Official UK procurement notice
Sustainable Schools Challenge: Critical Friend and Sustainability Advisor - C194/2024/2025
Authority: Llywodraeth Cymru / Welsh Government (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe Sustainable Communities for Learning (SCfL) Programme launched an innovative Sustainable Schools’ Challenge through the existing Programme and governance framework.
Building on the Net Zero Carbon mandate across the Programme introduced in January 2022, the Welsh Government invited applications from local authorities that could demonstrate innovative and collaborative design, development, delivery, and management of initially two new schools that could make a positive contribution to the environment and surrounding landscape. The collaboration expected from the Challenge included learners, staff, parents, community and supply chains through all stages of design, construction and operational life for a truly sustainable school.
Aimed at primary schools an allocation of up to £15 million at 100% intervention was allocated per project. Given the high calibre of entries funding was announced in March 2023 for three new sustainable schools.
Campws Cymunedol Bontnewydd
Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Rhosafan
Glyn-Coch Community Primary School
Working with Constructing Excellence in Wales, the successful bidder will be required to attend and participate in joint workshops and attend relevant project meetings to act as a Critical Friend for the design and construction teams and embed themselves in the three projects and being available to project teams for advice. Where necessary the successful bidder will be expected to lead in elements of the workshops, facilitating research for their case studies and conduct mini workshops at local level with the participating projects to obtain sufficient knowledge of the innovation and collaboration being undertaken to inform advice and case studies.
Attendance in person will be necessary for most meetings which will take place across Wales.
The bidders will need to familiarise themselves with progress of the designs and the work of the Critical Friend during phase1 of the design stage.
- No preliminary market engagement: Not a mandatory notice
CPV: Construction project management services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedRenewalPublished value£160,000
- Economic & financial standing
Refer to tender documentation
- Technical & professional ability
Refer to tender documentation
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).
Published sub-criteria (2)
- Technical: 70%
- Price: 30%
Published award criteria (2)
- Technical : Service Delivery 40% Education Sector Experience 10% Professional Experience 5% Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement 15% Innovation and Creativity 10% Account and Contract Management 15% Team Structure and Support 10% Performance Management and Continuous Improvement 5% Other 15% Sustainable Travel 5% Health and Safety 10%
- Price
- Economic & financial standing
Refer to tender documentation
- Technical & professional ability
Refer to tender documentation
- Price carries 30 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3 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
- 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
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 11 Dec 2025, 16:57 GMT
- Last source update
- 26 Mar 2026, 10:09 GMT
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 26 Feb 2026
- Authority reference
C194/2024/2025- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-082214- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05f44bFind a Tender- Contract terms summary
Refer to Tender Documentation
- Risks
Refer to Tender Documentation
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 29 Jan 2026, 17:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 22 Jan 2026
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en, cy
Tender Information:
etenderwales.bravosolution.co.uk ↗
The first person from your Organisation to use the Platform will be required to register on behalf of the Organisation.
Registration involves accepting a User Agreement, and providing basic information about your Organisation and about the User performing the Registration.
The User who performs the Registration becomes the Super User for the Organisation.
On registering on the Platform the Super User will select a Username and will receive a password.
The Password will be sent by e-mail to the email address that was specified in the User Details section of the Registration page.
In order to log-in to the Platform please enter your Username and Password.
Note: If you forget your Password then visit the homepage and click “Forgot your password?”
Registration should only be performed once for each Organisation.
If you think that someone in your Organisation may have already registered on this Platform then you must not register again.
Please contact the person who Registered (i.e. the Super User) in order to arrange access to the Platform.
Contact the Helpdesk immediately if you are unable to contact the Super User (for example if they have left your Organisation).
Note: If your Organisation is already registered on the Platform then you must not make any additional registration. Please contact the Helpdesk to gain access to the Platform.
Tenders must be uploaded to the BravoSolution portal by 29 January 2026 17:00 GMT
How To Find The ITT:
Once logged in you must click on ‘ITT’s Open to all Suppliers’
The e-tender references for this contract are: project 61567, ITT 122036.
Click on the title to access summary details of the contract. If you are still interested in submitting a tender, click the ‘Express an Interest button’. This will move the ITT from the ‘Open to all Suppliers’ area to the ‘My ITT’s’ on the home page.
You will then see the full details of the ITT in the qualification and technical envelopes along with any relevant documents in the ‘Attachments’ area.
Should you have any questions on the ITT, please use the ‘Messages’ area to contact the buyer directly – Please do not contact the named person at the top of this notice.
NOTE: The authority is using eTenderwales to carry out this procurement process. To obtain further information record your interest on Sell2Wales at www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/search_switch… ↗
Under the terms of this contract the successful supplier(s) will be required to deliver Community Benefits in support of the authority’s economic and social objectives. Accordingly, contract performance conditions may relate in particular to social and environmental considerations. The Community Benefits included in this contract are:
Community benefits will be non-core.
NOTE: The authority is using eTenderwales to carry out this procurement process. To obtain further information record your interest on Sell2Wales at www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/search_switch… ↗
(WA Ref:143678)
The buyer considers that this contract is suitable for consortia.
(WA Ref:144139)
The buyer considers that this contract is suitable for consortia bidding.
(WA Ref:146152)
The buyer considers that this contract is suitable for consortia bidding.
NOTE: The authority is using eTenderwales to carry out this procurement process. To obtain further information record your interest on Sell2Wales at www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/search_switch… ↗
(WA Ref:146544)
The buyer considers that this contract is suitable for consortia.
Timeline
11 Dec 2025 → 26 Mar 2026 · 7 dates- Tender notice published321 days ago11 Dec 2025, 16:57 GMT
- Clarification questions by279 days ago22 Jan 2026
- Submission deadline272 days ago29 Jan 2026, 17:00 GMT
- Award decision expected by243 days ago26 Feb 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract starts229 days ago13 Mar 2026
- Assessment summaries sent218 days ago24 Mar 2026
- Latest notice published216 days ago26 Mar 2026, 10:09 GMT
Notice history
4 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 11 Dec 2025- Tender notice published11 Dec 2025, 16:57 GMTUK4
- Contract award notice published26 Mar 2026, 10:09 GMTUK6
- Status changed to complete26 Mar 2026, 10:09 GMT
- Contract signature expected15 Apr 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Down to Earth ProjectVCSESustainable Schools Challenge: Critical Friend & Sustainability Advisor15 Apr 2026 – 14 Apr 2028 · up to 13 Oct 2028Extensions: The Contract can only be extended by the Client in consideration of policy requirements and budget availability, with agreement with the successful Bidder in accordance with Condition 3 (Commencement and Duration) of the Welsh Government’s Standard Conditions of Contract for Services. Any variation to these dates must be agreed in writing by the Client and the successful Bidder in accordance with the Welsh Government’s Standard Conditions of Contract for Services. | £126,500 | 24 Mar 2026 | Awarded |
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3final-stage tenders | 3 | 3 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- Down to Earth ProjectAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (4)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specifications ITT
- Bidding documents and specifications Specification
Notices published for this procedure
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender