Planning

Economics for Foreign Policy

FOREIGN, COMMONWEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICE

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

22 Jan 2026 at 16:19

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is currently in the planning stage of a public procurement process for the development and delivery of an online course titled "Economics for Foreign Policy". This course aims to enhance the economics knowledge and analytical skills of FCDO staff. The procurement falls under the industry category of education and training services and is located in the United Kingdom. An engagement call is scheduled for 10th February 2026, from 10:00 to 11:30 UK Time, to inform suppliers of the forthcoming procurement and solicit initial interest. The current procurement stage is planning, with potential contract award timelines beginning from 1st July 2026. The procurement method involves market engagement and the contract's estimated value is £2,520,000 gross.

This tender represents a valuable opportunity for businesses specialising in online educational services, particularly those with expertise in economics and training for professional development. Organisations capable of developing comprehensive online courses tailored to professional needs would find this procurement especially fitting. Given the course's focus on various economics topics and the use of empirical methods, businesses that excel in delivering high-quality, analytical content and can cater to the needs of government personnel would be well-suited to compete. Furthermore, the opportunity being open to SMEs indicates potential inclusivity for a wide range of providers, enhancing opportunities for diverse business growth in the sector.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Economics for Foreign Policy

Notice Description

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) intend to engage with the market in advance of the procurement of The Economics for Foreign Policy Course, FCDO's flagship economics training offer tailored for FCDO roles. This notice is NOT a call for competition. It is being issued for the purpose of: - Informing suppliers of a forthcoming procurement - Inviting interested suppliers to participate in early market engagement using the Supplier Expression of Interest Form (link below) Partaking in market engagement does not preclude from proceeding to a future stage of procurement. Overview: The contract is for the development and delivery of an online course designed to equip FCDO staff with role-relevant practitioner level economics knowledge and boost their analytical skills. Upon completion, learners will know how to critically appraise data, scrutinise relevant economic indicators, understand how evaluation can support FCDO's work, and use robust evidence to inform decision-making. The intended course structure is below: Core unit 1. The building blocks of economics - What is economics? Analyse and explain the behaviour of households, communities, firms and markets. Understand and be able to explain the economic context of a country. Core unit 2. Macroeconomic management & International economics Strengthen understanding of the macroeconomic management of countries and evaluate policy responses to crises. Identify and explain interactions between the national and global economy. Core unit 3. Data & empirical methods Critically evaluate data sources, including in AI applications, and assess their reliability using principles of trustworthiness, quality, and value, and interpret findings to inform policy decisions. Core unit 4. Monitoring & Evaluation Raise awareness of how Monitoring Evaluation and Learning can support the FCDO's work and providing foundational skills to enable staff to tell the story of what FCDO does, be intelligent commissioners of evaluation and users of evaluation evidence. Elective 1. Cross-border economics 2: global public goods, climate, and resilience to disasters Understand and explain the main concepts behind the economics of climate change, nature and biodiversity. Learn how the main theories in environmental, ecological and resource economics feed into policy discourse. Elective 2. The economics of development: economic growth, inclusive development, and the role of development cooperation Diagnose a country's state of development, barriers to and opportunities for inclusive development. Recognise and assess the role of foreign institutions, foreign aid and globalisation in economic development. Elective 3. Politics, policy implementation and the economy Analyse and explain how political institutions and economic forces interact to shape policy and societal outcomes. Compare different political-economic systems and their development paths.

Planning Information

The FCDO intend to hold a market engagement call on Tuesday 10th February 2026 -10:00 -11:30 UK Time. Suppliers interested in participating in market engagement can do so by using the following link: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=09Ci08h8Uk-7-YW9Q9lCecrVSZRgRcpDtJxVU1ZowUdUN0dJWlczWVY3SFdUWkRXRzFFRk82TDNNMyQlQCNjPTEu&route=shorturl NOTE: - No procurement documents are available at this stage. - This UK2 notice does NOT formally commence a procurement procedure. - Responding to this UK2 notice or participating in any engagement activity will not confer any advantage in any future procurement. - Participation is entirely voluntary and does NOT form part of any future selection process. - FCDO reserves the right NOT to commence a procurement, amend the approach, or change timelines based on internal or external factors.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-060cb3
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/005935-2026
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
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
£2,100,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
22 Jan 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
10 Feb 2026Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
30 Jun 2026 - 1 Jul 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
FOREIGN, COMMONWEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICE
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
alexander.ramage@fcdo.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1A 2AH
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
Not specified
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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