UK Public Sector Contracts & Tenders

Expression of Interest (EOI) ONLY for: Curriculum experts - Provision of Primary Curriculum and Early Years Foundation Stage Expert resource for the Standards and Testing Agency 2026 – 2028 The Standards and Testing Agency (STA) will shortly be looking to procure 21 experienced curriculum experts to provide independent expertise for the development of the Key Stage 1 (KS1) and Key Stage 2 (KS2) National Curriculum tests for English Grammar Punctuation & Spelling, English Reading and Mathematics, Key Stage 3 (KS3) English Reading as well as Phonics and Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) experts to provide advice on the development of the reception baseline assessment between 1 September 2026 and 31 August 2028. STA is seeking to engage Curriculum Experts who have: • Substantial and recent expertise in their chosen subject(s); • A detailed understanding of key stages 1 and 2 within their chosen subject area(s) / A detailed understanding of the Early Years Framework as appropriate; • Expertise in critically analysing assessment materials; • An understanding of the curriculum, its structure and on-going strategy of improvement, including of teacher assessment requirements and the exemplification of national standards that support reliability, validity and consistency; • An understanding of the issues raised by recent reviews and consultations relating to assessment and how subsequent implementation may affect the future structure and strategy of the assessments; • The ability to communicate effectively with various stakeholders, providing constructive feedback at all meetings and to provide workable solutions to any problems and/or issues identified during this project; and • Experience of test / assessment development processes, gained from either previous work on National Curriculum tests, or similar activity for another project (desirable).

The Diocese of Norwich Education Services Company (DoNESC) is carrying out a procurement exercise on the behalf of DNEAT for Kessingland and Moorlands Academies to undertake the replacement of doors and windows highlighted in the additional documentation. Moorlands windows and doors are to be finished in Brown and Moorlands are to be finished in white.

The Aquinas CE Education Trust situated in Bromley in Kent are putting their catering contract out to tender for their 8 primary schools. The contract start date will be 12th October 2026 (TBC). You will be bidding for all the schools as one contract and one lot. The Trust will be able to select their preferred company from the companies shortlisted to make presentations.

To note - This PME does not signify the commencement of any procurement process and does not constitute any commitment by the Department for Education (DfE). If DfE decides to commence any procurement process subject to the Procurement Act 2023 as contemplated by this notice, a separate notice(s) will be published at the relevant time. The Department reserves the right not to enter any formal processes or agreements. Accordingly, the Department will not be liable for any bid cost, expenditure, work, or effort incurred by a provider in acting based on this notice. The Purpose A Preliminary Market Engagement event is being undertaken to understand market capacity and capability to help DfE deliver support to secondary schools in the £5 million Books for Secondary Schools programme, in order to maximise its impact. This engagement seeks to explore opportunities for philanthropic funders, business sponsors, charitable organisations, school reading book suppliers and other relevant partners to work alongside DfE to amplify the impact of this investment. We want to explore how additional resources, expertise and networks could be leveraged to increase access to, and engagement with, books and other reading materials for secondary school pupils across England. The engagement will explore how best to maximise the programme’s investment and support the National Year of Reading to improve reach and sustainability. We want to understand how partners can help ensure the investment directly benefits all children, including by addressing barriers to access and boosting reading. Background Reading for pleasure is hugely important and brings a range of benefits, including strong links with attainment, wellbeing, empathy, confidence, and aptitude for learning. However, in 2025, only one in three 8 to 18 year olds reported enjoying reading in their free time, which is an all-time low. That is why DfE has launched the National Year of Reading: a UK-wide campaign to address the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults. It is a DfE initiative, in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust, who are leading the delivery of the campaign, working alongside a range of partners. As part of the National Year of Reading, DfE is providing £5 million to secondary schools in England to purchase books and other reading materials to help inspire a love of reading amongst their pupils. This funding will be split between every state funded secondary school in England, because secondary school aged pupils regularly report lowest levels of reading enjoyment: in 2025, more children aged 5-8 (62.7%) and 8-11 (46.9%) enjoyed reading than those aged 11-14 (29.5%) and 14-16 (28.6%). Schools are central to bringing the National Year of Reading to life, serving as community hubs that can foster a culture of reading inside and beyond the classroom. Schools play a vital role in shaping young people’s relationship with reading and in ensuring that every pupil, regardless of background, can read for pleasure. For many children, school is the only place where they regularly encounter and have access to books: 8.6% of children aged 8–18 report having no book of their own at home, a figure that rises to 12.4% among disadvantaged children. DfE seeks to build on this momentum, creating a legacy that lasts well beyond 2026 by partnering with organisations who can increase the scale, creativity and reach of the Books for Schools initiative. Support and funding options We want to take a creative and ambitious approach to maximise the opportunity offered by the Books for Secondary Schools programme. While this funding provides a strong foundation, we believe its impact could be significantly amplified through innovative partnerships that bring fresh ideas and additional resources. Our aim is to investigate this opportunity with organisations who share our commitment to improving young people’s access to books and who want to help shape a programme capable of leaving a lasting legacy. DfE brings substantial infrastructure, national reach, and trusted relationships across the education system. Through our direct links with secondary schools across England, established delivery channels, and existing communication mechanisms, we can ensure that support gets to where it is most needed quickly and effectively. We are therefore inviting partners who can help us think differently about what this programme could deliver. By unlocking the collective imagination of the philanthropic, business and charitable sectors we are investigating how to create a culture of reading that continues long beyond the National Year of Reading.

The Department for Education (DfE) is issuing this Market Engagement Notice to invite interest from suitably qualified and experienced organisations in advance of a forthcoming procurement for an Implementation Partner(s) to support local authorities in the delivery of the Best Start in Life (BSiL) programme. This procurement seeks to engage strategic partner(s) with the vision and capability to supporting delivering transformation of family support services. The event will be a key opportunity to test emerging models and draw on the expertise of a diverse range of organisations, ensuring we harness the full breadth of innovation and experience available across the sector. The successful Implementation Partner(s) will play a pivotal role in supporting local authorities to: 1. Lead System Reform and Drive Ambitious Local Action Support local authorities to champion bold, innovative, and collaborative approaches across their 0–5 systems. This includes strengthening local leadership, commissioning and coordinating Partner(s)s effectively, harnessing community assets, and ensuring alignment with wider national and local reform programmes to maximise improvements in early childhood development and health outcomes. 2. Deliver Consistent, High Quality BSiL and Best Start Family Hub Services Provide expertise and practical guidance to ensure that local areas deliver integrated, evidence based services across core BSiL priority areas. These include Healthy Babies, Parenting Support and the Home Learning Environment, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), and childcare access, sufficiency and entitlements. The Implementation Partner(s) will help local authorities ensure families can access the right support at the right time, through high quality, connected pathways. 3. Build Sustainable Capability, Learning and Innovation Across the Sector Promote a culture of continuous improvement by enabling local authorities to learn from one another, share best practice, and engage in test and learn activities. The Implementation Partner(s) will develop tools, resources, peer learning networks, and targeted 1-2-1 small group specialist support to build long term capability and strengthen the effective use of data and digital solutions in improving outcomes. 4. Provide Flexible, Responsive Support Aligned with a Changing Landscape Ensure that local authorities receive timely, relevant support that can adapt quickly to emerging needs, policy developments, and operational challenges. The Implementation Partner(s) must demonstrate the infrastructure, agility, and expertise to respond at pace, enabling local authorities to maintain momentum in delivering the ambitions of the Best Start in Life programme. We welcome suggestions on the most effective procurement approach to secure a flexible, responsive model that ensures value for money and supports local authorities to drive system transformation and continuous improvement.

The Diocese of Norwich Education Services Company (DoNESC) is carrying out a procurement exercise on the behalf of DNEAT to upgrade three schools in the summer 2026 holiday to LED’s. The works must take place during the six-week holiday and be completed before the commencement of the academic year. St Michael's Church of England Academy, Saddlebow Rd, South Lynn, King's Lynn PE30 5BN Castle Acre Church of England Primary Academy, Back Ln, Castle Acre, King's Lynn PE32 2AR Yaxham Primary Academy, Norwich Rd, Dereham NR19 1RU

The Diocese of Norwich Education Services Company (DoNESC) is carrying out a procurement exercise on the behalf of DNEAT to upgrade three schools in the summer 2026 holiday to LED’s. The works must take place during the six-week holiday and be completed before the commencement of the academic year.

This is a notice seeking early engagement from interested parties in relation to the Department for Education procurement of a Delivery Partner to support effective delivery of partnerships that strengthen children’s transitions from pre-reception early years settings into school. The partnerships will focus particularly on support for those children with SEND and from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Delivery Partner will play a central role in helping partnerships plan and implement their approaches, promote collaboration and good practice, and support continuous improvement across the programme. The Delivery Partner will also help ensure delivery aligns with priorities, maintains strong governance standards and contributes to sustainable outcomes for children beyond the funding period. Please note that all references to procedure, value and term length are purely illustrative and subject to change. 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 authority will not be liable for any bid cost, expenditure, work, or effort incurred by a provider in acting based on this notice. 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.

The Diocese of Norwich Education Services Company (DoNESC) is carrying out a procurement exercise on the behalf of DNEAT to redevelop the existing toilet facilities on the site to provide a pleasant environment for the pupils and staff.

The Department for Education (DfE) is establishing an alternative student finance (ASF) product, compatible with Islamic finance principles, to enable all students, regardless of their faith, to access Higher Education (HE). Whilst the current student finance system provides interest-bearing loans for students entering HE study, some students, particularly those who identify as Muslim, do not feel able to access these loans due to their faith. ASF will address this barrier by providing a faith-sensitive equivalent to the current loan product. Students accessing ASF will not suffer any detriment nor experience any advantage through choosing to access student support via this route. The ASF system will be based on a ‘Takaful’ model, to provide a form of group-based mutual support. Recipients will receive financial support for HE and, in return, will commit to making contributions back to the scheme in the future which will be used to help other students go to university. ASF recipients will make the same total contributions as those who opt for the conventional student loan product. Like the conventional student loan scheme, these contributions will be based on what people earn and will therefore be of the same amount and made at the same time as repayments for conventional student loans. Legislation has been put in place, through the Higher Education and Research Act (HERA) 2017, to enable ASF to be introduced. At present, we are working closely with a group of specialist advisors to develop a robust ASF model. Alongside this, the Government is also reforming the wider student finance system. The introduction of the Lifelong Loan Entitlement (LLE) will significantly change how students access learning and financial support. We intend to introduce ASF as soon as possible after the LLE, so that both reforms work cohesively to expand opportunity and support for all learners. To ensure that ASF funds are managed in accordance with Islamic finance principles, the DfE is exploring the banking arrangements required. This will include establishing a bank account that can hold and move funds in a compliant manner, including that the account must not bear or generate interest. This engagement activity is focused on generating insights from the market, including market interest in fulfilling this service, feasibility of account options, the anticipated availability of compliant accounts meeting DfE’s requirements, expected costs for the required account and estimated timeframes to establish and operationalise the account. We are keen to identify whether there are innovative solutions that may help deliver better public services and value for money. We anticipate that there will be a contract for this service. The supplier must be able to: • provide evidence of how it handles and holds money in an Islamic finance compliant manner • facilitate the transfer of funds • be fully regulated with FCA/MPM compliance. We expect that a full specification of requirements will be provided after this exercise, in line with an invitation to tender if/when issued.

Education Commercial Services (ECS) are seeking to establish a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for the provision of ethically and sustainably sourced Construction, Works and Professional Services from a wide range of suppliers who can make a positive impact on the environment and our communities whilst managing the increasing risk of modern slavery in their sectors. Education Commercial Services (ECS) is the trading name of Bishop Wilkinson Commercial Services Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust (BWCET) who provide specialist procurement services to the education sector. We are focused on providing high quality commercial support to the education sector UK wide. Our goal is to ensure we use the most effective and compliant route to market for the customer, taking into account their individual objectives and values. We identify savings whilst delivering Social Value benefits, managing Decarbonisation, Biodiversity, Deforestation, Resource use, Health & Safety, and supporting the local economy and communities. This DPS will be available and open to the full Public Sector across all regions within the United Kingdom (UK), and has been set up provide public sector buyers with an ethical and sustainable route to market for Construction, Works and associated Professional Services to have a focus on ethical and sustainable practices across suppliers and their supply chains to drive social and environmental impact. The DPS will create the following benefits across all sectors, locations and suppliers: • support local SMEs, charities and social enterprises by providing a platform for growth thereby supporting the local economy • increase the creation of social value within the following themes: Covid-19 Recovery, Tackling Economic Inequality, Fighting Climate Change, Equal Opportunity and Wellbeing • reduce impact on the environment, whether this be carbon, water, waste reduction and/or circular economy principles • Mandated sign up to the Government prompt payment policy for suppliers and subcontractors to support local businesses • Improve supplier awareness and encourage suppliers to embed new working practices in relation to ethical supply, sustainability, community and employee support throughout the supply chain When applying to the DPS suppliers, are required to indicate which categories they are applying for, in order to be invited to the relevant competitions. Customers will use the categories to shortlist appointed suppliers and invite them to further competition The three (3) categories compromise of: • Service Category • Geographical Location • Additional Capabilities Fully compliant with the Public Contracts regulations 2015