Planning

Pre Market Engagement Exercise for Delivery of a BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in Sports Studies and Coaching for St Colm's High School

THE EDUCATION AUTHORITY (NI)

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

12 Mar 2026 at 16:21

Summary of the contracting process

The Education Authority Northern Ireland (NI) is initiating a pre-market engagement exercise, focusing on the potential delivery of a BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in Sports Studies and Coaching for St Colm's High School, located in Belfast, United Kingdom. This procurement process is currently in the planning stage, with a scheduled pre-market engagement milestone due by 31st March 2026. Interested suppliers are encouraged to complete a questionnaire available on eTendersNI, providing insights that will aid in shaping a robust Framework Agreement anticipated to commence from 1st September 2026 and potentially extend to 31st August 2030. The initiative falls under the industry category of educational and training services, specifically targeting secondary and vocational education services.

This exercise presents an excellent opportunity for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs) specialising in educational services to engage and offer their expertise in delivering this specialised curriculum. Businesses involved in sports coaching, educational training, and vocational services will find this engagement particularly relevant, allowing them to influence the structure of future procurement opportunities and establish connections with key public sector buyers. By participating in this process, businesses can position themselves favourably for forthcoming procurement processes to deliver value-for-money services through competitive market engagement. The procurement method indicates a focus on light touch regime under devolved regulations, highlighting the aim to foster diverse participation and innovation in public service delivery.

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Notice Title

Pre Market Engagement Exercise for Delivery of a BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in Sports Studies and Coaching for St Colm's High School

Notice Description

The primary purpose of this preliminary market engagement exercise ("Exercise") is for the Education Authority (EA) to outline and seek supplier views and feedback on potential approaches for the delivery of a BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in Sports Studies and Coaching for St Colm's High School This is not a tender exercise by the Education Authority. The Education Authority Northern Ireland (EANI) wishes to engage with the market to gather views on the establishment of a robust, value-for-money Framework Agreement for the delivery of a BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in Sports Studies and Coaching for St Colm's High School.The anticipated contract period is from 1 September 2026 to 31st August 2028 (indicative), with options to extend for periods up to a further 24 months. Any information gathered through this market consultation exercise will be used solely to inform internal business planning and any potential future procurement process. It will not be evaluated as part of any subsequent tender exercise. Participation--or non-participation--in this preliminary market consultation will not preclude any supplier from taking part in any future procurement process, nor will any information submitted provide any supplier with an advantage or disadvantage. For the avoidance of doubt, this is the scoping phase and not part of a formal procurement procedure. Suppliers who wish to participate in the market engagement exercise should complete the pre-market engagement questionnaire available on eTendersNI under the unique reference EANI-5178. Further information, including the questionnaire, can be downloaded from the CfT documents. Completed questionnaires must be submitted via the Messaging function of eTendersNI no later than 3:00pm on Tuesday 31st March 2026. No additional tender documents are required at this stage beyond the questionnaire.

Planning Information

PRE-MARKET ENGAGEMENT QUESTIONNAIRE (PME) for a BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in Sports Studies and Coaching for St Colm’s High School . Interested suppliers are asked to complete and return the questionnaire via eTendersNI no later than 15:00 on the 31st March 2026.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0668d8
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/022531-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
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

92 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services

98 - Other community, social and personal services


CPV Codes

80000000 - Education and training services

80200000 - Secondary education services

80210000 - Technical and vocational secondary education services

80400000 - Adult and other education services

80410000 - Various school services

80500000 - Training services

80530000 - Vocational training services

92000000 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services

92600000 - Sporting services

92620000 - Sport-related services

98000000 - Other community, social and personal services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£176,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
12 Mar 20262 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
8 May 20262 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Aug 2026 - 31 Aug 2028 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
THE EDUCATION AUTHORITY (NI)
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
BELFAST
Postcode
BT1 2NQ
Post Town
Northern Ireland
Country
Northern Ireland

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLN Northern Ireland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLN0 Northern Ireland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLN06 Belfast
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Belfast
Electoral Ward
Duncairn
Westminster Constituency
Belfast North

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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