Strengthening the Teaching of Primary School Mathematics in Malawi

CPV: Foreign economic-aid-related services

Procedure method

Negotiated without publication of a contract notice

Legal basis

CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)

Procurement category

Services

Notice status

Awarded

Procurement threshold

Unspecified in notice

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

22 Jul 2025, 11:47 BST

Last source update

22 Jul 2025, 11:47 BST

Authority reference

PO 10025 ecm_3793

FTS notice number

2025/S 000-041944

Classification (CPV)

Foreign economic-aid-related services

Delivery area

UK

Official registry OCID

ocds-h6vhtk-0563b2 Find a Tender

Why no open competition

The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator due to absence of competition for technical reasons

Published justification

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) seeks to extend the contract for the Strengthening the Teaching of Primary School Mathematics in Malawi programme by 3.5 months, extending the remaining term from December 2025 to 31 March 2026, and to increase the current contract value from £31.4 million to £38.2 million.

Due to recent reductions in the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget, the scope and budget of the National Mathematics Curriculum Reform programme (NMCR) has been reduced to £6.8 million for FY25-26. The bulk of the remaining work for this year consists of completion of the printing and distribution of textbooks for Term 2 (thus due before January 2026), and the training of Standard 3 and 4 teachers, which has to take place in December 2025. A detailed closure and exit plan will also be implemented during the period to March 2026. In the circumstances, given the time necessary for any new supplier to commence operations in the country, following a procurement process, in order to supply these deliverables, it would not be realistically possible for a new supplier to meet these immovable deadlines. Any delay would significantly disrupt the planned schedule for training and textbook distribution, which has to be aligned with the school calendar. It has not been possible to commence a procurement process any earlier owing to the need to comply with the ODA spend reduction processes.

In the event that budget is allocated for a second phase of this programme, a procurement will be run for a new contract.

Given the immediacy of the need to complete these main remaining tasks, which are necessary but were not included in the original procurement, as well as wind down the contract by March 2026, a change of contractor is not technically or economically possible within these timescales and would cause significant inconvenience and substantial duplication of costs for FCDO.

The proposed increase is within the 50% threshold permitted under Regulation 72(1)(b) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

Publisher note: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) seeks to extend the contract for the Strengthening the Teaching of Primary School Mathematics in Malawi programme by 3.5 months, extending the remaining term from December 2025 to 31 March 2026, and to increase the current contract value from £31.4 million to £38.2 million. Due to recent reductions in the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget, the scope and budget of the National Mathematics Curriculum Reform programme (NMCR) has been reduced to £6.8 million for FY25-26. The bulk of the remaining work for this year consists of completion of the printing and distribution of textbooks for Term 2 (thus due before January 2026), and the training of Standard 3 and 4 teachers, which has to take place in December 2025. A detailed closure and exit plan will also be implemented during the period to March 2026. In the circumstances, given the time necessary for any new supplier to commence operations in the country, following a procurement process, in order to supply these deliverables, it would not be realistically possible for a new supplier to meet these immovable deadlines. Any delay would significantly disrupt the planned schedule for training and textbook distribution, which has to be aligned with the school calendar. It has not been possible to commence a procurement process any earlier owing to the need to comply with the ODA spend reduction processes. In the event that budget is allocated for a second phase of this programme, a procurement will be run for a new contract. Given the immediacy of the need to complete these main remaining tasks, which are necessary but were not included in the original procurement, as well as wind down the contract by March 2026, a change of contractor is not technically or economically possible within these timescales and would cause significant inconvenience and substantial duplication of costs for FCDO. The proposed increase is within the 50% threshold permitted under Regulation 72(1)(b) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

• Mott MacDonald Limited T/A Cambridge EducationAwarded supplier 22 Station Road Cambridge, Cambridge, UK, CB1 2JD

No document links were published on the notice.