Research relating to the Apprentice Rate of the minimum wage

{
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  "date": "2025-12-19T19:15:49Z",
  "id": "085177-2025",
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  "language": "en",
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    "description": "The Low Pay Commission (LPC) invites tenders for research relating to the Apprentice Rate of the minimum wage.\nThis call for research is for projects that would deliver their final results by September 2026 (with a final report after this). Researchers with projects that require a longer timeframe may wish to consider bidding on LPC 2026/07\nThe Low Pay Commission is a non-departmental public body that advises the Government about the National Minimum Wage (NMW), including the National Living Wage (NLW) and the minimum wage rates for young workers and apprentices. You can view our most recent published remit for 2025 here. We are responsible for evaluating the effects of the NMW and NLW and making recommendations on future rates. To carry out these functions, our work involves:\n\u2022\tcarrying out extensive research and consultation with employers, workers and their representatives and taking written and oral evidence from a wide range of organisations;\n\u2022\tanalysing relevant data to understand the state of the economy and labour market and the impact of the minimum wage;\n\u2022\tcommissioning research projects into these questions.\nThe current government has an ambition to move to a single adult minimum wage rate for all workers aged 18 and above. Our most recent remit asked the LPC to balance this ambition with the Government\u0027s concern about current levels of youth unemployment when making our recommendations on the 18-20 Year Old Rate.\nWe have previously noted the importance of the interactions between the youth and apprentice rates of the minimum wage (see, for example, the LPC\u0027s Beyond 2024 Report) and are considering the full range of options for the future of the Apprentice Rate. We have also recommended considerable increases to the Apprentice Rate in recent years, but the data available to evaluate these increases are limited.\nThis research will support our understanding of the impacts of the Apprentice Rate of the minimum wage on employer and/or worker decisions and outcomes. It will complement the LPC\u0027s own analysis of apprenticeship starts, vacancies and pay (including later salaries of those have completed apprenticeships).\nThe estimated maximum value for the contract is \u00a340,000 (excluding VAT; \u00a348,000 including VAT). However we welcome proposals for smaller projects and anticipate bids in the range \u00a320,000 to \u00a340,000 exclusive of VAT.\nThe project will deliver findings for September 2026.",
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      {
        "description": "A detailed description of the project requirements is provided in the Invitation to Tender (ITT) document published on the Low Pay Commission website.\nThe pricing schedule template can be found alongside the ITT document.\nNote that there may be a short delay before the linked page goes live. If you are unable to access it initially, please try again on the next working day.",
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    "enquiryPeriod": {
      "endDate": "2026-01-12T14:00:00Z"
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    "id": "LPC 2025/04",
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    "submissionMethodDetails": "Tenders should be submitted to tim.butcher@lowpay.gov.uk, copying LPC@lowpay.gov.uk.",
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    "title": "Research relating to the Apprentice Rate of the minimum wage",
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      "amount": 40000,
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