Award

Executive Masters in Public Policy (EMPP)

DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION

This public procurement record has 4 releases in its history.

Award

22 Jan 2026 at 11:05

AwardUpdate

02 Oct 2025 at 11:45

Award

19 Sep 2025 at 16:07

Award

19 Sep 2025 at 14:59

Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Education has awarded a contract to the London School of Economics and Political Science for the Executive Masters in Public Policy (EMPP) programme. This direct award covers the final month of the 2025-27 cohort and the subsequent 2026-28 cohort, ensuring continuous service provision without disruption. The procurement process, conducted as a direct award due to the unique capabilities required, commenced in December 2025 and the signed contract is valid from 29th December 2025 to 31st May 2028. This procurement, situated in London, falls under the higher education services industry category and represents the conclusion of the current frameworks as well as a cost-saving move for the government.

This contract presents significant growth opportunities for large educational institutions capable of delivering high-level academic programmes with government collaboration. It allows potential suppliers to showcase their expertise in developing and delivering policy-oriented educational courses. Businesses involved in strategic course development and those with a keen interest in shaping public policy education through accredited learning programmes would be well-suited to engage in similar tenders. By successfully implementing such initiatives, educational institutions can enhance their reputation and potentially form long-term partnerships with government bodies.

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Notice Title

Executive Masters in Public Policy (EMPP)

Notice Description

This Direct Award is to the London School of Economics for the delivery of the 2026-28 Cohort of the Executive Masters in Public Policy, and the final month of delivery for the 25-27 cohort. Designed in conjunction with the UK Civil Service the Executive Masters in Public Policy is an expert level course designed to equip senior policy makers with the skills and knowledge required to become excellent policy makers. This direct award aims to provide learners continuity of service and provision, ensuring that there is no break in our ability to deliver expert level accredited learning whilst we undertake a full procurement. This will cover the final month of delivery of the 25-27 cohort, which falls outside of our current contract, and the delivery of a full Cohort starting in September 2026-28. If this Direct Award were not to proceed, the full delivery of the 2025-27 cohort would be in jeopardy. Proceeding via a direct award is the favourable option in comparison to other available contracting vehicles, as it represents a significant saving on the per-student cost in comparison to the per-student cost for the 2025-27 cohort. The Direct Award will also allow us to undertake a full procurement exercise for delivery of Accredited Learning from September 2027, allowing us to test the requirements of the policy profession against the wider higher education market.

Procurement Information

London School of Economics (LSE) is the only supplier that could deliver the conclusion of the 2025-27 cohort without disruption to learners, due to the conclusion of the current frameworks. Due to recruitment timelines (beginning December 2025), it will be impossible to have a new supplier in place for the delivery of the 2026-28 cohort. A quotation from the supplier indicates an estimated saving of PS55,137.50 across government when compared to the existing arrangements, based off student volumes for 2025-27. This extension would allow time for us to test requirements against the open market through a full procurement exercise.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-059e5e
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/005652-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services


CPV Codes

80300000 - Higher education services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£1,072,820 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
£1,072,820 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
22 Jan 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
17 Sep 20255 months ago
Contract Period
29 Dec 2025 - 31 May 2028 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
policyassurance.commercialqueries@education.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1P 3BT
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

LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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