Tender

Sector Specific 16-18 Funding opportunity for 2026-27 - Plumbing

HERTFORD REGIONAL COLLEGE

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

15 Apr 2026 at 07:04

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Hertford Regional College is inviting bids for its Sector Specific 16-18 Funding opportunity for the 2026-27 academic year, particularly within the plumbing sector. This tender, part of the planning phase, aims to appoint a provider with substantial experience to deliver innovative vocational training to young individuals aged 16-19. The process follows an open competition procurement method and falls under the services category, with a significant emphasis on vocational training. The procurement is governed by a "light touch regime" and requires submissions by 22nd April 2026. The delivery of the training programme must be conducted within 10 miles of the college's campuses and completed by 31st July 2027, with a gross contract value of £634,000.

This opportunity is tailored for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs) that specialise in vocational training services within the plumbing industry. The successful bidder will have the chance to engage young learners, enhance their progression outcomes, and align training to destination curriculum models, thereby fostering growth and expanding their presence in the education sector. It offers the potential to build lasting partnerships with Hertford Regional College and contribute to local educational development. To be eligible for award consideration, businesses must pass Due Diligence checks and achieve a required assessment score; the submissions are evaluated based on criteria detailed in the procurement questionnaire.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Sector Specific 16-18 Funding opportunity for 2026-27 - Plumbing

Notice Description

Hertford Regional College (HRC) intends to appoint a provider with relevant experience and a proven track record to deliver innovative programmes of study training within the plumbing sector. The contract will be for the delivery of learning against the funding the college receives from the Department for Education (DfE) for the training of young people aged 16-19 up to a maximum of 95 individuals. Delivery must meet the regulations outlined in the DfE Funding Rules, including personal development through tutorials and access to work experience opportunities. The provider should focus on progression outcomes for learners and ensure provision, even at lower levels, is clearly aligned to the destination curriculum model as well as supporting the College's rationale for subcontracting which can be found on our website https://www.hrc.ac.uk/about-hrc/partnerships-and-subcontractors Delivery must take place within 10 miles of either college campus in line with current regulations regarding distance subcontracting, all delivery should be completed by 31/07/2027. This procurement is being run under the "light touch regime" and within the timescales set out in the attachments below. To participate in this procurement you must complete and submit the volumes and values spreadsheet and the procurement questionnaire located in the attachments to subcontracting@hrc.ac.uk Please note that Due Diligence checks must be completed, and a required assessment outcome achieved prior to any contract award. HRC will invite shortlisted providers completing this procurement exercise to undertake Due Diligence in line with the timescales set out in the attachments. HRC reserves the right not to award a contract based on the outcome of Due Diligence checks. Any incomplete or incorrectly completed submissions may be deemed non-compliant, and as a result you may be unable to proceed further in the procurement process. Contract award will be subject to a management fee of 20% and HRC reserves the right not to award contracts based on procurement question responses that score less than 150/300. We reserve the right to add weighting of 50% to question 1 of the procurement questionnaire, should it be required, to determine the most appropriate provider.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-068269
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/033967-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - open competition
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services

CPV Codes

80530000 - Vocational training services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£634,000 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
£634,000 £500K-£1M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
15 Apr 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
22 Apr 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
2 Aug 2026 - 31 Jul 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Active
Lots Status
Active
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
HERTFORD REGIONAL 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
WARE
Postcode
SG12 9JF
Post Town
Stevenage
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH2 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH26 North and East Hertfordshire
Delivery Location
TLH East (England)
Local Authority
East Hertfordshire
Electoral Ward
Ware Priory
Westminster Constituency
Hertford and Stortford

Further Information

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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