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Published 22 May 2026, 15:25 BST

Official UK procurement notice

ID 6169288 - DFE - SERC - PROVISION OF LEARNING SUPPORT STAFF 2026

Official notice

Authority: South Eastern Regional College (SERC) (Central government)·On behalf of: CPD

Framework agreementServicesOpen procedureAbove thresholdLight touch regime
Sectors: Education & Training (80) Delivery: Northern Ireland (UKN)
Framework ceiling (notional)£1,200,000framework ceiling, not attributable revenue
Submissions closed 24 Jun 2026
Framework period 2 yrsends 26 Jul 2028 · up to 26 Jul 2030 with extensions · starts 27 Jul 2026

What is being bought

Published requirement description

South Eastern Regional College (SERC) is seeking to establish a framework agreement for the provision Learning Support Assistants (LSA). SERC will appoint a maximum of 5 Suppliers ranked 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 after formal tender evaluation, in line with the criteria stipulated within the Instructions to Tender Document. The Framework will commence from the Date of Award for an initial period of 2 years. There will be 2 optional extension periods of up to 12 months each.

CPV: Education and training services · Higher education services · Management training services · Secondary education services · Special education services · Technical and vocational secondary education services · Training services · Vocational secondary education services · Vocational training services

How this framework works

From the published notice
Type
Closed framework
Call-offs
call-offs are awarded directly to appointed suppliers, without further competition
Places
up to 5 suppliers
Framework period
2 yrs · up to 4 yrs from 27 Jul 2026
Published description of the framework

SERC will appoint a maximum of 5 Suppliers ranked 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 after formal tender evaluation, in line with the criteria stipulated within the Instructions to Tender document.

When SERC wishes to commission work, a work package will be offered to the Supplier ranked 1. The Supplier ranked 2 will be offered a commission in the event of

(a) A conflict of interest for Supplier ranked 1 or

(b) Supplier ranked 1 not having the capacity to deliver a project within the required timeframe or

(c) Supplier ranked 1 having been suspended or removed from the framework.

(d) Supplier ranked 1 not have appropriately qualified LSAs available to meet the end-users individual needs

(e) Supplier ranked 1 proposed staff not having valid Enhanced AccessNI certificates

Supplier ranked 3 will be offered a commission in the event that either (a) and/or (b) and/or (c) and/or (d) and/or (e) applies to Suppliers ranked 1 and ranked 2 and so on.

*For the avoidance of doubt SERC reserve the right to decide if there is any potential conflict of interest from the information disclosed in the relevant circumstances and reserves the right to move to the next Supplier accordingly.

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1Renewal 2 yrsPublished value£1,200,000
Contract period: 27 Jul 2026 – 26 Jul 2028 (2 yrs) · up to 26 Jul 2030 with extensionsValue: £1,200,000 exc. VAT · £1,440,000 inc. VAT
Delivery: Northern Ireland
Extensions: There will be 2 optional extension periods of up to 12 months each.
80000000 Education and training services80200000 Secondary education services80210000 Technical and vocational secondary education services80212000 Vocational secondary education services80300000 Higher education services80340000 Special education services
Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)1
  • Technical & professional ability

    As per Tender documentation.

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: 100%
Published sub-criteria (2)
  • AC1 - Proposed Methodolgy: 60%
  • AC2 - Account Manager Experience: 40%
Published award criteria (2)
  • AC1 - Proposed Methodolgy: As per Tender documentation.
  • AC2 - Account Manager Experience: As per Tender documentation.
Conditions of participation1
  • Technical & professional ability

    As per Tender documentation.

What this means for your bid
  • “ID 6169288 - DFE - SERC - PROVISION OF LEARNING SUPPORT STAFF 2026” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, up to 5 suppliers, not a single contract, and call-offs are awarded directly: getting appointed is the whole game.

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
Closed
Procurement threshold
Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime
Light touch regime
Commercial structure
Framework agreement
Who may use this agreement
Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Yes (GPA)
Recurring procurement
Unspecified in notice
First published
22 May 2026, 15:25 BST
Last source update
22 May 2026, 15:25 BST
Award evaluation window
Submission end – 10 Jul 2026
Authority reference
ID 6169288
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-048106
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
Education and training servicesHigher education servicesManagement training servicesSecondary education servicesSpecial education servicesTechnical and vocational secondary education servicesTraining servicesVocational secondary education servicesVocational training services
Delivery area
Northern Ireland (UKN)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06a1d8 Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice
Run through: eTendersNI · Who buys & how to bid on eTendersNI
Supplier login requiredElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Free Northern Ireland registration
Appointment period ends
24 Jun 2026, 15:00 BST
Clarification deadline
15 Jun 2026, 15:00 BST
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

Tenders must be submitted electronically via the relevant Call for Tender (CfT) opportunity on eTendersNI, website details immediately below.

Paper submissions will not be accepted or considered and will be rejected by the Contracting Authority / Buyer.

The tender documents are available with unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at: URL etendersni.gov.uk/epps ↗

Timeline

22 May 2026 → 27 Jul 2026 · 5 dates
  1. Tender notice published157 days ago
    22 May 2026, 15:25 BST
  2. Clarification questions by133 days ago
    15 Jun 2026, 15:00 BST
  3. Admission / appointment period ends124 days ago · period end, not a bid countdown
    24 Jun 2026, 15:00 BST
  4. Award decision expected by108 days ago
    10 Jul 2026, 23:59 BST
  5. Contract starts92 days ago
    27 Jul 2026, 00:00 BST

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender
  1. Tender notice published
    22 May 2026, 15:25 BST
    UK4

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

3 public bodies on the notice

South Eastern Regional College (SERC)

Contracting authorityPublic authority - central governmentNorthern Irish devolved regulations apply GB-PPON: PYHR-1413-WQYX Castle Park Road, Bangor, Northern Ireland, BT20 4TDContact email

Other public bodies

  • CPDBeneficiary authority
  • CPD - Supplies & Services DivisionProcess contact pointProcuring entityConstruction and Procurement Delivery – Supplies and Services Division, is a Centre of Procurement Expertise and provides a central procurement function for central government in Northern IrelandGB-PPON: PVWG-8426-YWXV Belfast, Northern IrelandContact email

Official documents & specifications (1)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure

  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender