---
title: "Level 7 Qualification Bursaries 2025"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05669e"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05669e"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05669e.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05669e.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION"
published: "2025-08-28"
---

# Level 7 Qualification Bursaries 2025

Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05669e

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## Summary

The procurement process, initiated by the Department for Education in the United Kingdom, focuses on the Level 7 Qualification Bursaries 2025. This contract, awarded through a direct procurement method, involves funding the CIPFA Level 7 Diploma in collaboration with the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL). The procurement process is in the award and contract stage, with the contract being signed on 28th August 2025 for services in the education and training category. The strategic objective is to increase the number of bursaries from 58 to 72 for the 2025/26 period, covering 75% of course costs, targeted at schools with budget deficits. The contract period extends from 1st September 2025 to 25th April 2027, with a renewal option up to 2028.

This procurement offers substantial opportunities for businesses involved in educational services, particularly those focused on financial and operational training for school professionals. The tender has been directly awarded to ISBL Trading Ltd, the only supplier capable of providing the specific qualifications due to technical reasons, thus presenting a unique opportunity for firms specialising in bespoke educational services to partner or innovate aligned offerings. Small to medium enterprises (SMEs) that can demonstrate added value in educational resource optimisation or possess strong affiliations with education bodies may find additional opportunities for collaboration or growth in this sector.

## Notice

This procurement proposal seeks to continue funding the CIPFA Level 7 Diploma, developed in partnership with the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL), aimed at supporting School Business Professionals (SBPs) through targeted bursaries. For the 2025/26 period, the number of bursaries will increase from 58 to 72, covering 75% of the course costs. This expansion responds to strong demand--evidenced by 105 expressions of interest--and consistently positive participant feedback. The bursaries are specifically directed at SBPs working in schools with budget deficits or limited CPD (Continuing Professional Development) resources, across all educational sectors.

### Procurement Information

Justification for using a direct award under PA 2023: What is the legal framework that governs direct award? 3. competitive tendering procedure is the default for most public procurements. A contracting authority may only directly award a public contract when section 41 (and one or more of the justifications in Schedule 5) A Schedule 5: Direct award justifications-Single suppliers 25. The final justification is where, due to an absence of competition for technical reasons and provided there are no reasonable alternatives, only a particular supplier can supply the goods, services or works require. Justification: ISBL in partnership with CIPFA are the only supplier to offer this qualification

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/051868-2025 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 28 Aug 2025 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 28 Jul 2025 |
| Contract period | 31 Aug 2025 - 25 Apr 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £163,296 |
| Contracts value | £164,700 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## 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 | ISBL TRADING |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 80 - Education and training services

### Codes

- 80500000 - Training services

## Release History

- 28 Aug 2025 at 10:31 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/051868-2025
- 13 Aug 2025 at 11:18 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/048376-2025
- 28 Jul 2025 at 07:08 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/043283-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/051868-2025
  28th August 2025 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/048376-2025
  13th August 2025 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/043283-2025
  28th July 2025 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.isbl.org.uk/
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## 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-h6vhtk-05669e. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05669e.json.