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Find a TenderAwardedContract award notice
Published 23 Jan 2026, 14:27 GMT

Official UK procurement notice

Delivering the Best Start in Life - Implementation Partner

Official notice

Authority: Department for Education (Central government)

ServicesOpen procedureAbove thresholdLight touch regimeSME suitableVCSE suitable
Sectors: Education & Training (80) Delivery: North East (UKC)North West (UKD)Yorkshire & Humber (UKE)
+6 moreEast Midlands (UKF)West Midlands (UKG)East of England (UKH)London (UKI)South East (UKJ)South West (UKK)
Published estimate£2,743,750≈ £1.2m / year · £3,292,500 inc. VAT · 2 value updates20% below published estimate
Submissions closed 11 Aug 2026awarded 1 Oct 2026
Awarded to Mott MacDonald
Contract term 2 yrs 4 moends 2 Mar 2029 · up to 31 Mar 2030 with extensions · starts 2 Nov 2026

What is being bought

Published requirement description

The Department for Education (DfE) is issuing this Contract Award Notice following the completion of tender for an Implementation Partner for Delivering the Best Start in Life.

The successful Implementation Partner will play a pivotal role in supporting Local Authorities to, but not limited to:

  1. Lead System Reform and Drive Ambitious Local Action
  2. Deliver Consistent, High Quality BSiL and Best Start Family Hub Services
  3. Build Sustainable Capability, Learning and Innovation Across the Sector
  4. Provide Flexible, Responsive Support Aligned with a Changing Landscape

CPV: Education and training services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1AwardedRenewal 2 yrs 4 moSMEVCSEPublished value£2,743,750
Contract period: 2 Nov 2026 – 2 Mar 2029 (2 yrs 4 mo) · up to 31 Mar 2030 with extensionsValue: £2,743,750 exc. VAT · £3,292,500 inc. VAT
Delivery: North East, North West, Yorkshire & Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London, South East, South WestEligibility: SME eligibleVCSE eligible
Extensions: There is potential to extend the contract by up to two additional 12-month periods (1+1 years), subject to agreement and the terms of the contract. Any decision to extend the contract will be subject to affordability, government priorities, and policies.
80000000 Education and training services

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
  • Price Per Quality Point

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
Light touch regime
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
Unspecified in notice
First published
23 Jan 2026, 14:27 GMT
Last source update
2 Oct 2026, 15:40 BST
Award evaluation window
Submission end – 17 Sept 2026
Authority reference
project_10114
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-064311
Latest notice
Contract award notice (UK6)
Classification (CPV)
Education and training services
Delivery area
North East (UKC)North West (UKD)Yorkshire & Humber (UKE)East Midlands (UKF)West Midlands (UKG)East of England (UKH)London (UKI)South East (UKJ)
+1 moreSouth West (UKK)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-060d7c Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice
Run through: Jaggaer · Who buys & how to bid on JAGGAER
Supplier login requiredElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Free; latest Chrome/Edge/Firefox only — corporate browsers fail
Submission deadline
11 Aug 2026, 12:00 BST
Clarification deadline
5 Aug 2026, 17:00 BST
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

All tenders must be submitted via the Jaggaer eSourcing platform education.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html ↗

Potential suppliers must register on the above platform to access tender documents and to submit bids and register an interest in opportunity itt_4017

Timeline

23 Jan 2026 → 2 Nov 2026 · 10 dates
  1. Planning notice published272 days ago
    23 Jan 2026, 14:27 GMT
  2. Market engagement175 days ago
    30 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST

    The Department will be hosting an online event which will take place on Monday 16th March 2026.

    If you are interested in joining this event, please use the link below to register via Jaggaer (see View Opportunities)

    education.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html ↗

    Please Note:

    • This notice is for market engagement and exploratory purposes and is not a call for competition.
    • The Department for Education reserves the right not to enter any formal processes or agreements.
    • Accordingly, the Department for Education will not be liable for any bid cost, expenditure, work, or effort incurred by a provider in acting based on this notice.

    We intend to share the questions and answers from the event with all potential suppliers.

    The opportunity is suitable for but not limited to SME's and VCSEs

    Consideration will also be given to consortia and collaborative bids from all forms of organisations.

  3. Next notice expected174 days ago
    1 May 2026, 23:59 BST
  4. Tender notice published106 days ago
    8 Jul 2026, 15:07 BST
  5. Clarification questions by78 days ago
    5 Aug 2026, 17:00 BST
  6. Submission deadline72 days ago
    11 Aug 2026, 12:00 BST
  7. Award decision expected by35 days ago
    17 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
  8. Assessment summaries sent22 days ago
    1 Oct 2026, 00:00 BST
  9. Latest notice published20 days ago
    2 Oct 2026, 15:40 BST
  10. Today
    22 Oct 2026
  11. Contract startsin 10 days
    2 Nov 2026

Notice history

14 events · 8 releases on Find a Tender · since 23 Jan 2026
  1. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    23 Jan 2026, 14:27 GMT
    UK2
  2. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    23 Jan 2026, 14:36 GMT
    UK2
  3. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    26 Jan 2026, 09:38 GMT
    UK2
  4. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    6 Mar 2026, 15:11 GMT
    UK2
  5. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    27 Apr 2026, 11:04 BST
    UK2
  6. Tender notice published
    8 Jul 2026, 15:07 BST
    UK4
  7. Published value updated to £2,743,750
    8 Jul 2026, 15:07 BST
    was £0
  8. Status changed to active
    8 Jul 2026, 15:07 BST
  9. Procurement method changed
    8 Jul 2026, 15:07 BST
  10. Deadline published: 11 Aug 2026, 12:00 BST
    8 Jul 2026, 15:07 BST
  11. Tender notice published
    9 Jul 2026, 09:46 BST
    UK4
  12. Contract award notice published
    2 Oct 2026, 15:40 BST
    UK6
  13. Status changed to complete
    2 Oct 2026, 15:40 BST
  14. Contract signature expected
    2 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
    scheduled
Published amendments (2)

Second Market Engagement Event

Second Market Engagement Event

Routine re-releases (8)
  • 2026-04: 1 release · 27 Apr 2026
  • 2026-03: 1 release · 6 Mar 2026
  • 2026-01: 3 releases · 23 Jan 2026, 26 Jan 2026

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast
Awards 1
Awarded value £2,194,9881 award exc. VAT
Bids received 55 from SMEs
Awarded toValueDateStatus
Mott MacDonald9 Nov 2026 – 9 Mar 2029 · up to 9 Mar 2031Extensions: Up to 24-months should the service requirement be continued 1 year +1 year£2,194,9881 Oct 2026Awarded

Bid statistics published by the authority

BidsSMEVCSEValid bid range
5final-stage tenders · 8 at stage one50—

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Department for Education

Contracting authorityPublic authority - central government GB-PPON: PDZG-3487-DPVD Sanctuary Buildings, 20 Great Smith Street, London, London, SW1P3BTContact email

Bidders & participating suppliers

1 commercial party on the notice
  • Mott MacDonald LimitedAwarded supplierGB-PPON: PMRR-1398-DNDL 10 Fleet Place, London, London, EC4M 7RBContact email

Official documents & specifications (8)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure