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Published 10 Sept 2025, 16:07 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Invitation to Tender for the PE and School Sport Partnership Network

Official notice

Authority: Department for Education (Central government)

ServicesCompetitive flexible procedureAbove thresholdLight touch regimeSME suitableVCSE suitable
Published estimate£883,700,000≈ £379m / year · £1,060,000,000 inc. VAT · 2 value updates
Submissions closed 25 Sept 2026
Next notice expected 8 Jun 2026
Contract term 2 yrs 4 moends 31 Mar 2029 · up to 31 Mar 2032 with extensions · starts 7 Dec 2026

What is being bought

Published requirement description

THIS IS AN INVITATION TO BID

This is a notice seeking bids from interested parties in relation to the Department for Education procurement of a National Delivery Partner to establish and deliver the new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network across England.

The National Delivery Partner will be responsible for the strategic leadership, design, implementation, and operational delivery of the PE and School Sport Partnerships Network.

The Partnerships Network will focus on reducing inequalities in access and participation and improving the quality and consistency of PE and school sport for all children. It will provide flexible local support, support schools to protect two hours of PE weekly, and strengthen school-to-club links through peer-to-peer learning and co-ordinated CPD creating a more equitable, sustainable system for physical activity and sport in schools.

Of the total circa £513m programme funding, the contract value for this opportunity is circa £426,000,000 for the initial contract term. A large proportion of this is pass through funding with a price cap placed on service element of this provision. For more information on the funding set up potential bidders are encouraged to carefully read the tender documentation provided.

Total values in this notice include the the value of all potential extensions. Any funding beyond the initial term will be confirmed in due course.

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

Note:

You will need to register on the Department’s e-tendering portal, Jaggaer education.app.jaggaer.com ↗ to be able to access this opportunity.

  • How the procedure runs: This procurement will be conducted under a competitive flexible procedure comprising an initial tender stage, followed by evaluation and moderation of submissions. The two highest-scoring tenderers will then be invited to a BAFO / negotiation stage in order to refine their proposal, before submitting the final tenders. The final tenders will be evaluated and moderated, and the contract will be awarded to the successful supplier.

CPV: Administration services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1Renewal 2 yrs 4 moSMEVCSEPublished value£883,700,000
Contract period: 7 Dec 2026 – 31 Mar 2029 (2 yrs 4 mo) · up to 31 Mar 2032 with extensionsValue: £883,700,000 exc. VAT · £1,060,000,000 inc. VAT
Delivery: UKEligibility: SME eligibleVCSE eligible
Extensions: Potential 3 x 12 month extension options.
Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)2
  • Economic & financial standing

    As a condition of participation in this tender process, bidders must demonstrate a minimum annual turnover of £55,000,000.

  • Technical & professional ability

    To progress to the tender evaluation stage, bidders must demonstrate that they satisfy the following Conditions of Participation relating to technical and professional ability, as evidenced through their responses to the Participation Stage Questionnaire (PSQ):

    1. Experience of delivering complex programmes and managing a wide range of stakeholders.
    2. Experience of administering and managing large-scale public funding and/or pass-through funding arrangements.
    3. Demonstrable financial controls, governance, and assurance capabilities appropriate to the scale and complexity of the contract.

    Bidders must provide sufficient evidence in their PSQ response to demonstrate compliance with each of the above Conditions of Participation. Failure to do so may result in their exclusion from further participation in the procurement process.

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: 70%Price: 20%Social value: 10%
Published sub-criteria (3)
  • Technical Questions: 70%
  • Cost: 20%
  • Social Value - Employment and training for those who face barriers to employment: 10%
Published award criteria (3)
  • Technical Questions: Technical questions will assess bidders’ proposals for the end-to-end delivery of the PE and School Sport Partnerships Network, including service design, mobilisation, school-facing support, targeting and intervention, financial and grant management, supply chain arrangements, safeguarding and quality assurance, digital platform delivery, and governance and performance management. (Q1 - Q18)
  • Social Value - Employment and training for those who face barriers to employment: This question covers bidders’ proposals to deliver employment and training-related social value by increasing opportunities for disabled people and under-represented groups, addressing workforce inequality, and putting in place clear delivery, monitoring and reporting arrangements. Outcome 6 - Employment and training for those who face barriers to employment Award Criteria (6b) - Increase the representation of disabled people in the contract workforce. Award Criteria (6c) – Identify and tackle inequality in employment, skills and pay in the contract workforce Q19
  • Cost: The pricing schedule requires bidders to submit a detailed and transparent breakdown of the tendered price for delivery of the contract, including costs, pricing assumptions, payment arrangements, and associated financial information relating to core service delivery, subcontracting and grant management, for the purposes of tender evaluation and subsequent contract management
Conditions of participation2
  • Economic & financial standing

    As a condition of participation in this tender process, bidders must demonstrate a minimum annual turnover of £55,000,000.

  • Technical & professional ability

    To progress to the tender evaluation stage, bidders must demonstrate that they satisfy the following Conditions of Participation relating to technical and professional ability, as evidenced through their responses to the Participation Stage Questionnaire (PSQ):

    1. Experience of delivering complex programmes and managing a wide range of stakeholders.
    2. Experience of administering and managing large-scale public funding and/or pass-through funding arrangements.
    3. Demonstrable financial controls, governance, and assurance capabilities appropriate to the scale and complexity of the contract.

    Bidders must provide sufficient evidence in their PSQ response to demonstrate compliance with each of the above Conditions of Participation. Failure to do so may result in their exclusion from further participation in the procurement process.

What this means for your bid
  • Price carries 20 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 2 points. 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
Competitive flexible 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
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
Unspecified in notice
First published
10 Sept 2025, 16:07 BST
Last source update
17 Jul 2026, 11:33 BST
Award evaluation window
Submission end – 25 Nov 2026
Authority reference
9967
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-067670
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
Administration services
Delivery area
UK
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0597df Find a Tender
How it runs

This procurement will be conducted under a competitive flexible procedure comprising an initial tender stage, followed by evaluation and moderation of submissions. The two highest-scoring tenderers will then be invited to a BAFO / negotiation stage in order to refine their proposal, before submitting the final tenders. The final tenders will be evaluated and moderated, and the contract will be awarded to the successful supplier.

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
25 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

Bids must be submitted via Jaggaer e- procurement portal - education.app.jaggaer.com ↗

Timeline

10 Sept 2025 → 7 Dec 2026 · 7 dates
  1. Planning notice published
    10 Sept 2025, 16:07 BST
  2. Market engagement147 days ago
    1 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST

    Register on Jaggaer, express your interest and access event held via Teams.

  3. Next notice expected140 days ago
    8 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
  4. Tender notice published101 days ago
    17 Jul 2026, 11:33 BST
  5. Submission deadline31 days ago
    25 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
  6. Today
    27 Oct 2026
  7. Award decision expected byin 29 days
    25 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
  8. Contract startsin 40 days
    7 Dec 2026

Notice history

10 events · 5 releases on Find a Tender · since 10 Sept 2025
  1. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    10 Sept 2025, 16:07 BST
    UK2
  2. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    10 Sept 2025, 17:27 BST
    UK2
  3. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    22 Apr 2026, 16:19 BST
    UK2
  4. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    22 May 2026, 12:51 BST
    UK2
  5. Published value updated to £570,000,000
    22 May 2026, 12:51 BST
    was £45,000,000
  6. Tender notice published
    17 Jul 2026, 11:33 BST
    UK4
  7. Published value updated to £883,700,000
    17 Jul 2026, 11:33 BST
    was £570,000,000
  8. Status changed to active
    17 Jul 2026, 11:33 BST
  9. Procurement method changed
    17 Jul 2026, 11:33 BST
  10. Deadline published: 25 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
    17 Jul 2026, 11:33 BST
Routine re-releases (5)
  • 2025-09: 2 releases · 10 Sept 2025, 10 Sept 2025

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 name, email

Official documents & specifications (5)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure