UK Public Sector Contracts & Tenders

This is a notice seeking early engagement from interested parties in relation to the Department for Education Fosterline Service Please note that all references to procedure, value and term length are purely illustrative and subject to change. The event will describe the existing set of national Fosterline services offering free, independent advice to current and prospective foster carers and the proposed service moving forward The current service offers individualised services for current or prospective foster carers requiring help with ongoing issues or detailed tax and benefits advice. The services aim to support foster families to stay together during times of crisis, reducing placement breakdown, and avoiding costs associated with this. The service is currently composed of a helpline service, website and webchat function. Please note that this notice is for early market engagement and exploratory purposes and is not a call for competition hence the £0 value indicated at this point. The Department reserves the right not to enter any formal processes or agreements. Accordingly, the authority will not be liable for any bid cost, expenditure, work, or effort incurred by a provider in acting based on this notice.

Keeping children and young people with allergies safe while in school is a key priority for the Government. Section 34 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 (www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2026/21/section/34/enacted) places new allergy safety duties on schools. We have published new statutory guidance on Allergy safety in schools (www.gov.uk/government/publications/allergy-safety-in-schools). Currently under the Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2017, schools in England are permitted to purchase “spare” adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) without a prescription for emergency use in cases of anaphylaxis. The Government intends to require all schools to stock “spare” AAIs. Further education (FE) colleges and other post‑16 institutions are not included in this exemption. Any extension would require regulatory change, which has not yet been implemented. Suppliers should therefore continue to operate in line with the current legal framework. This early engagement supports the Department for Education’s (DfE) preparatory work ahead of new statutory guidance, with the aim of ensuring schools can access “spare” adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) quickly, reliably and affordably to support pupil safety. The Department is therefore initiating early market engagement with organisations that supply AAIs, including manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers and other authorised suppliers, to better understand the current market landscape and the options available to support schools in accessing “spare” AAIs. This engagement will inform consideration of a potential working sponsorship approach, through which the provider market may develop voluntary commercial offers directly to schools in return for a rights package. The intention is to support improved affordability, simplify access, and enhance reliability of supply, while maintaining schools’ independence in purchasing decisions. To inform this approach, the Department is seeking insight into existing routes to market through which schools purchase AAIs, as well as the practical and operational considerations faced by suppliers, delivery models, and any relevant regulatory factors. This includes understanding potential risks or constraints associated with scaling supply at a national level. The Department intends to hold a market engagement webinar via Microsoft Teams on Tuesday 11 August at 11:30 – 12:00 to provide further context on this initiative. Following this webinar, the Department intends to hold 1-to-1 discussions with interested organisations, to support a more detailed exploration of market capability and gather more detailed insight. To register your interest in attending this event and/or the 121 discussions, please email [email protected] before 12:00 on Monday 10 August. Please note that this notice is for early market engagement and exploratory purposes and is not a call for competition. The Department reserves the right not to enter any formal processes or agreements. Accordingly, the Department will not be liable for any cost, expenditure, work, or effort incurred by a provider in acting based on this notice.

The Department for Education (DfE) is inviting organisations to participate in a Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) exercise to help shape a standardised private investment model for rooftop solar installations across schools and colleges in England. As part of the Department's wider ambition to improve, renew and decarbonise the education estate, DfE is piloting a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) model that will enable schools and colleges to benefit from solar energy infrastructure without upfront capital investment. This engagement seeks feedback from solar developers, investors, lenders, community energy organisations and other relevant stakeholders on the Power Purchase Agreement model, which includes a PPA and associated lease arrangements. We are looking to understand whether the proposed approach is commercially viable, financeable, scalable and capable of delivering value for money across a diverse education estate. The feedback gathered through this exercise will help refine the model before its wider implementation and support DfE's ambition to make solar deployment more accessible for schools and colleges across England. ________________________________________ Background Through the Great British Energy Solar Partnership and related programmes, solar panels have already been installed across a number of educational settings, demonstrating significant benefits including: • Reduced energy costs for schools and colleges. • Lower carbon emissions and progress towards sustainability objectives. • Improved resilience through on-site electricity generation. • Strong financial returns, with early evidence suggesting average payback periods of approximately 3 to 6 years. The Education Estates Strategy (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-estates-strategy) identified solar installation through private investment as a key opportunity to accelerate decarbonisation across the education estate. This PME will help inform the design and delivery of a proposed Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) pilot, which is intended to test the viability of this approach. The PPA pilot forms part of this ambition and supports the UK's legally binding commitment to achieve Net Zero by 2050. The pilot will be delivered as part of Phase 1 of the Renewal and Retrofit Programme (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-estates-strategy), initially delivering condition, resilience and decarbonisation works in three regions of England ________________________________________ The Proposal DfE is developing a standardised set of commercial arrangements comprising: • A Power Purchase Agreement governing the sale and purchase of electricity generated by on-site solar installations. • A Lease of Roof Space providing long-term rights for installation and operation of solar assets. The pilot is expected to involve up to 150 schools and colleges across: • Yorkshire and Humber • East Midlands • South East The PPA model aims to deliver: • No upfront capital cost to schools and colleges. • Payment only for electricity consumed. • No minimum electricity purchase commitment. • Long-term contractual arrangements. • Clear allocation of risks and responsibilities. • A consistent approach that can be scaled across the education sector. Ultimately, DfE's ambition is to pilot PPA approach and assess its potential to support the widespread adoption of solar technologies throughout the education estate. ________________________________________ Areas for Feedback We are particularly interested in receiving views on: • Commercial attractiveness and competitiveness of the proposed model. • Bankability and suitability for project financing. • Contract term length and pricing mechanisms. • Allocation of export and grid connection risks. • Estate-wide applicability across different school and college types. • Assignment provisions and lender step-in rights. • Termination arrangements. • Opportunities and challenges associated with larger solar arrays and export revenues. We welcome both strategic observations and detailed technical feedback. ________________________________________ Market Engagement Event DfE will host a market engagement webinar to present the proposed model and outline the draft documentation. The session will cover: • Programme background and policy objectives. • Overview of the proposed PPA model and the pilot. • Key commercial features. • Roles and responsibilities of participating parties. • Feedback areas and consultation questions. • Next steps and opportunities for further engagement. • Live Q&A session. Participants will have the opportunity to submit questions during the event and provide more detailed feedback afterwards through a structured questionnaire and, where appropriate, one-to-one engagement sessions. ________________________________________ How to Participate Interested organisations are invited to register their interest in the market engagement exercise and webinar. Participation is encouraged from: • Solar developers and energy generators. • Community energy organisations. • Infrastructure and renewable energy investors. • Lenders and finance providers. • Technical and legal advisers. • Other organisations with relevant expertise in solar, energy infrastructure or public sector delivery. • We will be holding a separate engagement event for Schools and Responsible Bodies We will be holding an engagement webinar on 18/08/2026 from 13:00-14:00. Please register your interest by emailing [email protected] with attendee names, contact emails, and company names. Access to supporting documentation is via ssq_829 on the Jaggaer eProcurement platform. ________________________________________ Important Notice This Preliminary Market Engagement exercise is intended solely to inform the Department's thinking and does not constitute a procurement, commitment to procure, or commitment to award any contract. Any future procurement activity will be subject to separate notices and procurement documentation. The Department reserves the right to amend, pause or discontinue the initiative at any stage. We encourage organisations to take part and help shape a commercially robust, scalable and innovative approach to accelerating solar deployment across England's schools and colleges. Together, we can support a more resilient, sustainable and energy-efficient education estate for the future. The DfE is keen to maximise opportunities to participate in procurement for Small to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs). Consideration will also be given to consortia and collaborative bids from all forms of organisations.