Planning

Building Equal Access to Chess in Schools

DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

09 Dec 2025 at 16:16

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Education is in the planning stage of a procurement process to launch a programme titled "Building Equal Access to Chess in Schools." This initiative falls under the education and training services category, aimed at increasing chess participation across various school settings in England, particularly those with higher levels of disadvantage. The procurement aims to involve primary, secondary, special schools, and alternative provision settings, with a significant focus on engaging children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and girls. A virtual engagement event is scheduled for 19 December 2025 at 11 AM via MS Teams, offering interested suppliers a chance to discuss the programme's objectives and lay groundwork for future collaboration. The Department encourages participation from small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs) and anticipates formal tender opportunities in early 2026.

This initiative presents growth opportunities for businesses specialising in educational programmes, particularly those experienced in delivering inclusive and participatory activities for disadvantaged communities. SMEs and VCSEs that focus on increasing accessibility to extracurricular activities in educational settings are well-suited to compete for this tender. Organisations possessing expertise in chess coaching or educational services delivery are encouraged to participate in the engagement event to gain insights into the Department's requirements and to potentially influence procurement methodologies. The procurement process also holds potential for consortia and collaborative bids, providing broader scope for partnerships and innovation in service delivery.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Building Equal Access to Chess in Schools

Notice Description

The Department intends to publish a new opportunity in early 2026 for suppliers to deliver a contract for a new programme called Building Equal Access to Chess in Schools. We want to open up the world of chess to more children and young people in schools with the aim of bringing chess to more primary schools, secondary schools, special schools, and alternative provision settings across England, targeting settings with higher levels of disadvantage. As part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity we want to ensure all children and young people regardless of their background have access to enrichment opportunities including chess. The purpose of the programme is to increase chess participation and improve access for schools with higher levels of disadvantage. Within those settings, we want to ensure that pupils who are least likely to take part have meaningful opportunities to engage and succeed, particularly children with SEND and girls. We would like to share high level thinking on the future of chess in schools, learn more about sector perspectives and gather feedback on our approach from potential suppliers. After the event, suppliers will be invited to complete a questionnaire to provide feedback that will support DfE's development of delivery models. The DfE is keen to maximise opportunities to participate in procurement for Small to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs). Consideration will also be given to consortia and collaborative bids from all forms of organisations should a competitive tender become available in the New Year. *Please be aware that registration is for the Market Engagement Event only. This event does not signify the commencement of any procurement process and does not constitute any commitment by the Department for Education. This is NOT an invitation to tender for a contract opportunity and any suppliers invited to the event will not have a privileged position in relation to any future contract opportunity. Any subsequent procurement(s) that DfE conducts will be based on the fair and objective outcome of a procurement process.*

Planning Information

The Department is hosting an engagement event on Friday 19 December 2025 starting at 11am and ending 12 nooon. The event will be hosted virtually on MS Teams. Interested organisations must register for an account on Jaggaer before expressing an interest in this opportunity. Access and further information are available via the Departments e-Tendering portal - Jaggaer https://education.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html. Once registered on Jaggaer please view the “current opportunities” page at Jaggaer https://education.app.jaggaer.com and search for: Project_10185 or SSQ_659 Once you have located Project_10185 of SSQ_659 please confirm your interest in the Jaggaer system. The next step is to reserve a place using the message facility in Jaggaer. Please state Your interest in joining the event - Your organisation name - Names of attendee(s) -Email address of attendees - Role(s) in your organisation We will send a Teams calendar invite with the joining instructions via Jaggaer. Please share the invite with your nominated attendees.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05f218
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/081177-2025
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services

CPV Codes

80000000 - Education and training services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£750,000 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
9 Dec 20252 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
19 Dec 2025Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Mar 2026 - 31 Mar 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
contact.schoolscommercial@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
TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England)
Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

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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