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W5023 The School Improvement Service, the Quality Assurance Service and the Moderation Service

Walsall Council

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

04 Sep 2026 at 08:46

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

18 May 2026 at 14:18

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Walsall Council procured one provider for a combined school improvement service, quality assurance service for alternative provision and moderation service. The work covers supporting school performance and improvement, assuring safeguarding practice in alternative provision, and delivering moderation required for statutory Key Stage 2 assessment arrangements in England. It supports the council’s duties to oversee educational performance, secure improvement, assure safeguarding and ensure the accuracy of statutory assessment. The main category is education and training services (CPV 80000000). Delivery is across Walsall and the surrounding council area. This is a public-sector education support requirement, suited to organisations that can combine school improvement expertise with quality assurance and statutory assessment moderation capability.

The procurement is complete and the contract was awarded on 4 September 2026 following an above-threshold open procedure. Bids closed at 12 noon on 12 June 2026, with the award period ending on 28 July 2026. The estimated value was £1,000,000 excluding VAT (£1,250,000 including VAT). CHALLENGING EDUCATION LIMITED was awarded the contract for £630,000 excluding VAT (£780,000 including VAT). The awarded contract runs from 15 September 2026 to 31 August 2029, with one possible 24-month extension. The original tender allowed two extensions of up to 12 months each and identified the opportunity as suitable for SMEs and VCSEs. Evaluation weighted quality at 70% and price at 30%. Two bids reached the final stage.

This award indicates demand from Walsall Council for an integrated education improvement provider rather than separate specialists working in isolation. A credible future competitor would need demonstrable experience improving schools, assessing and assuring alternative provision, and delivering reliable moderation for statutory Key Stage 2 assessment. It would also need the governance, safeguarding assurance and quality-management arrangements to support the council’s statutory oversight responsibilities. The requirement can suit an SME or VCSE, provided it can evidence sufficient professional capacity, education-sector expertise and operational resilience to deliver several linked services for one council. Organisations able to coordinate school improvement advisers, quality assurance activity and moderation practitioners could position themselves against the incumbent when this combined requirement next reaches the market.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

W5023 The School Improvement Service, the Quality Assurance Service and the Moderation Service

Notice Description

The council is looking to procure one provider to deliver a school improvement service, a quality assurance service for alterative provision and a moderation service provision. The Moderation Service is a statutory service under The Education (National Curriculum) (Key Stage 2 Assessment Arrangements) (England) Order 2003, which was made pursuant to section 87 of the Education Act 2002. The Moderation Service therefore plays a central role in enabling the Council to fulfil its statutory duties to oversee performance, secure improvement, assure safeguarding practice, and ensure the accuracy of statutory assessment.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: 2 periods of up to 12 months each

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-069b0b
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083701-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
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
£1,000,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£1,000,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£630,000 £500K-£1M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
4 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
12 Jun 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
4 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Contract Period
15 Sep 2026 - 31 Aug 2029 2-3 years
Recurrence
2031-04-01

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Walsall Council
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
WALSALL
Postcode
WS1 1TP
Postcode Area
Walsall
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLG West Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLG3 West Midlands
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLG38 Walsall
Delivery Location
TLG38 Walsall
Local Authority
Walsall
Electoral Ward
St Matthew's
Westminster Constituency
Walsall and Bloxwich

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Challenging Education

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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