---
title: "Digital Languages Mentoring Project (Beta)"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-d015843f-7aab-4c54-b740-ff4d254bbb14"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-d015843f-7aab-4c54-b740-ff4d254bbb14"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-d015843f-7aab-4c54-b740-ff4d254bbb14.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-d015843f-7aab-4c54-b740-ff4d254bbb14.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION"
published: "2019-11-26"
---

# Digital Languages Mentoring Project (Beta)

Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-d015843f-7aab-4c54-b740-ff4d254bbb14

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## Summary

The Department for Education (DfE) is seeking a provider for the Digital Languages Mentoring Project (Beta), aimed at encouraging Year 8 and 9 pupils in state-maintained schools across England to opt for Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) at GCSE level. This project is classified under education and training services and involves a budget of £200,000. The procurement process is currently in the award stage, with the contract period set from 1st November 2019 to 31st August 2020. The tender was conducted through an open procedure, and the deadline for submissions was 20th September 2019.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses involved in educational services, particularly those with experience in mentoring and language education. Companies with a focus on digital platforms and educational engagement initiatives would be well-suited to compete, especially those that can demonstrate innovative approaches to fostering interest in language studies among diverse and disadvantaged pupil groups. Partners that align with DfE's goals around educational impact and evidence-based evaluation will have a competitive edge.

## Notice

The Department for Education (DfE) is seeking a Provider to deliver the beta phase of the Digital Languages Mentoring Project, building on the 2018-19 alpha pilot, which will encourage pupils in Year 8/9 to choose Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) at GCSE level. The project will be run in state maintained schools in England, with MFL undergraduate students from universities in England as mentors. The pupils will be of mixed abilities, mixed gender and mixed socio-economic backgrounds. We are particularly interested in the capacity for the project to affect the choices of disadvantaged pupils and pupils who might not otherwise choose a language. The project's ambition is to inspire them to choose to study languages at GCSE level. This is a digital project (as well as involving face to face visits) - using a digital platform to host interesting and stimulating digital resources to spark pupils' attention related to global culture and the value of languages. (The digital platform is being developed under a separate contract). The private beta phase will run in at least 40 schools in England, from late January 2020 to the end of February or early March. The project will be delivered by the time Year 9 pupils make their subject choices for GCSEs. Mentors will work with small groups of 10-12 pupils, with a total pool of at least 1,000 pupils. The contract includes the option to progress to the public beta phase of the pilot, to run in academic year 2020-21 with a pool of at least 6,000 pupils (subject to approval and funding). The Provider will be required to; - run a dedicated programme of engagement, continuing the approach from the alpha phase. Activities from the alpha pilot will be available to bidders on request. - work with the Department to develop a robust evaluation model that provides clear evidence of the impact on participating pupils, including both qualitative and quantitative data. - collaborate with the DfE product manager to prepare for the GDS service assessment at the end of the private beta pilot, focusing on the digital platform and compliance with GDS standards. - commission user research to shape and evaluate the digital platform. The user research will need to be compatible with and support assessment of the platform against GDS standards. - work with digital experts within the DfE and third parties who will review the digital platform in line with the GDS specifications. The DfE digital team will look at specific digital elements such as security and data protection, in order to support with GDS assessments and advise on future expansion of the digital element of the project.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/63f75c8f-3eab-423c-a64c-5cb537311ade |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure (above threshold) |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 26 Nov 2019 |
| Submission deadline | 20 Sep 2019 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 15 Oct 2019 |
| Contract period | 1 Nov 2019 - 31 Aug 2020 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £200,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £1,900,000 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Post town | South West London |
| Postcode | SW1P 3BT |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West |
| ITL 3 | TLI35 Westminster and City of London |
| Local authority | Westminster |
| Electoral ward | St James's |
| Westminster constituency | Cities of London and Westminster |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | CARDIFF UNIVERSITY |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 80 - Education and training services

### Codes

- 80000000 - Education and training services

## Release History

- 26 Nov 2019 at 10:25 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/63f75c8f-3eab-423c-a64c-5cb537311ade

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/63f75c8f-3eab-423c-a64c-5cb537311ade
  26th November 2019 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/4601768c-69d7-41de-abcd-a33548a57aa2
  Redacted Contract

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-d015843f-7aab-4c54-b740-ff4d254bbb14. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-d015843f-7aab-4c54-b740-ff4d254bbb14.json.