Free Guide: St. Helens Spending & Supplier Profile
A free spending & supplier guide for St Helens Council · Metropolitan district · North West
Data covering 2017 to 2026
Recorded Spend
£770.8m
Transactions
102,796
Suppliers
2,280
Key Takeaways
- £771 million in recorded spend across 102,796 transactions since 2017
- 40.5% of matched spend goes to health and social care suppliers
- HHI of 93 with 2,280 identified suppliers, an exceptionally unconcentrated market
How big a buyer is St. Helens?
St. Helens is a metropolitan district in Merseyside with a population of around 181,000, covering 52.5 square miles. Our dataset covers £771 million in recorded spend across 102,796 transactions, drawn from 57 source files and spanning 2017 to 2026. That is a sizeable volume for a council of this size. We have tracked 33 published contracts worth a combined £3.7 million, alongside 87 tenders valued at £67 million. The council is also a member of the Fusion21 purchasing consortium, which opens up access to framework agreements across a range of categories. Across the spending records we hold, the data has been collected from four source domains including the council's own site and Find a Tender. If you are scoping Merseyside boroughs, St. Helens looks like an active buyer with a consistent publishing history over nearly a decade.
Health and social care dominates, but who else is getting paid?
Of the 2,310 suppliers we have matched to company records, the spending is spread remarkably thin. The HHI score sits at just 93, which is very low. Even the top five identified suppliers account for only 14.4% of matched spend, and the top ten for 20.6%. Balfour Beatty leads at £23.3 million, followed by Matrix SCM at £15.6 million, a staffing and recruitment firm. After that, health and care providers dominate the list: Stocks Hall Care Homes, Brothers of Charity Services, Seasons Health Care, and Alternative Futures Group all feature. Health and social work activities account for 40.5% of matched spend, with 388 identified suppliers in that sector alone. Construction comes second at 11.5%, then admin and support services at 10%. If you are targeting care, fostering, or supported living, this council has a large and fragmented supplier base in those areas.
Do contracts here tend to go to open competition?
The procurement data we hold for St. Helens covers a small set of published contracts: 4 in total, with 3 above threshold and 1 below. Of those four, three went through open procedures and one through a limited route. The median contract value across this set is £188,213. On the tender side, there is more to work with. Our data includes 87 tenders with a combined value of £67 million, which gives a clearer picture of upcoming and recent opportunities. The mix of open procurement and consortium membership through Fusion21 suggests multiple routes into this council. The very low market concentration, with 2,280 identified suppliers across 21 sectors, points to a buyer that spreads its spending widely rather than relying on a handful of established providers. For anyone tracking opportunities in the North West, the tender pipeline here looks worth watching.
| # | Supplier | Spend |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BALFOUR BEATTY CIVIL ENGINEERING (SW) LIMITED | £23,332,234 |
| 2 | MATRIX SCM LIMITED | £15,582,740 |
| 3 | STOCKS HALL CARE HOMES LIMITED | £6,647,473 |
| 4 | BROTHERS OF CHARITY SERVICES (SCOTLAND) | £6,386,662 |
| 5 | SEASONS HEALTH CARE LIMITED | £5,794,924 |
| 6 | CORONA ENERGY RETAIL 4 LIMITED | £5,748,182 |
| 7 | AUTISM INITIATIVES (UK) | £5,378,849 |
| 8 | UNITED HEALTHCARE LIMITED | £4,807,134 |
| 9 | FOSTERING SOLUTIONS LIMITED | £4,624,160 |
| 10 | ALTERNATIVE FUTURES GROUP LIMITED | £4,390,118 |
About Us
CouncilLedger brings together spending records, contract awards, and tender notices from over 400 UK local authorities into one procurement intelligence platform. Our data covers 16 years of transactions, collected directly from council transparency publications and government procurement platforms. Search suppliers, track spending trends, discover tender opportunities, and monitor the contracts that matter to your business.
