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English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Hub

Suffolk County Council

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

27 Aug 2026 at 11:47

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

16 Dec 2025 at 15:01

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

02 Oct 2025 at 15:11

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Suffolk County Council commissioned an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Hub service. The requirement is for language courses supporting people who speak other languages, delivered for Suffolk County Council and its local communities in Suffolk. This is a public-sector language education and learner-support service rather than a general translation, interpreting or construction contract. The procurement is classified as a services requirement under the light-touch regime, with the subject classified as provision of language courses (CPV 80580000). The council is the buying organisation and the service is linked to Suffolk, making this most relevant to providers with experience delivering structured English-language tuition and related support in a local-authority or community setting.

The procurement is complete and has been awarded following a below-threshold open competition. One lot was awarded to Skillsum LTD. The award date was 26 November 2025, and the contract was signed on 8 December 2025. The contract runs from 1 January 2026 to 31 August 2026, with an option to extend by up to one year, to a maximum end date of 31 August 2027. Its value is £170,999 excluding VAT, or £205,200 including VAT. Four bids reached the final stage, including two from SMEs. Electronic submission was allowed. The published award basis was the criteria set out in the tender documentation; the procurement record does not provide a separate weighting or breakdown of those criteria.

This award demonstrates established local-authority demand in Suffolk for a dedicated ESOL hub and for language-course provision delivered as a complete service. A credible future competitor would need the teaching capability, qualified staff and operational capacity to organise and deliver English-language courses for speakers of other languages, while managing learners and service delivery across the council’s local area. Experience of public-sector or community-facing education services would help demonstrate an understanding of safeguarding, reporting, performance management and partnership working, although the award record does not state specific accreditation or staff qualifications. The competition attracted four final-stage bids, so suppliers should expect competition from both larger providers and SMEs and be able to evidence a proportionate, reliable delivery model.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Hub

Notice Description

Suffolk County Council has awarded a contract for the provision of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Hub This opportunity was available in the 'Current Tenders' area of portal. Interested parties were invited to express their interest to gain full access to the tender documentation. Procurement Policy Note 09/21 requires us to calculate the value of contracts inclusive of VAT, however we can advertise them exclusive of VAT. The advertised value here is PS171,000.00 exclusive of VAT, for an initial period of nine months, with an optional extension period of up to twelve months.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05a711
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/081696-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - open competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services

CPV Codes

80580000 - Provision of language courses

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£171,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
£171,000 £100K-£500K
Awards Value
£170,999 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
£170,999 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
27 Aug 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
29 Oct 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
26 Nov 20259 months ago
Contract Period
1 Jan 2026 - 31 Aug 2026 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Suffolk County Council
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
IPSWICH
Postcode
IP1 2BX
Postcode Area
Ipswich
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH6 Suffolk
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH62 Ipswich
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Ipswich
Electoral Ward
Gipping
Westminster Constituency
Ipswich

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Skillsum LTD

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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