This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

21 Sep 2026 at 13:51

Summary of the contracting process

The Ministry of Defence is seeking higher education institution providers to work with it to validate a degree programme in line with UK higher education regulations. The programme is intended to enable students to receive recognised qualifications on completing their courses. The Defence College of Technical Training requires the provider to support training and education in Aeronautical Engineering to meet defence requirements. The work covers university-level adult education and personal development training services. It will be delivered across the United Kingdom. The requirement suits universities and other higher education institutions able to collaborate with the Ministry of Defence on academic programme validation and delivery. Validation must comply with the relevant requirements of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, the Office for Students, the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales and the Scottish Funding Council.

The process has reached tender: the Ministry of Defence invited offers through an open procedure. Enquiries had to be submitted by 9 October 2026 at 12:30, and tenders by 22 October 2026 at 17:30. The buyer expected to complete award decisions by 30 November 2026. The estimated value is £560,000 excluding VAT and £720,000 including VAT. The contract is scheduled to run from 4 January 2027 to 3 January 2032, with options to extend by one year and then a further year, up to 3 January 2034, at the authority’s discretion. Offers are assessed equally on price, weighted at 50%, and technical non-cost criteria including social value, also weighted at 50%. Electronic submission is allowed in English through the Defence Sourcing Portal.

This opportunity is suited to established higher education institutions with the academic governance, validation expertise and teaching capability needed to develop and maintain a degree programme that meets UK regulatory requirements. Providers should be able to collaborate closely with a defence authority, support formal course validation and ensure that qualifications can be awarded when students complete their studies. Relevant capability includes delivering or overseeing university-level education, designing and assuring academic standards, and training Aeronautical Engineering students to meet a defined defence requirement. The requirement is likely to suit institutions with suitable academic staff, quality assurance processes and the capacity to support a multi-year programme, including potential extensions. Suppliers should also be prepared to demonstrate technical quality and social value, since these considerations carry the same weight as price in evaluation.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Title

715940476 EPACS UK4 - Tender Notice

Notice Description

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) requires Higher Education Institution (HEI) providers to collaborate with the Authority to validate a degree programme which complies with regulations set by the relevant government authorities (Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education in the UK, The Office for Students in England, the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales in Wales, and the Scottish Funding Council in Scotland). Course validation must be in place to allow qualifications to be awarded to students on completion of their courses. The role of the DCTT is to train and educate Aeronautical Engineering (AE) to meet the Defence requirement.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: Additional optional +1+1 years added to the initial period at the Authorities discretion

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-07767c
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/089171-2026
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
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services


CPV Codes

80430000 - Adult-education services at university level

80570000 - Personal development training services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£560,000 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
£560,000 £500K-£1M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
21 Sep 2026Today
Submission Deadline
22 Oct 20261 months to go
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
4 Jan 2027 - 3 Jan 2032 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Ministry of Defence
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
NAPHILL
Postcode
HP14 4UE
Postcode Area
Hemel Hempstead
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ13 Buckinghamshire
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Buckinghamshire
Electoral Ward
Ridgeway East
Westminster Constituency
Mid Buckinghamshire

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

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.

Loading OCDS record...