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AI Tutoring Tools Pioneer Programme - Subject-Matter Exemption - Research and Development

Department for Science, Innovation & Technology

This public procurement record has 5 releases in its history.

Award

03 Jul 2026 at 13:39

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
AwardUpdate

02 Jul 2026 at 10:46

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
TenderCancellation

02 Jul 2026 at 10:37

UK12 - Procurement Termination Notice
Award

16 Jun 2026 at 15:17

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

06 May 2026 at 12:36

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The "AI Tutoring Tools Pioneer Programme" procurement process is being conducted by the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology, in partnership with the Department for Education, located in London, United Kingdom. With the programme classified under research and development services, it specifically targets the EdTech sector within the education industry. The tender process is in the award phase as of July 2026, with contracts expected to be operational from the start of June 2026 and concluding by the end of March 2027. The procurement utilises an open method with a competitive flexible procedure to select potential suppliers for developing high-standard AI Tutoring Tools aimed at enhancing educational outcomes across England.

This procurement presents significant opportunities for EdTech and AI development companies, especially those with established product deployment capabilities in educational settings. By collaborating in the development of innovative and scalable AI Tutoring Tools, businesses can enhance their reputation and expand into the educational technology market. Smaller and large enterprises alike, with proven expertise in delivering EdTech or AI solutions, can benefit by contributing to a project focused on improving academic attainment. SMEs are particularly encouraged to participate, given their agility and potential for innovative contributions. Consortia involving partner schools with diverse needs, particularly those facing higher levels of disadvantage, are ideal settings for such collaborative projects.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

AI Tutoring Tools Pioneer Programme - Subject-Matter Exemption - Research and Development

Notice Description

Contract Award Notice following Tender Notice: https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/039400-2026 , which updated Notice https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/039400-2026. The AI Tutoring Tools Pioneer Programme contracts (a maximum of eight (8) identical contracts) will be awarded under a Procurement Act 2023 Section 3) (6) and Schedule 2, Part 2, paragraph 22, 2) (b), (c) subject-matter exemption for research and development services. The contracts to be awarded are exempt contracts and for that reason the procurement is not subject to the Procurement Act 2023. DSIT are using an informal procurement procedure (Competitive Flexible Procedure with a participation stage and two award criteria stages) which incorporates some elements of the Act and the Procurement Regulations but the notices will not include all the information required by the Procurement Regulations 2024. The outputs of the proposed contracts are intended for the benefit of the public and do not include the provision of AI Tutoring Tools. The latter would be procured via other sourcing procedures separate from this Pioneers Programme procurement. These contracts answer the need for research and development of a high-quality standard for AI Tutoring Tools. Although there is a wide range of Tutoring Tools available on the market, there is no established offer that meets the complete specification to a high-quality standard, encompassing all the necessary elements of an exceptional AI Tutoring Tool. Elements being for instance the digital curriculum (to be published) and multiple sources of data which require review. AI driven Tutoring Tools currently on the market are limited in quantity, scope and evidence base with few providing full tutoring capacity and with limited public access to the research and development that underpins them. The proposed contracts seek to research and co-design a high-quality, all-encompassing standard for AI Tutoring Tools and to initiate the development of innovative, effective and safe AI Tutoring Tools to that high-quality, all-encompassing standard thereby being the most transformative for educational outcomes. The aim of the Programme is to research, trial, develop and enable the future scalability and commercialisation of AI Tutoring Tools of the highest calibre which, alongside teachers, will improve the academic attainment of pupils across England, particularly the most disadvantaged. NOTE ON INFORMATION TO THE WIDER MARKET AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: The high-quality, all-encompassing standard co-designed during these contracts and the information shared by the participants (including the schools) with the Pioneer Programme suppliers, will be owned by DSIT/i.AI and will be shared with the wider market via a dedicated Pioneers Programme Reading Room. This is to enable other organisations to access the relevant information shared with the Pioneers Programme suppliers, the insights, the standards and quality expectations generated through the Programme's research and development work, without requiring the wider market to duplicate the research investment undertaken under the Programme. READING ROOM: The programme Reading Room will be hosted in the DfE Content Store. Details on accessing it will be published on the AI Content Store https://aicontentstore.education.gov.uk/ next week. Any further updates will be shared in the following webpage in the Summer of 2026: https://ai.gov.uk/our-work/education/ The foreground intellectual property (IP) created for the purposes of any possible prototype AI Tutoring Tool will be the property of the individual Pioneer Programme suppliers, and will not be widely shared. Early market engagement notice (UK2): https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/015370-2026?origin=SearchResults&p=1

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-069256
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/062797-2026
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
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Large, SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

CPV Codes

72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

72212100 - Industry specific software development services

72212190 - Educational software development services

72254000 - Software testing

73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

73100000 - Research and experimental development services

73420000 - Pre-feasibility study and technological demonstration

73430000 - Test and evaluation

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£2,400,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£2,400,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£300,000 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
£300,000 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
3 Jul 20262 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
15 Jun 20263 months ago
Contract Period
29 Jun 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 6-12 months
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 for Science, Innovation & Technology
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
SW1A 2EG
Postcode Area
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

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
9
Supplier Names

Medly AI

ZERO GRAVITY TECH LTD

Learn Anything Education Ltd

Flint

Pearson Education Limited

Eleven Labs Inc.

Eedi Ltd

GOOGLE UK LIMITED

PA CONSULTING SERVICES LIMITED

Further Information

Notice Documents

Notice URLs

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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