Household Support Fund 2 (HSF2) in the County of Northamptonshire is in place, via the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to provide households, within the region, financial support to mitigate increases in the cost-of-living. The DWP stipulate how each Unitary must distribute the funds within a range of household categories i.e., families with children, pensioners and households evidencing severe financial hardship.

The main purpose of the EOI is to identify organisations that are capable of managing the 3rd category 'households evidencing financial hardship'.

In order to meet the needs of households who are in severe financial hardship, especially regarding food and energy costs, we are looking for organisations who can operate, on behalf of the Unitarys, in distributing HSF funds. These funds will be mainly in the form of supermarket vouchers. The distribution will be in the first instance to smaller and bespoke voluntary and charitable organisations and thereafter directly to residents who meet the HSF criteria.

We would like to invite Expressions of Interest for highly governed organisation for a period of 3 months to evidence capability, capacity and experience in funds distribution to the voluntary sector. This will require a management layer that is experienced in managing downstream suppliers (i.e. local voluntary organisations).

Please note this is a request for formal Expression of Interest (EOI). This document does not form any part of an invitation to tender but may lead to a procurement process. Any supplier responding to this Expression of Interest is doing so to help develop a procurement process that is accessible to the market.