The British government is seeking to give civil servants a refresher in EU-centric diplomacy after Brexit | Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images UK seeks training for civil servants in post-Brexit EU diplomacy A government contract says training should cover the inner workings of the EU and how to influence it from outside.

LONDON — The U.K. government is seeking help from a private company to train civil servants in diplomatic relations with the EU following Brexit.

According to a government contract tender, ministers are looking for a private firm to deliver a day of training every month to refresh staff on how the EU works and how to influence it.

The contract for up to £75,000 was put out to tender on June 20, with the closing date for bids set for July 3.

The winning bidder will be expected to deliver the training to staff from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) each week between July 22 this year and March 31, 2020. Theresa May's successor is due to take office on July 24.

According to the tender details, the training must help civil servants understand “how to work with the EU once the U.K. has become a third nation.”

The description adds: “The training should cover a refresh to all participants of the inner workings of the EU, explain how influencing the EU will change once the U.K. becomes a third country, and provide participants with the tools to run successful soft influence campaigns in Brussels.

“The objective is to equip BEIS staff with the skills and knowledge to work with and influence key decision-makers and plan campaigns in Brussels and EU Member States, particularly after EU exit.”

Labour MP Owen Smith, speaking on behalf of the People's Vote campaign, which wants a second EU referendum, told POLITICO Brexit is "already damaging the U.K.'s standing in the world, with many international diplomats raising concerns about our country's global reputation."

He added: "News that the government is now having to pay contractors to train civil servants in post-Brexit international diplomacy won't ease those concerns at all. Brexit is proving to be a gigantic waste of our time, money and our global reputation."

A BEIS spokesperson said, “As we prepare to leave, we must ensure we have the skills and capabilities to deal with the EU as a third nation, and ensure our people are trained to build successful and sustainable working relationships throughout the EU. We are procuring a partner to work with us to deliver this development in a timely way.”

Elsewhere, the government is looking to renew a contract to run a helpline for small businesses, which they will be able to call if they have queries about Brexit, among other things. The service is currently run by BE Group.

The contract is worth up to £8.4 million and will run from January 1, 2020 to March 31, 2022. The bidding closes on July 29 this year.

Mike Cherry, the national chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, told POLITICO any help or support the government can provide to small firms amid the Brexit turmoil "should be welcomed."

He added: “The ongoing Brexit saga has raised more questions than answers, leaving many small firms desperately unprepared for whatever changes are to come."

Labour MP Paul Williams, who also supports the People's Vote campaign, said offering businesses help through Brexit over the phone is "like applying a plaster to a bullet wound."

He said firms are "rightly very worried at the growing prospect of being dragged into a disastrous no-deal that would destroy jobs, force companies into bankruptcy and damage livelihoods."

Contracts experts at the firm Tussell said that ministers handed out another £60 million worth of Brexit consultancy work in February.

This story has been updated with a response from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

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