Tender

Building Equal Access to Chess in Schools - re-issue

DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

TenderUpdate

23 Mar 2026 at 11:40

Tender

23 Mar 2026 at 10:02

Planning

09 Dec 2025 at 16:16

Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Education, located in London, United Kingdom, has re-issued a tender for the "Building Equal Access to Chess in Schools" programme, targeting education services. The initiative aims to enhance chess access across mainstream and special education settings, focusing on disadvantaged pupil groups, including girls and those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. The procurement follows an open procedure and intends to recruit 350-450 schools throughout England from April 2026 to March 2029, with a potential one-year extension. Key dates include the tender period closing on 20 April 2026 and the start of the contract on 11 June 2026. Interested parties are advised to examine documentation details on the Jaggaer eTendering platform.

This tender offers a significant opportunity for Small to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs), and consortia interested in delivering educational enrichment programmes. Organisations capable of providing high-quality, durable resources and adaptive equipment for SEND pupils, along with participating in competitive and collaborative educational events, are encouraged to apply. This programme represents a valuable prospect to impact educational provision positively, expand business reach in the education sector, and develop sustainable service models within schools across England. Moreover, the focus on training and leadership development within schools ensures potential long-term collaboration and growth opportunities for suppliers involved in the project.

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Notice Title

Building Equal Access to Chess in Schools - re-issue

Notice Description

Market Notice: Launch of "Building Equal Access to Chess in Schools" Programme (2026-2029) Re-issued due to administrative error in scope. The Department for Education (DfE) is pleased to announce the forthcoming procurement of a national delivery partner for the new Building Equal Access to Chess in Schools programme. This initiative will run from April 2026 to March 2029, with a total contract value of PS750,000 over the initial three-year term, and the potential for a one-year extension subject to funding and satisfactory performance. The programme will support mainstream primary and secondary schools, special schools, and alternative provision settings to establish or expand high-quality chess provision, with a strong focus on improving access for disadvantaged pupils, girls, and pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Programme Aims The supplier will deliver a national support model that will: Increase participation in chess among pupils who are least likely to access enrichment opportunities, including those eligible for Free School Meals, girls, and pupils with SEND. Establish regular chess provision in participating schools, delivered at least once every two weeks during term time. Co-develop tailored delivery and inclusion plans with each school, ensuring provision is responsive to the needs of individual schools and priority pupil groups. Supply durable and accessible chess resources, including adaptive equipment for SEND pupils. Build capacity within schools through staff training and pupil leadership development, enabling provision to be sustained beyond the contract , Facilitate participation in chess competitions for all schools during their active year. Scale and Reach The supplier will recruit 350-450 schools over the life of the contract, ensuring: Mainstream schools meet the Free School Meal (FSM) eligibility rate of at least 30% At least 3% Alternative Provision settings and 8% special schools within the recruited cohort. Representation across all nine regions of England. Key Activities The successful supplier will: Conduct annual school recruitment and co-develop tailored delivery plans with each school. Maintain regular chess delivery, combining in-person coaching and accessible online learning. Provide essential resources and training Develop inclusion plans and agree participation targets for FSM pupils, girls, and pupils with SEND. to engage priority groups Facilitate participation in in-school, local, regional, national or online competitions. Collect delivery and participation data, contributing to quarterly performance reviews with the Department. Provide light-touch support following each school's active delivery year and work with schools to produce sustainability plans. Supplier Eligibility The Department welcomes bids from all organisation types, including individual suppliers and consortia. Next Steps The procurement will be launched via the Jaggaer eTendering platform. Interested organisations are encouraged to review the upcoming tender documentation, which will set out full requirements, milestones, and KPIs.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: 1 extension of a maximum of 12 months

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.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05f218
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026184-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Planning, Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
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
£750,000 £500K-£1M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
23 Mar 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
20 Apr 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
19 Dec 2025Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
10 Jun 2026 - 10 Jun 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

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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