Award

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Hub

SUFFOLK COUNTY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

16 Dec 2025 at 15:01

Tender

02 Oct 2025 at 14:11

Summary of the contracting process

The procurement process for the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Hub, led by Suffolk County Council, culminated in an award to Skillsum LTD on 16th December 2025. This contract focuses on the provision of language courses within the region of Ipswich. The procurement followed an open competition method and was conducted below the financial threshold. The key industry category for this tender is services, specifically language education, with the full contract period commencing on 1st January 2026 and ending on 31st August 2026, with potential extension up to one year.

This tender offers significant business growth opportunities, particularly for companies specialising in educational services with an emphasis on language acquisition. The procurement's open competition method allows various business sizes to engage, as illustrated by the participation of SMEs in the bidding process. Large enterprises with capabilities to handle public authority requirements, like Skillsum LTD, would find this tender particularly suitable. Businesses focusing on providing comprehensive educational solutions tailored to linguistic needs are ideally positioned to leverage this procurement opportunity to expand their market presence and drive growth.

Find more tenders on our Open Data Platform.
How relevant is this notice?

D3 Tenders Premium

Win More Public Sector Contracts

AI-powered tender discovery, pipeline management, and market intelligence — everything you need to grow your public sector business.

Notice Title

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Hub

Notice Description

Suffolk County Council are currently out to tender for the provision of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Hub This opportunity is available in the 'Current Tenders' area of portal. Interested parties are 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. The deadline date for submissions of the tender is Wednesday 29th October 2025 (12noon). Please note late returns will NOT be permitted The deadline for clarification questions is Wednesday 15th October 2025 (12noon) which must be generated via the correspondence option on the website

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05a711
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083456-2025
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award 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
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
16 Dec 20252 months ago
Submission Deadline
29 Oct 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
26 Nov 20252 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
Not Specified

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
SUFFOLK COUNTY COUNCIL
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
procurementbusinesssupport@suffolk.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
IPSWICH
Postcode
IP1 2BX
Post Town
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

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

Download

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.

{
    "tag": [
        "compiled"
    ],
    "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-05a711-2025-12-16T15:01:43Z",
    "date": "2025-12-16T15:01:43Z",
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-05a711",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PHVH-1657-HHMV",
            "name": "Suffolk County Council",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PHVH-1657-HHMV"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Endeavour House, 8 Russell Road",
                "locality": "Ipswich",
                "postalCode": "IP1 2BX",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKH14"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "Procurementbusinesssupport@suffolk.gov.uk"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ],
            "details": {
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "id": "publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment",
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
                        "description": "Public authority - sub-central government"
                    }
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "id": "GB-COH-11645620",
            "name": "Skillsum LTD",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-COH",
                "id": "11645620"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "6 Fairfield avenue",
                "locality": "London",
                "postalCode": "ha89aq",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKI71"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "syed.hussain@skillsum.co.uk"
            },
            "roles": [
                "supplier"
            ],
            "details": {
                "scale": "large",
                "vcse": false
            }
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-PPON-PHVH-1657-HHMV",
        "name": "Suffolk County Council"
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "GFPH785",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Hub",
        "description": "Suffolk County Council are currently out to tender for the provision of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Hub This opportunity is available in the 'Current Tenders' area of portal. Interested parties are 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. The deadline date for submissions of the tender is Wednesday 29th October 2025 (12noon). Please note late returns will NOT be permitted The deadline for clarification questions is Wednesday 15th October 2025 (12noon) which must be generated via the correspondence option on the website",
        "status": "complete",
        "items": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "additionalClassifications": [
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "80580000",
                        "description": "Provision of language courses"
                    }
                ],
                "relatedLot": "1"
            }
        ],
        "value": {
            "amountGross": 205200,
            "amount": 171000,
            "currency": "GBP"
        },
        "procurementMethod": "open",
        "procurementMethodDetails": "Below threshold - open competition",
        "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
        "specialRegime": [
            "lightTouch"
        ],
        "aboveThreshold": false,
        "submissionMethodDetails": "www.suffolksourcing.uk",
        "submissionTerms": {
            "electronicSubmissionPolicy": "allowed"
        },
        "tenderPeriod": {
            "endDate": "2025-10-29T12:00:00+00:00"
        },
        "enquiryPeriod": {
            "endDate": "2025-10-15T12:00:00+01:00"
        },
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "status": "complete",
                "value": {
                    "amountGross": 205200,
                    "amount": 171000,
                    "currency": "AED"
                },
                "contractPeriod": {
                    "startDate": "2026-01-01T00:00:00+00:00",
                    "endDate": "2026-08-31T23:59:59+01:00",
                    "maxExtentDate": "2027-08-31T23:59:59+01:00"
                },
                "hasRenewal": true,
                "renewal": {
                    "description": "Up to one year"
                },
                "awardCriteria": {
                    "description": "As stated in the tender documentation"
                }
            }
        ],
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "L-1",
                "documentType": "biddingDocuments",
                "url": "www.suffolksourcing.uk"
            },
            {
                "id": "061817-2025",
                "documentType": "tenderNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK4",
                "description": "Tender notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/061817-2025",
                "datePublished": "2025-10-02T15:11:36+01:00",
                "format": "text/html"
            }
        ]
    },
    "language": "en",
    "bids": {
        "statistics": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "measure": "bids",
                "value": 4,
                "relatedLot": "1"
            },
            {
                "id": "2",
                "measure": "finalStageBids",
                "value": 4,
                "relatedLot": "1"
            },
            {
                "id": "3",
                "measure": "smeFinalStageBids",
                "value": 2,
                "relatedLot": "1"
            },
            {
                "id": "4",
                "measure": "vcseFinalStageBids",
                "value": 0,
                "relatedLot": "1"
            }
        ]
    },
    "awards": [
        {
            "id": "1",
            "title": "English for Speakers of Other Languages (Esol) Hub",
            "status": "active",
            "date": "2025-11-26T00:00:00+00:00",
            "value": {
                "amountGross": 205200,
                "amount": 170999,
                "currency": "GBP"
            },
            "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
            "aboveThreshold": false,
            "suppliers": [
                {
                    "id": "GB-COH-11645620",
                    "name": "Skillsum LTD"
                }
            ],
            "items": [
                {
                    "id": "1",
                    "additionalClassifications": [
                        {
                            "scheme": "CPV",
                            "id": "80580000",
                            "description": "Provision of language courses"
                        }
                    ],
                    "relatedLot": "1"
                }
            ],
            "contractPeriod": {
                "startDate": "2026-01-01T00:00:00+00:00",
                "endDate": "2026-08-31T23:59:59+01:00",
                "maxExtentDate": "2027-08-31T23:59:59+01:00"
            },
            "hasRenewal": true,
            "renewal": {
                "description": "Up to one year"
            },
            "hasOptions": true,
            "options": {
                "description": "Option to extend by up to one year"
            },
            "relatedLots": [
                "1"
            ],
            "documents": [
                {
                    "id": "083456-2025",
                    "documentType": "awardNotice",
                    "noticeType": "UK6",
                    "description": "Contract award notice on Find a Tender",
                    "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083456-2025",
                    "datePublished": "2025-12-16T15:01:43Z",
                    "format": "text/html"
                }
            ],
            "milestones": [
                {
                    "id": "1",
                    "type": "futureSignatureDate",
                    "dueDate": "2025-12-31T23:59:59+00:00",
                    "status": "scheduled"
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}