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Adult Skills Fund Course Delivery

East Durham College

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

25 Sep 2026 at 11:47

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
TenderUpdate

16 Dec 2025 at 15:30

UK4 - Tender Notice
Tender

16 Dec 2025 at 15:19

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

East Durham College procured adult education course delivery for people aged 19 and over living at addresses with a North East Combined Authority postcode. The provision is part-time, funded through the Adult Skills Fund, and limited to engineering and construction subject areas. Courses are intended to help learners move directly into jobs or closer to the employment market, and must align with the Combined Authority’s strategic aims for the relevant area. The learner’s home postcode determines eligibility; it is not the required teaching location. Delivery is within the North East. The college sought one provider and excluded large volumes of employability training, distance learning and provision funded through Free Courses for Jobs.

The procurement is complete and awarded to NC Group Ltd. East Durham College ran an open, below-threshold competition for a single lot. The original estimated contract value was £125,000; the contract records a value of £120,000. The award date is not recorded. The contract was signed on 28 January 2026 and runs from 10 February to 31 July 2026. The tender period closed on 13 January 2026. Evaluation weighted quality at 85% and social value at 15%. Providers had to demonstrate a history of delivery in the North East and a permanent base in County Durham, Sunderland or Gateshead. East Durham College reserved scope for additional contract value subject to its requirements and the successful supplier’s performance, capped below the procurement threshold.

For suppliers considering comparable adult skills work with East Durham College, this award demonstrates demand for part-time Adult Skills Fund courses in engineering and construction, geared towards employment outcomes and aligned to local strategic aims. A credible competitor would need a proven record of delivering in the North East and a permanent operating base in County Durham, Sunderland or Gateshead. Delivery capability should focus on relevant technical training for adults aged 19 and over, rather than large-scale employability provision or distance learning. The college’s evaluation placed substantially greater weight on quality than social value, so providers would need strong evidence of teaching and delivery quality as well as a clear social-value contribution. The awarded supplier is an SME, and the opportunity was assessed as suitable for SMEs.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Adult Skills Fund Course Delivery

Notice Description

East Durham College is looking to secure a maximum of 1 organisation to deliver adult education courses to people aged 19 years and over who live in postcodes within the North East Combined Authority area. The contract value will be based on an 80/20 split. The full contract value will be PS125,000 - Tenderers are invited to bid for the contract value stated that they can effectively deliver within the specified contract requirements. This may be split as incremental awards throughout the academic year dependent on achievement of deliverables. Adults must live in an address with a North East Combined Authority postcode, it is not the delivery location. Provision is expected to be part-time and must be linked to the North East Combined Authority Strategic Aims for each area. East Durham College is only seeking provision in subject sector areas 4 (Engineering) and 5 (Construction), which moves adults either directly into jobs or closer to the employment market. We will not accept large volumes of employability provision or distance learning. We would expect all the funded provision to be ASF funded and not Free Courses for Jobs.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Options: There could be scope for additional contract values subject to our requirements, and the successful tenderers performance. This will not exceed the current procurement threshold.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05f6f3
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/090928-2026
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
SME
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services

CPV Codes

80400000 - Adult and other education services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£125,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
£125,000 £100K-£500K
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£120,000 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
25 Sep 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
13 Jan 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
10 Feb 2026 - 31 Jul 2026 1-6 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
East Durham College
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
CO DURHAM
Postcode
SR8 2RN
Postcode Area
Sunderland
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLC North East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLC41 Durham
Delivery Location
TLC North East (England)
Local Authority
County Durham
Electoral Ward
Peterlee
Westminster Constituency
Easington

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

N and C Group

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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