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National Apprenticeship Awards Sponsorship 2027-2029

Department for Work and Pensions

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

PlanningUpdate

01 Oct 2026 at 14:51

UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
Planning

29 Sep 2026 at 13:57

UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Work and Pensions intends to procure sponsorship services for the National Apprenticeship Awards, covering both national and regional ceremonies. The supplier will help the Awards team deliver its strategy and targets by raising sponsorship and funding for the awards. This is an event sponsorship and fundraising service, rather than a contract to organise only the ceremonies. The work supports the awards programme from 2027 onwards; the notice does not identify a delivery location beyond the national and regional scope. The buyer is a central government department. The planned procurement is a single lot, so suppliers would be competing for the sponsorship service as a whole rather than a separate regional or event package.

This is at the planning stage: DWP has stated an intention to procure but has not yet invited tenders. It currently expects to use an open procedure under the Procurement Act 2023. The indicative contract is for three years, from 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2029, with two optional extensions of up to 12 months each at the department’s discretion. The estimated value for the full five-year term is £375,000 excluding VAT. DWP anticipates publishing the tender notice on 9 November 2026, with the award decision expected by 17 December 2026. These are planned dates, not bid deadlines. The procurement is one lot and is identified as suitable for small and medium-sized businesses. Evaluation criteria have not been set out at this stage.

This work is best suited to sponsorship, fundraising and event-sector suppliers able to secure commercial support for a prominent national awards programme and its regional ceremonies. Businesses should be prepared to show how their sponsorship activity can support the Awards team’s strategy and targets, and how they would develop and manage funding relationships for an ongoing programme. The single-lot structure means suppliers should be able to cover the national and regional scope, either directly or through suitable delivery partners. DWP has identified the work as suitable for SMEs, making it relevant to smaller specialist agencies as well as larger providers. The buyer has not yet described particular accreditations, staffing levels or previous-experience thresholds; the forthcoming tender materials are expected to set out the participation and evaluation requirements.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

National Apprenticeship Awards Sponsorship 2027-2029

Notice Description

DWP intends to appoint, through an Open Procurement procedure, a supplier to provide sponsorship services for the National Apprenticeship Awards, to include the national and regional ceremonies. The successful organisation will support the Awards team in line with the National Apprenticeship Awards strategy and targets by providing sponsorship services to raise sponsorship & funding for the Awards from 2027 onwards. DWP intends to let a 3 year contract, with 24 months of further optional extensions. Total estimated contract value for full 5 years is PS375,000 (ex VAT) Please note that: - Further information and relevant guidance will be provided in or with the UK4 Tender Notice, published on the Find a Tender Service website. - The UK4 Tender Notice and associated procurement documents provided with that notice will outline how and when to express your interest to participate in the procurement process. - All procurement activities will be managed via DWP's e-procurement system (Atamis). - Procurement related documentation will be issued via Atamis. Full guidance on registration and system navigation will be provided in or with the UK4 Notice. - It is mandatory for any interested suppliers to register on the new Central Digital Platform (CDP) which is part of the enhanced Find a Tender Service in order to participate in any future procurements. Details of how to register will be included in or with the UK4 Notice. - The DWP will not be liable for any expenditure, work, or effort incurred by a provider in acting based on this notice. - The information provided in this notice is for indicative purposes only. The DWP reserves its rights to amend any of the information included in the notice. - DWP reserves the right to add or remove stages throughout the procurement process or to reduce the tendering period in future (in accordance with the PA 23). The DWP also reserves the right to decide not to proceed with this procurement. - It is currently anticipated that this procurement will follow an Open Procedure under the Procurement Act 2023.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Options: 2 optional extensions of up to 12 months each

Renewal: 2 optional extensions of up to 12 months each, at the Authority's sole discretion

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-077c8d
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/092918-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

CPV Codes

79952000 - Event services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£375,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
£375,000 £100K-£500K
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
1 Oct 20265 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
9 Nov 20262 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Jan 2027 - 31 Dec 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planned
Lots Status
Planned
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Department for Work and Pensions
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
SW1H 9NA
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

Further Information

Notice Documents

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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