Award

Strengthening the Teaching of Primary School Mathematics in Malawi

FOREIGN COMMONWEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICE

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

22 Jul 2025 at 10:47

Summary of the contracting process

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is extending its contract for the programme "Strengthening the Teaching of Primary School Mathematics in Malawi". This contract, initially set to conclude in December 2025, will now be extended until 31 March 2026, with the contract value increasing from £31.4 million to £38.2 million. This procurement falls under the category of foreign economic-aid-related services and will primarily occur in Malawi. The stage of this procurement is at award, as of the latest update dated 22 July 2025. The procurement method was conducted through negotiation without the publication of a contract notice due to technical reasons precluding other competition, ensuring continuity in service delivery.

This extension is crucial for businesses specialising in educational development, particularly those capable of quickly mobilising resources to meet tight deadlines. The programme involves strategic tasks such as the printing and distribution of textbooks and teacher training, offering significant growth opportunities for businesses adept in educational logistics and training. Companies that have experience working with international aid organisations or have a strong logistical presence in Malawi will find themselves well-positioned to engage with similar contracts in the future should further phases of the programme be funded and tendered. This contract underscores the importance of capabilities in the educational sector, where timely execution and strategic planning are vital.

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Notice Title

Strengthening the Teaching of Primary School Mathematics in Malawi

Notice Description

The Roll Out and Institutionalization of the National Mathematics Curriculum Reform (NMCR) is a core component of the Maziko a Maphunziro (Foundations of Learning) Programme, a programme that aims at strengthening the quality of foundational education in Malawi. The UK is providing funding to support the Malawi government to improve the quality of early grade numeracy teaching, so all children are supported to learn more effectively.

Lot Information

Lot 1

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 12 December 2025 to 31 March 2026, and to increase the current contract value from PS31.4 million to PS38.2 million.

Procurement Information

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 PS31.4 million to PS38.2 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 PS6.8 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.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0563b2
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/041944-2025
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Negotiated without publication of a contract notice
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

75 - Administration, defence and social security services


CPV Codes

75211200 - Foreign economic-aid-related services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£38,200,000 £10M-£100M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
22 Jul 20257 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
24 Feb 20206 years ago
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Not Specified
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
FOREIGN COMMONWEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICE
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
mercy.mashem@fcdo.gov.uk
Contact Phone
+44 355844000

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1A 2AH
Post Town
South West London
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

MOTT MACDONALD LIMITED T/A CAMBRIDGE EDUCATION

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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