Planning

Books for Secondary Schools - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice

DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

01 Apr 2026 at 13:17

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Education is currently in the planning stage of a procurement process titled "Books for Secondary Schools - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice." The project aims to enhance the reach and impact of the £5 million funding dedicated to providing books and reading materials to secondary schools across England. As part of the National Year of Reading initiative, this effort addresses the decline in reading enjoyment among young people. Businesses and organisations can participate in a webinar scheduled for 29th April 2026 via Microsoft Teams, with final submissions due by 28th April 2026. The initiative, classified under the "Printed books, brochures and leaflets" category, invites stakeholders from the education sector, located throughout the UK, to contribute to this significant educational cause.

This tender represents a remarkable opportunity for businesses in the publishing, education technology, or philanthropic sectors looking to collaborate with the Department for Education. With a specific focus on partnerships that can amplify the programme's effectiveness, businesses with innovative resources and networks stand to benefit substantially. Particularly well-suited are small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs) that can bring novel ideas and supplemental resources to the table. Engaging in this initiative offers a pathway to establishing lasting relationships within the education sector while contributing to a nationwide campaign that fosters the next generation's love for reading.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Books for Secondary Schools - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice

Notice Description

To note - This PME does not signify the commencement of any procurement process and does not constitute any commitment by the Department for Education (DfE). If DfE decides to commence any procurement process subject to the Procurement Act 2023 as contemplated by this notice, a separate notice(s) will be published at the relevant time. The Department reserves the right not to enter any formal processes or agreements. Accordingly, the Department will not be liable for any bid cost, expenditure, work, or effort incurred by a provider in acting based on this notice. The Purpose A Preliminary Market Engagement event is being undertaken to understand market capacity and capability to help DfE deliver support to secondary schools in the PS5 million Books for Secondary Schools programme, in order to maximise its impact. This engagement seeks to explore opportunities for philanthropic funders, business sponsors, charitable organisations, school reading book suppliers and other relevant partners to work alongside DfE to amplify the impact of this investment. We want to explore how additional resources, expertise and networks could be leveraged to increase access to, and engagement with, books and other reading materials for secondary school pupils across England. The engagement will explore how best to maximise the programme's investment and support the National Year of Reading to improve reach and sustainability. We want to understand how partners can help ensure the investment directly benefits all children, including by addressing barriers to access and boosting reading. Background Reading for pleasure is hugely important and brings a range of benefits, including strong links with attainment, wellbeing, empathy, confidence, and aptitude for learning. However, in 2025, only one in three 8 to 18 year olds reported enjoying reading in their free time, which is an all-time low. That is why DfE has launched the National Year of Reading: a UK-wide campaign to address the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults. It is a DfE initiative, in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust, who are leading the delivery of the campaign, working alongside a range of partners. As part of the National Year of Reading, DfE is providing PS5 million to secondary schools in England to purchase books and other reading materials to help inspire a love of reading amongst their pupils. This funding will be split between every state funded secondary school in England, because secondary school aged pupils regularly report lowest levels of reading enjoyment: in 2025, more children aged 5-8 (62.7%) and 8-11 (46.9%) enjoyed reading than those aged 11-14 (29.5%) and 14-16 (28.6%). Schools are central to bringing the National Year of Reading to life, serving as community hubs that can foster a culture of reading inside and beyond the classroom. Schools play a vital role in shaping young people's relationship with reading and in ensuring that every pupil, regardless of background, can read for pleasure. For many children, school is the only place where they regularly encounter and have access to books: 8.6% of children aged 8-18 report having no book of their own at home, a figure that rises to 12.4% among disadvantaged children. DfE seeks to build on this momentum, creating a legacy that lasts well beyond 2026 by partnering with organisations who can increase the scale, creativity and reach of the Books for Schools initiative. Support and funding options We want to take a creative and ambitious approach to maximise the opportunity offered by the Books for Secondary Schools programme. While this funding provides a strong foundation, we believe its impact could be significantly amplified through innovative partnerships that bring fresh ideas and additional resources. Our aim is to investigate this opportunity with organisations who share our commitment to improving young people's access to books and who want to help shape a programme capable of leaving a lasting legacy. DfE brings substantial infrastructure, national reach, and trusted relationships across the education system. Through our direct links with secondary schools across England, established delivery channels, and existing communication mechanisms, we can ensure that support gets to where it is most needed quickly and effectively. We are therefore inviting partners who can help us think differently about what this programme could deliver. By unlocking the collective imagination of the philanthropic, business and charitable sectors we are investigating how to create a culture of reading that continues long beyond the National Year of Reading.

Planning Information

The Department for Education will hold a webinar via Microsoft Teams on Wednesday 29th April 2026. This will run for approximately 1 hour. A questionnaire will be issued following the webinar via Microsoft Forms and will be sent out via Jaggaer (the department’s e-sourcing system). There are several ways to participate in this opportunity and register your organisation’s interest in attending the webinar: - 1. If you are already registered on Jaggaer, please link through to project_10444 and confirm your attendance and include full names, job titles and email addresses for those who wish to attend. 2. We aim to ensure all relevant organisations have the opportunity to participate. For organisations not on Jaggaer please email COMMERCIAL.ALTERNATIVEFINANCING@education.gov.uk, stating your organisation name and names of attendees. We will send a Teams invite directly to you with the joining instructions. 3. If you are not registered on Jaggaer and would like to set up an account for this engagement session, please view the “current opportunities” page at Jaggaer https://education.app.jaggaer.com and search for: project_10444. This is not necessary for this engagement but please note that any and all future communications with DfE in respect of additional market engagement will be held via Jaggaer. 4. Once you have located project_10444, please confirm your interest by selecting “Intend to Respond” and “Submit” to receive full access to the opportunity. All relevant documentation will be made available in the Data Room. All organisations who have expressed an interest in this opportunity, including those who are unable to attend the webinar, will have access to relevant information and any supporting notes which will be made available via the Data Room within project_10444. at https://education.app.jaggaer.com/. This will include any questions or clarifications sent via the email address that would benefit all interested in the event.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-067ad2
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030397-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

22 - Printed matter and related products

CPV Codes

22100000 - Printed books, brochures and leaflets

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
1 Apr 20262 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
28 Apr 20264 weeks to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Jul 2026 - 31 Dec 2026 1-6 months
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
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
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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