales and eTendersNI, to 4 November 2026. By Seamus White. How we count
Questions
How many direct payments payroll contracts does the UK public sector award?
37 in the 2 years to 4 November 2026, from 34 public buyers.
How long are direct payments payroll tenders open for?
The median direct payments payroll tender is open for 30 days from publication to deadline.
How much is a typical public sector direct payments payroll contract worth?
The median is £474k, and 26% are worth less than £250k.
Which buyers award the most direct payments payroll contracts?
Councils award 86% of them.
Which part of the UK awards the most direct payments payroll contracts?
The North West: 9 of 37 in the 2 years to 4 November 2026, then London (7) and the South West (5).
How many direct payments payroll contracts come up for renewal in the next 12 months?
13 contracts end and are likely to be re-let, the first on 12 November 2026. Another 1 ending is one-off work.
Are there frameworks or DPSs for direct payments payroll work that are open to join?
7 frameworks and DPSs for direct payments payroll work are running. 2 are open to join now.
What is included
Support for people who take direct payments, personal budgets or personal health budgets: information and advice, payroll and managed accounts, third-party management, audit support, personal assistant recruitment and employer insurance, and independent brokerage, support planning and individual service fund management.
- Direct payment advice and support
- Payroll and managed accounts
- Third-party and authorised person management
- Personal assistant recruitment and employment support and PA registers
- Employer liability insurance for personal assistants
- Support to manage personal health budget direct payments and audit trails
- Independent personal health budget brokerage and coordination
- Individual service fund management
- Support planning
What is not included
- Direct payment prepaid cards (see Bill payment services)
- Appointeeship and deputyship money management (see Appointeeship and deputyship services)
- Brokerage software and portals (see Care brokerage and commissioning platform)
- Outsourced Care Act assessments and reviews (see Care act assessments)
- Personal assistants or care workers supplied as agency staff (another industry: recruitment-hr)