---
title: "Army Foundation College - Harrogate"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-065418"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-065418"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-065418.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-065418.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "MINISTRY OF DEFENCE"
published: "2026-04-24"
---

# Army Foundation College - Harrogate

Buyer: MINISTRY OF DEFENCE  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-065418

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## Summary

The Ministry of Defence is overseeing a procurement process concerning the future arrangements for the Army Foundation College at Harrogate, a facility responsible for Phase 1 military training for junior soldiers aged 16 to 18. The procurement is currently in the planning stage, with preliminary market engagement underway. Key milestones include an Industry Briefing Day held on 16 April 2026 at the Army Training Centre in Pirbright, Surrey, aimed at understanding market conditions and shaping procurement strategies. Suppliers interested in participating must register by 10 April 2026, with the final date for response submissions being 8 May 2026. The College requires diverse services including facilities management, clerical support, healthcare, and IT, with the potential for expanding infrastructure at the site.

This tender presents significant growth opportunities for businesses, particularly those specialising in facilities management, education services, and military training support. With a gross value estimated at £204 million, and a contract period spanning from 2029 to 2036, it’s ideally suited for SMEs and larger entities with expertise in catering, healthcare, and accommodation management. Companies that can provide comprehensive solutions to manage and operate educational centres stand to benefit greatly. Engaging in the initial market engagement activities is crucial, offering businesses the chance to influence the procurement process and understand the Ministry of Defence's requirements thoroughly.

## Notice

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is considering future arrangements for the continued operation of the Army Foundation College (Harrogate) following the expiry of the existing Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract. The Army Foundation College (Harrogate) delivers Phase 1 military training for Junior Soldiers aged 16-18. Scope includes Hard FM, Soft FM, Healthcare, Learning, Clerical, & IT. The Army is also considering whether additional capacity (and therefore additional Infrastructure) may be required at the site. The MOD plans to procure these services in the future. This notice is issued for information and market awareness purposes only.

### Planning Information

Request for Information (RFI) Details
Interested suppliers are invited to provide a response to the Request for Information (RFI) in the link provided: https://contracts.mod.uk/esop/guest/go/opportunity/detail?opportunityId=61016
The Authority is seeking feedback from Industry to better understand the current market position for the requirement outlined above and attached.
For full details and question set please see the attachment 20260424-715777470 – Army Foundation College – Harrogate – RFI-O.
Clarification questions can be submitted to army-comrcl-complex-proc-mailbox@mod.gov.uk until 23:59 (GMT) on 30 April 2026
The final date for the Authority to respond to clarification questions is 23:59 (GMT) 05 May 2026.
Responses must be submitted to: army-comrcl-complex-proc-mailbox@mod.gov.uk by 23.59 (GMT) on 08 May 2026
*************************************************************************************************************************************************
The Authority is conducting Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) to inform Suppliers of an upcoming requirement and to gather information, ascertain the level of interest, gain insight into risks and issues, and inform the commercial and procurement strategies for the provision of services required in the running of the Army Foundation College at Harrogate.
Interested suppliers are invited to participate in the following activities:
• Industry Briefing Day with potential tenderers
• Request for Information (RFI) Questionnaire
How to Participate:
Industry Briefing Day
• Date/Time: 10:00 (GMT) on 16 April 2026
• Location: Army Instructor School (AIS) Lecture Theatre, Army Training Centre Pirbright, Surrey, GU24 0QQ 
• Registration: Potential bidders interested in participating must notify the MOD point of contact, Chris Thompson at Chris.Thompson218@mod.gov.uk by 17:00 (GMT) on 10 April 2026. Please include the following details in your registration email:
o Company name
o Names, positions, and email addresses of attendees (attendees are limited to 3 per company) 
• Presentation Materials: Slides from the Industry Briefing Day will be uploaded to the Defence Sourcing Portal following the event.
This is an excellent opportunity for suppliers to engage with the Authority, gain a better understanding of the requirements, and provide valuable input to shape the procurement process.
We look forward to your participation.
,

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/037562-2026 |
| Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 24 Apr 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 13 Jan 2027 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 1 Jan 2029 - 1 Jan 2036 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £170,000,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Planned |
| Lots status | Planned |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | MINISTRY OF DEFENCE |
| Locality | ANDOVER |
| Post town | Salisbury |
| Postcode | SP11 8HT |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ3 Hampshire and Isle of Wight |
| ITL 3 | TLJ36 Central Hampshire |
| Local authority | Test Valley |
| Electoral ward | Andover Millway |
| Westminster constituency | North West Hampshire |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services
- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security
- 80 - Education and training services
- 90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services
- 98 - Other community, social and personal services

### Codes

- 55500000 - Canteen and catering services
- 55520000 - Catering services
- 55524000 - School catering services
- 79632000 - Personnel-training services
- 79993000 - Building and facilities management services
- 79993100 - Facilities management services
- 80490000 - Operation of an educational centre
- 90911100 - Accommodation cleaning services
- 98341100 - Accommodation management services

## Release History

- 24 Apr 2026 at 11:30 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/037562-2026
- 16 Mar 2026 at 13:45 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/023517-2026
- 19 Feb 2026 at 10:48 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/015117-2026
- 13 Feb 2026 at 14:40 - Planning - UK1 - Pipeline Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/013493-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/037562-2026
  24th April 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/023517-2026
  16th March 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/015117-2026
  19th February 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/013493-2026
  13th February 2026 - Pipeline notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://contracts.mod.uk/esop/guest/go/opportunity/detail?opportunityId=61016
- https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence
- 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-065418. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-065418.json.