Official UK procurement notice
Provision of Groom Support
Authority: Ministry of Defence (Central government)
Sectors: Agricultural, farming, fishing, forestry and related products (03)Education & Training (80) Delivery: East Midlands (UKF2)London (UKI)South East (UKJ11)
Published estimate£3,670,000total for 5 lots · £4,404,000 inc. VAT
Submissions closed 15 Jun 2026awarded 4 Sept 2026
Awarded to The Colleges Partnership Limited2 awards
Contract term 5 yrsends 14 Jul 2031 · starts 15 Jul 2026
What is being bought5 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionThe Army requires additional specialist equine staff to ensure the safe, sustainable, and effective delivery of Military Working Horses outputs across five locations (Hyde Park Barracks (HPB), London; Combermere Barracks, Windsor; Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS), Sandhurst; King George VI Lines, Woolwich; Remount Barracks, Melton Mowbray)
The Contractor shall deliver 7 days per week, comprehensive equine husbandry, training and exercise, veterinary and farrier support, ceremonial readiness, transport and travelling groom duties, equipment care, records and reporting, liaison and surge cover, and multi site availability for Military Working Horses.
CPV: Horse riding school services · Horses
Lots and requirements (5)Procurement structure
5 lots · all with a published value (£3,670,000 together)Lot #1Defence Animal Training Regiment (DATR)Awarded East Midlands, LondonPublished value£423,333
The source published no individual description for this lot.
Lot #2The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR)Awarded LondonPublished value£705,833
The source published no individual description for this lot.
Lot #3The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS)Awarded South EastPublished value£705,833
The source published no individual description for this lot.
Lot #4The Household Cavalry Training Wing (HCTW)Awarded South EastPublished value£1,129,167
The source published no individual description for this lot.
Lot #5The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery (KTRHA)Awarded LondonPublished value£705,833
The source published no individual description for this lot.
What it takes to wini
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 morei
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).
How bids were scored
Lot distribution rule: See ITT documents for detailed award criteria.
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
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 10 Mar 2026, 13:56 GMT
- Last source update
- 14 Oct 2026, 11:20 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 15 Jul 2026
- Authority reference
715736470- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-044354- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06665fFind a Tender
How it was run
Official noticeRun through: Defence Sourcing Portal · Who buys & how to bid on MOD DSP
Access & registration note: Free · registration requires an NCAGE code — obtain in advance · before you can bid: NCAGE
- Submission deadline
- 15 Jun 2026, 17:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 29 May 2026, 17:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release
Timeline
10 Mar 2026 → 14 Oct 2026 · 9 dates- Planning notice published226 days ago10 Mar 2026, 13:56 GMT
- Next notice expected175 days ago30 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
- Tender notice published161 days ago14 May 2026, 13:22 BST
- Clarification questions by146 days ago29 May 2026, 17:00 BST
- Submission deadline129 days ago15 Jun 2026, 17:00 BST
- Contract starts100 days ago15 Jul 2026, 00:00 BST
- Award decision expected by99 days ago15 Jul 2026, 23:59 BST
- Assessment summaries sent49 days ago4 Sept 2026, 00:00 BST
- Latest notice published8 days ago14 Oct 2026, 11:20 BST
Notice history
9 events · 5 releases on Find a Tender · since 10 Mar 2026- Pipeline notice published10 Mar 2026, 13:56 GMTUK1
- Tender notice published14 May 2026, 13:22 BSTUK4
- Status changed to active14 May 2026, 13:22 BST
- Deadline published: 15 Jun 2026, 17:00 BST14 May 2026, 13:22 BST
- Contract award notice published4 Sept 2026, 09:04 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete4 Sept 2026, 09:04 BST
- Contract signature expected18 Sept 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
- Contract details notice published14 Oct 2026, 11:17 BSTUK7
- Contract details notice published14 Oct 2026, 11:20 BSTUK7
Routine re-releases (5)
- 2026-05: 1 release · 14 May 2026
- 2026-03: 1 release · 10 Mar 2026
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecastAwards 2
Awarded value £7,238,1401 award exc. VAT · 1 repeated publication of the same award counted once
Bids received 5
Named bidders 1published on the award notice
Contracts signed 1latest 12 Oct 2026
| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Across several lots2 awards | |||
| The Colleges Partnership LimitedSME1 Oct 2026 – 30 Sept 2031 | £7,238,140 | 4 Sept 2026 | Awarded |
| The Colleges Partnership LimitedSME | £7,238,140 †same award published again · counted once | — | Awarded |
Contracts
Contract 2 · The Colleges Partnership LimitedSME
- Signed
- 12 Oct 2026
- Value
- £7,238,140
- Period
- 1 Nov 2026 – 31 Oct 2031
- Status
- active
- Change Redacted contract attached
4 agreed KPIs: KPI 1 – Welfare Outcomes · KPI 2 – Training and Exercise Throughput · KPI 3 – Accuracy and Timeliness of Records …
- KPI 1 – Welfare Outcomes, The Contractor shall maintain high standards of equine welfare in accordance with JSP 950, MOD policy and local operating procedures. Performance will be measured through welfare compliance inspections, welfare incident reporting, completion of husbandry tasks, veterinary observations and the absence of contractor-attributable welfare failures. This KPI is designed to ensure that all Military Working Horses receive appropriate care, monitoring, treatment and management, thereby safeguarding animal welfare and reducing operational and reputational risk to Defence.
- KPI 2 – Training and Exercise Throughput, The Contractor shall deliver all scheduled horse exercise, schooling, rehabilitation and training activities in accordance with the agreed programme and operational priorities. Performance will be measured as the percentage of planned training and exercise sessions completed each reporting period, including compliance with the requirement for routine exercise to be completed before noon except where authorised veterinary or rehabilitation arrangements apply. This KPI ensures that Military Working Horses maintain the required standards of fitness, readiness and behavioural development necessary to support ceremonial and training outputs.
- KPI 3 – Accuracy and Timeliness of Records, The Contractor shall maintain complete, accurate and timely records relating to horse welfare, training activities, veterinary treatments, incidents, and management information. Records must be updated within agreed timescales and be made available to MOD representatives upon request. This KPI will measure the percentage of compliant records submitted without error and within required reporting deadlines. Accurate information management is essential to support welfare assurance, contract management, operational planning and audit requirements.
- Social Value KPI – Equality, Skills Development and Inclusive Employment, The Contractor shall deliver measurable social value outcomes through activities that support employment, skills development, workforce wellbeing and local community engagement directly linked to contract delivery. Performance will be measured against the achievement of annual social value commitments, such as the provision of apprenticeships, accredited training, work experience placements, veteran employment opportunities, or locally targeted recruitment initiatives. Evidence of delivery shall be reported quarterly and demonstrate tangible benefits to individuals, communities and the wider equine sector without adversely impacting contract performance or horse welfare.
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Lot | Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Defence Animal Training Regiment (DATR) | 1final-stage tenders | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2 · The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR) | 1final-stage tenders | 0 | 0 | — |
| 3 · The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) | 1final-stage tenders | 0 | 0 | — |
| 4 · The Household Cavalry Training Wing (HCTW) | 1final-stage tenders | 0 | 0 | — |
| 5 · The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery (KTRHA) | 1final-stage tenders | 0 | 0 | — |
Who bid
- wonTHE COLLEGES' PARTNERSHIP LIMITEDSME · South West England · all lots
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
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- THE COLLEGES' PARTNERSHIP LIMITEDAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (8)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
Notices published for this procedure
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Pipeline notice Pipeline notice on Find a Tender