---
title: "Prj_6326- South East digital and technology skills programme"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05fec6"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05fec6"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05fec6.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05fec6.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY"
published: "2026-06-24"
---

# Prj_6326- South East digital and technology skills programme

Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05fec6

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## Summary

The Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) has successfully awarded a contract for the "South East Digital and Technology Skills Programme" under the TechFirst youth initiative. This programme aims to enhance digital skills among the youth in the South East region of the United Kingdom to address the skill shortages in the tech sector. The procurement process, conducted through an open procedure, was initiated to identify a suitable Regional Delivery Partner to implement the programme's goals by the start of its contract on 22nd May 2026, which runs until 31st March 2029. STEM Learning, an SME based in York, was awarded this contract to carry out necessary services under this initiative. The total contract value is estimated at £1,574,600 GBP with a focus on the education and collaboration of local academia and the industry.

This procurement is a significant opportunity for businesses in the educational, digital, and technology sectors, particularly those proficient in delivering IT services and working collaboratively with schools and community organisations. With a focus on building a diverse and sustainable tech talent pipeline, businesses involved can actively contribute to societal growth by nurturing future technology professionals. Companies specialising in STEM education, digital skills training, or with a keen interest in partnering with government and educational institutions to provide training and career guidance would find this programme aligns well with their expertise. Furthermore, organisations capable of reaching underrepresented groups, including girls and socioeconomically disadvantaged youths, will be well-poised to make impactful contributions to the programme's success and foster future growth in the UK's technology sector.

## Notice

DSIT is seeking a Regional Delivery Partner who will be responsible for ensuring successful on-the-ground delivery of the TechFirst youth programme in the South East. TechFirst is the Government's flagship digital and technology skills programme, created to remove skills as a barrier to growth in the sector. The sector relies on specialist digital and STEM skills, but there is a clear gap between demand and supply. This programme aims to build the sustainability and diversity of the tech talent pipeline, creating the foundations for long-term growth in one of the Government's 8 growth-driving sectors. The youth strand of TechFirst, TechYouth, aims to reach 1 million students in schools and colleges across the UK with opportunities to develop their digital skills, gain confidence with AI and insight into a range of potential tech careers. Regional delivery partners will support the programme at a local level, delivering skills building activities and career inspiration days for schools and colleges in the area. They will work in partnership with local industry and academia to achieve this. With the support of Regional Delivery Partners, the TechYouth programme should spark young people's interest in technology and encourage more to pursue digital and computing qualifications at age 14 and 16, both academic and vocational. It will particularly encourage uptake from currently underrepresented groups, including girls and those from socioeconomic disadvantage. These students will form the pipeline of future technology researchers and professionals needed for the sector to achieve its potential growth.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/059242-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 24 Jun 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 19 Feb 2026 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 11 Mar 2026 |
| Contract period | 21 May 2026 - 31 Mar 2029 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £1,568,000 |
| Lots value | £1,568,000 |
| Awards value | £1,564,600 |
| Contracts value | £1,564,600 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Post town | South West London |
| Postcode | SW1A 2EG |
| 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 | STEM LEARNING |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

### Codes

- 72222300 - Information technology services
- 72590000 - Computer-related professional services

## Release History

- 24 Jun 2026 at 09:03 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/059242-2026
- 29 Apr 2026 at 15:20 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/039407-2026
- 2 Jan 2026 at 13:44 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/000053-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/059242-2026
  24th June 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/039407-2026
  29th April 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/000053-2026
  2nd January 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://beisgroup.ukp.app.jaggaer.com/esop/ogc-host/public/beisgroup/web/error.jst?_ncp=1767360401838.2871001-1
- 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-05fec6. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05fec6.json.