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DE - Teacher Education and Professional Learning - Replacement for Professional Qualification for Headship for Northern Ireland

Department of Education

This public procurement record has 5 releases in its history.

Award

15 May 2026 at 08:46

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
AwardUpdate

05 May 2026 at 09:56

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

05 May 2026 at 09:52

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
TenderUpdate

18 Mar 2026 at 16:50

UK4 - Tender Notice
Tender

24 Feb 2026 at 15:24

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department of Education has awarded a contract to develop and deliver the Replacement for Professional Qualification for Headship (PQH) programme in Northern Ireland. Queen's University Belfast, the selected supplier, will fulfil this contract. The procurement, initiated by the Department of Education as the buying organisation, focuses on education and training services and follows an open procedure under Northern Irish devolved regulations. The procurement process is now at the award phase, with the contract active and signed on 15th May 2026. The delivery of the programme will commence in May 2026, with project completion anticipated by June 2029, and a potential extension until June 2031. The location for these activities will be centred around Bangor and Belfast in Northern Ireland.

This contract presents significant business growth opportunities for suppliers within the education and training industry, particularly those experienced in professional development programmes. With a contract value of £3,600,000 inclusive of VAT, it is an attractive proposition for large education service providers such as universities and professional training organisations, who can leverage their expertise in designing and delivering targeted educational programmes. SMEs focused on innovative education solutions may also benefit by positioning themselves as key subcontractors, particularly given the high emphasis on quality and content in the selection criteria, which accounted for 70% of the evaluation weight in the procurement process.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

DE - Teacher Education and Professional Learning - Replacement for Professional Qualification for Headship for Northern Ireland

Notice Description

The Department of Education, wishes to appoint an external supplier to develop and deliver a replacement programme for the Professional Qualification for Headship (PQH), in line with the stated commitment in the TransformED Strategy . This is a Ministerial priority with a defined timeline for the development, piloting and delivery of the replacement programme which has been crafted to deliver the Minister's stated objective and work within the confines of each academic year. The contract duration is anticipated to be from May 2026 until June 2029 with one optional extension until June 2031. The supplier will be required to develop the programme from Contract Award until December 2026, with delivery of the pilot to commence in January 2027 to the end of December 2027(excluding Northern Ireland school holidays), running over 12 months with a cohort of 40 participants(cohort split in two, to allow the two modules to run concurrently and the pilot to be completed within this timeframe. The programme will officially launch January 2028 which will run over an 18-month period. Delivery in subsequent years through agreement with DE, could be split into separate January and September entry points (combining to a total of 100 participants) each year which will provide practical preparation as a key component in the pathway to Principalship through a comprehensive and tailored programme for recently appointed and aspiring Principals. Suppliers should refer to the Specification Schedule for full detail on the deliverables of this Contract.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: 1 optional extension of 2 years to complete cohorts who start in January 2029 and January 2030

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-065b44
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/044749-2026
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
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services

CPV Codes

80000000 - Education and training services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£2,150,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£2,150,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£3,000,000 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
£3,000,000 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
15 May 20264 months ago
Submission Deadline
24 Mar 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
30 Apr 20264 months ago
Contract Period
18 May 2026 - 30 Jun 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Department of 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
BANGOR
Postcode
BT19 7PR
Postcode Area
Northern Ireland
Country
Northern Ireland
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLN Northern Ireland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLN0 Northern Ireland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLN09 Ards and North Down
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Ards and North Down
Electoral Ward
Ballygrainey
Westminster Constituency
North Down

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

The Queen's University of Belfast

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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