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Proc-26-84 Heritage and Traditional Skills Project

Wrexham County Borough Council

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

23 Sep 2026 at 12:32

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

10 Sep 2026 at 14:29

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

24 Jul 2026 at 09:11

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Wrexham County Borough Council bought a community and alternative education service focused on heritage crafts, traditional skills and green-space development. The programme is intended to help young people aged 11 and over who are at risk of disengaging from mainstream education, by providing targeted learning in secondary schools. It builds on earlier practical learning initiatives, including traditional construction, permaculture and blacksmithing, and is designed to strengthen engagement and confidence while introducing potential employment pathways in heritage construction and land-based sectors. The provider works alongside the Council, which designs and coordinates delivery with secondary schools and identifies suitable learners. The service is delivered across Wrexham’s secondary-school community; the published location identifies Wales rather than a more specific delivery site. This is an education service, classified under CPV 80200000 for secondary education services.

The procurement is complete: Wrexham County Borough Council awarded the single-lot contract to The Little Learning Company Limited, and the contract was signed. The award date was 10 September 2026. The signed contract runs from 24 September 2026 to 31 July 2027 and is valued at £112,040 excluding VAT (£134,448 including VAT). The competition used an open procedure below the applicable threshold. The tender closed on 20 August 2026; enquiries closed on 12 August 2026. The tender estimate was £112,320 excluding VAT (£134,784 including VAT). Evaluation was based entirely on technical and quality criteria. The lot was marked as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community and social enterprises. One bid was recorded, from an SME.

For a supplier looking towards a future requirement from this Council, the award shows demand for practical, community-based alternative education that complements secondary-school provision. Credible providers would need demonstrable expertise in heritage and traditional skills, with the ability to deliver engaging learning such as heritage crafts and practical skills, and to adapt provision for learners aged 11 and over who may be at risk of disengagement. Experience supporting young people, building confidence and maintaining engagement in mainstream education would be relevant, alongside the capacity to coordinate delivery with the Council and secondary schools and target learners collaboratively. The programme’s reach across the wider school community and its mix of heritage skills and green-space development point to a need for flexible delivery across more than one school setting. The evaluation placed all weight on technical and quality merit.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Proc-26-84 Heritage and Traditional Skills Project

Notice Description

UK 7 - Contract Details Notice WCBC Gorwelion Newydd - Provision of a community and alternative education provision provider whose specialism lies within heritage and traditional skills, with proven experience to support the delivery of an expanded service provision across wider school community. The service to be provided. As part of the Education Department, the Council has a statutory responsibility to ensure the delivery of high quality education for all learners. The Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) Service provides specialist support for children and young people with complex educational needs who require an alternative to mainstream provision. The most recent Estyn inspection recognised both the quality of this service and the positive steps taken to broaden the curriculum for learners accessing PRU support. Despite these strengths, Wrexham County Borough Council (WCBC) acknowledges that further action is required to meet the needs of young people who are at risk of disengaging from mainstream education. Demand for places across the three PRU sites continues to exceed capacity. To address this challenge, WCBC proposes to build on the success of the UKSPF Best EET Forward project (completed April 2026) by offering an equitable programme of heritage crafts, traditional skills, and green space development across secondary schools. This programme will operate in addition to WCBC's statutory duties and existing budgets. Early intervention remains central to improving life chances. WCBC views this project as a key mechanism for helping young people remain successfully engaged in mainstream education by providing additional, targeted provision within their own secondary schools. Through previous initiatives, including the Multiply project and the Best EET Forward project, WCBC has already piloted a range of practical, heritage based learning opportunities. These have included sessions in traditional construction skills, permaculture, and blacksmithing, delivered in partnership with specialist providers. These programmes have had a significant positive impact on learners, many of whom have expressed a strong interest in exploring employment pathways within the heritage construction and land based sectors. At a senior leadership level, WCBC will design and coordinate delivery to ensure the programme targets young people aged 11+ who are most at risk of becoming disengaged with mainstream education. WCBC will work closely with secondary schools and its procured delivery partner, who are best placed to identify suitable learners. Together, they will offer new programmes of learning designed to enhance engagement and build confidence.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06d2aa
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/090097-2026
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
Below threshold - open competition
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services

CPV Codes

80200000 - Secondary education services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£112,320 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
£112,320 £100K-£500K
Awards Value
£112,040 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
£112,040 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
23 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
20 Aug 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
10 Sep 20263 weeks ago
Contract Period
24 Sep 2026 - 31 Jul 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
Wrexham County Borough 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
WREXHAM
Postcode
LL11 1AR
Postcode Area
Llandudno
Country
Wales
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLL Wales
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLL3 North Wales
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLL34 Flintshire and Wrexham
Delivery Location
TLL23 Flintshire and Wrexham
Local Authority
Wrexham
Electoral Ward
Grosvenor
Westminster Constituency
Wrexham

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

The Little Learning Company Limited

Further Information

Notice Documents

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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