Find a TenderAwardedContract award notice
Published 7 Nov 2025, 11:30 GMT

Official UK procurement notice

C0138 - UK Fund Monitoring Evaluation & Learning

Official notice

Authority: Big Lottery Fund, operating as The National Lottery Community Fund

ServicesOpen procedureAbove thresholdSME suitableVCSE suitable
Final published estimate£3,333,333initial estimate £4,000,000 · 1 value update15.9% below published estimate
Submissions closed 1 May 2026awarded 17 Sept 2026
Award (standstill) to IPSOS (MARKET RESEARCH) LTD
Contract term 4 yrsends 5 Jul 2030 · up to 6 Jul 2031 with extensions · starts 6 Jul 2026

What is being bought

Published requirement description

The UK Portfolio is seeking a single supplier or consortium of suppliers to conduct an impact evaluation of the UK Fund and provide a range of learning services to UK Fund grantholders. The UK Fund is a funding programme that cover two distinct thematic areas: - Connected Communities - CYP and Youth Voice The first awards were granted in February 2024, focusing on Connected Communities, and in 2025 the funding expanded to Children and Young People (CYP) and Youth Voice. The key themes that run across the different thematic areas include voice, relationship building, agency, community systems and lived experience. UK Fund has adopted a funding approach that spans across and between countries, rather than being geographically restricted, and focuses on supporting well-established programmes that demonstrate proven impact, enabling them to scale and expand further. The funding also prioritises equity - targeting only communities facing poverty, disadvantage, and discrimination. Another distinguishing factor about the UK Fund is its emphasis on long-term systems change, requiring projects to include a mix of service delivery and systemic transformation in their plans. The evaluation and learning contract will adopt a collaborative, co-design approach that engages all grantholders, ensuring that all activities align with their learning needs. The supplier is also encouraged to involve the communities with whom the projects work, enabling them to shape and contribute to the learning and evaluation processes. This is particularly important given the programme’s emphasis on voice, agency, and power.

CPV: Evaluation consultancy services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1AwardedRenewal 4 yrsSMEVCSEPublished value£3,333,333
Contract period: 6 Jul 2026 – 5 Jul 2030 (4 yrs) · up to 6 Jul 2031 with extensionsValue: £3,333,333 exc. VAT · £4,000,000 inc. VAT
Delivery: UKEligibility: SME eligibleVCSE eligible
Extensions: The extension is up to 1 year with a total value of £600,000 including . Extensions are at the discretion of the Contracting Authority.

What it takes to win
i

How this buyer will score bids.

The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).

Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add more
How bids were scored
Quality: 90%Price: 10%
Published sub-criteria (2)
  • Technical: 90%
  • Commercial: 10%
Published award criteria (2)
  • Technical
  • Commercial
What this means for your bid
  • Price carries 10 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 1 point. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.

Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Procedure method
Open procedure
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Services
Notice status
Awarded
Procurement threshold
Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
Unspecified in notice
First published
7 Nov 2025, 11:30 GMT
Last source update
17 Sept 2026, 14:15 BST
Award evaluation window
Submission end – 26 May 2026
Authority reference
C0138
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-026350
Latest notice
Contract award notice (UK6)
Classification (CPV)
Evaluation consultancy services
Delivery area
UK
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05dc97 Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice
Run through: EU-Supply (CTM) · Who buys & how to bid on EU-Supply
Public notice page · account needed to bidElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Free · 5–10 minutes
Submission deadline
1 May 2026, 17:00 BST
Clarification deadline
13 Apr 2026, 17:00 BST
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

Timeline

7 Nov 2025 → 28 Sept 2026 · 11 dates
  1. Planning notice published352 days ago
    7 Nov 2025, 11:30 GMT
  2. Market engagement327 days ago
    1 Dec 2025, 23:59 GMT
  3. Next notice expected264 days ago
    2 Feb 2026, 23:59 GMT
  4. Tender notice published216 days ago
    23 Mar 2026, 15:00 GMT
  5. Clarification questions by195 days ago
    13 Apr 2026, 17:00 BST
  6. Submission deadline177 days ago
    1 May 2026, 17:00 BST
  7. Award decision expected by151 days ago
    26 May 2026, 23:59 BST
  8. Contract starts111 days ago
    6 Jul 2026
  9. Assessment summaries sent38 days ago
    17 Sept 2026
  10. Latest notice published38 days ago
    17 Sept 2026, 14:15 BST
  11. Standstill ends26 days ago
    28 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST

Notice history

12 events · 5 releases on Find a Tender · since 7 Nov 2025
  1. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    7 Nov 2025, 11:30 GMT
    UK2
  2. Tender notice published
    23 Mar 2026, 15:00 GMT
    UK4
  3. Status changed to active
    23 Mar 2026, 15:00 GMT
  4. Procurement method changed
    23 Mar 2026, 15:00 GMT
  5. Deadline published: 24 Apr 2026, 17:00 BST
    23 Mar 2026, 15:00 GMT
  6. Tender notice published
    24 Mar 2026, 09:45 GMT
    UK4
  7. Published value updated to £3,333,333
    24 Mar 2026, 09:45 GMT
    was £4,000,000
  8. Tender notice published
    7 Apr 2026, 11:06 BST
    UK4
  9. Deadline moved to 1 May 2026, 17:00 BST
    7 Apr 2026, 11:06 BST
    +7 days · was 24 Apr 2026, 17:00 BST
  10. Contract award notice published
    17 Sept 2026, 14:15 BST
    UK6
  11. Status changed to complete
    17 Sept 2026, 14:15 BST
  12. Contract signature expected
    5 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST
    scheduled
Routine re-releases (5)
  • 2026-03: 1 release · 23 Mar 2026
  • 2025-11: 1 release · 7 Nov 2025

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast
Awards 1
Awarded value £2,804,1001 award exc. VAT
Bids received 1
Named bidders 1published on the award notice
Awarded toValueDateStatus
IPSOS (MARKET RESEARCH) LTD2 Nov 2026 – 1 Nov 2030 · up to 1 Nov 2031Extensions: The extension is up to 1 year with a total value of £600,000 including . Extensions are at the discretion of the Contracting Authority and pricing is based on the submitted rates.£2,804,10017 Sept 2026standstill to 28 Sept 2026Standstill

Bid statistics published by the authority

BidsSMEVCSEValid bid range
1final-stage tenders · 6 at stage one00—

Who bid

Bidders as named on the Procurement Act 2023 award notice. “Won” means the bidder holds an award on this notice.

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

The National Lottery Community Fund

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PNLV-9975-CQQW Apex House, 3 Embassy Drive, Edgbaston, Birmingham, West Midlands, B15 1TRContact name, email, phone

Bidders & participating suppliers

1 commercial party on the notice
  • IPSOS (MARKET RESEARCH) LTDAwarded supplierGB-PPON: PCXT-5737-ZJLM 3 Thomas More Square, London, London, E1W 1YWContact email

Official documents & specifications (5)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure

  • Contract award notice awardContract award noticeUK6Contract award notice on Find a Tender
  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender
  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender
  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender
  • Preliminary market engagement notice planningPreliminary market engagement noticeUK2Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender