---
title: "Building Equal Access to Chess in Schools - re-issue"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05f218"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05f218"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05f218.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05f218.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION"
published: "2026-05-22"
---

# Building Equal Access to Chess in Schools - re-issue

Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05f218

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## Summary

The Department for Education is spearheading a significant public procurement for the "Building Equal Access to Chess in Schools" programme, aiming to run from April 2026 to March 2029, with a potential extension of one year. The initiative seeks a national partner to enhance chess access and participation in various school settings, with a keen focus on disadvantaged pupils, girls, and students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The procurement, classified under the education and training services category, utilises an open procedure and involves a gross contract value of £900,000. This is an award stage contract, with the award process finalising on 6th May 2026, and the related contract expected to commence on 11th June 2026. The programme will operate across England, emphasising wide school representation and aiming to engage 350-450 schools over its duration.

The "Building Equal Access to Chess in Schools" programme opens vast opportunities for businesses, especially those with expertise in educational services that target social inclusion and skill development. The Department for Education welcomes bids from a diverse range of organisations, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs), and consortia. Businesses experienced in delivering educational programmes and resources, with a focus on accessibility and inclusivity, are well-suited to compete. This contract encourages participation that aligns with strategic objectives of fostering social inclusion and offers a platform for businesses to demonstrate their capacity to implement national education initiatives effectively. With the procurement conducted through the Jaggaer eTendering platform, interested parties should prepare to review tender documents that detail the requirements and Key Performance Indicators associated with the project.

## Notice

Market Notice: Launch of "Building Equal Access to Chess in Schools" Programme (2026-2029) Re-issued due to administrative error in scope. The Department for Education (DfE) is pleased to announce the forthcoming procurement of a national delivery partner for the new Building Equal Access to Chess in Schools programme. This initiative will run from April 2026 to March 2029, with a total contract value of PS750,000 over the initial three-year term, and the potential for a one-year extension subject to funding and satisfactory performance. The programme will support mainstream primary and secondary schools, special schools, and alternative provision settings to establish or expand high-quality chess provision, with a strong focus on improving access for disadvantaged pupils, girls, and pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Programme Aims The supplier will deliver a national support model that will: Increase participation in chess among pupils who are least likely to access enrichment opportunities, including those eligible for Free School Meals, girls, and pupils with SEND. Establish regular chess provision in participating schools, delivered at least once every two weeks during term time. Co-develop tailored delivery and inclusion plans with each school, ensuring provision is responsive to the needs of individual schools and priority pupil groups. Supply durable and accessible chess resources, including adaptive equipment for SEND pupils. Build capacity within schools through staff training and pupil leadership development, enabling provision to be sustained beyond the contract , Facilitate participation in chess competitions for all schools during their active year. Scale and Reach The supplier will recruit 350-450 schools over the life of the contract, ensuring: Mainstream schools meet the Free School Meal (FSM) eligibility rate of at least 30% At least 3% Alternative Provision settings and 8% special schools within the recruited cohort. Representation across all nine regions of England. Key Activities The successful supplier will: Conduct annual school recruitment and co-develop tailored delivery plans with each school. Maintain regular chess delivery, combining in-person coaching and accessible online learning. Provide essential resources and training Develop inclusion plans and agree participation targets for FSM pupils, girls, and pupils with SEND. to engage priority groups Facilitate participation in in-school, local, regional, national or online competitions. Collect delivery and participation data, contributing to quarterly performance reviews with the Department. Provide light-touch support following each school's active delivery year and work with schools to produce sustainability plans. Supplier Eligibility The Department welcomes bids from all organisation types, including individual suppliers and consortia. Next Steps The procurement will be launched via the Jaggaer eTendering platform. Interested organisations are encouraged to review the upcoming tender documentation, which will set out full requirements, milestones, and KPIs.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: 1 extension of a maximum of 12 months

### Planning Information

The Department is hosting an engagement event on Friday 19 December 2025 starting at 11am and ending 12 nooon.
The event will be hosted virtually on MS Teams.
Interested organisations must register for an account on Jaggaer before expressing an interest in this opportunity.
Access and further information are available via the Departments e-Tendering portal - Jaggaer https://education.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html. 
Once registered on Jaggaer please view the “current opportunities” page at Jaggaer https://education.app.jaggaer.com and search for: Project_10185 or SSQ_659 Once you have located Project_10185 of SSQ_659 please confirm your interest in the Jaggaer system. 
The next step is to reserve a place using the message facility in Jaggaer. Please state
Your interest in joining the event
- Your organisation name
- Names of attendee(s)
-Email address of attendees
- Role(s) in your organisation
We will send a Teams calendar invite with the joining instructions via Jaggaer. Please share the invite with your nominated attendees.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/047800-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Planning, Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 22 May 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 20 Apr 2026 |
| Future notice date | 19 Dec 2025 |
| Award date | 21 May 2026 |
| Contract period | 3 Jun 2026 - 10 Jun 2029 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £750,000 |
| Lots value | £750,000 |
| Awards value | £750,000 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Pending |
| 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 | TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England) |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | CHESS IN SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 80 - Education and training services

### Codes

- 80000000 - Education and training services

## Release History

- 22 May 2026 at 11:31 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/047800-2026
- 23 Mar 2026 at 11:40 - TenderUpdate - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026184-2026
- 23 Mar 2026 at 10:02 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026093-2026
- 9 Dec 2025 at 16:16 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/081177-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/047800-2026
  22nd May 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026184-2026
  23rd March 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026093-2026
  23rd March 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/081177-2025
  9th December 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://education.app.jaggaer.com
- https://education.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html
- 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-05f218. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05f218.json.