--- title: "Market Engagement Event - Delivery partner for partnerships supporting early years-school transitions" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-066333" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-066333" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-066333.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-066333.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Tender" buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION" published: "2026-06-22" --- # Market Engagement Event - Delivery partner for partnerships supporting early years-school transitions Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION Current stage: Tender OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-066333 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-066333) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-066333.json) ## Summary The public procurement process is currently in the tender update stage, managed by the Department for Education, located at Sanctuary Buildings, London. This engagement involves the selection of a Delivery Partner for partnerships supporting the transition of children from early years settings into school, with a focus on those with special educational needs and from disadvantaged backgrounds. The industry category is staff development services, and the procurement method is an open procedure. Key deadlines include the submission deadline for tenders on 20th July 2026, and the award period closes on 1st September 2026. Locations for this tender span across multiple regions in the United Kingdom, including UKC, UKD, UKI, and more. This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in education and training services, particularly Small to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs). By participating, businesses can enhance their portfolio and establish long-term partnerships with central government authorities. The procurement process encourages collaborative bids, which can be beneficial for consortia aiming to capitalise on shared expertise and resources. The project's emphasis on effective service delivery and sustainable outcomes provides an ideal platform for innovative companies to showcase and implement their solutions, thereby promoting business growth and enhancing social impact in the education sector. ## Notice This is a notice seeking early engagement from interested parties in relation to the Department for Education procurement of a Delivery Partner to support effective delivery of partnerships that strengthen children's transitions from pre-reception early years settings into school. The partnerships will focus particularly on support for those children with SEND and from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Delivery Partner will play a central role in helping partnerships plan and implement their approaches, promote collaboration and good practice, and support continuous improvement across the programme. The Delivery Partner will also help ensure delivery aligns with priorities, maintains strong governance standards and contributes to sustainable outcomes for children beyond the funding period. Please note that all references to procedure, value and term length are purely illustrative and subject to change. Please note that this notice is for early market engagement and exploratory purposes and is not a call for competition. The Department reserves the right not to enter any formal processes or agreements. Accordingly, the authority will not be liable for any bid cost, expenditure, work, or effort incurred by a provider in acting based on this notice. The DfE is keen to maximise opportunities to participate in procurement for Small to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs). Consideration will also be given to consortia and collaborative bids from all forms of organisations. ### Planning Information The Department will be hosting an online event which will take place on 17 March 2026. We may host a further market engagement event following this feedback. We will share a follow-up questionnaire shortly after (18 – 26 March 2026), and we will also be hosting 1:1 discussions w/c 30 March 2026 with interested suppliers, subject to completing the questionnaire. To register and receive an invitation to attend the event on 17th March - Please visit https://education.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html - Scroll down to view opportunities and look for ssq_735 Once registered for ssq_735 please provide contact details for attendees using the messaging system within the ssq. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/058587-2026 | | Notice type | UK4 - Tender Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Open | | Procurement method details | Open procedure | | Tender suitability | SME, VCSE | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning, Tender | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 22 Jun 2026 | | Submission deadline | 20 Jul 2026 | | Future notice date | 11 May 2026 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 2 Nov 2026 - 31 May 2029 | | Recurrence | 2026-09-17 | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £1,900,833 | | Lots value | £1,900,833 | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Active | | Lots status | Active | | Awards status | Not specified | | 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) | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security ### Codes - 79633000 - Staff development services ## Release History - 22 Jun 2026 at 14:00 - TenderUpdate - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/058587-2026 - 19 Jun 2026 at 14:14 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/058199-2026 - 9 Mar 2026 at 14:39 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020961-2026 - 5 Mar 2026 at 14:52 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/019988-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/058587-2026 22nd June 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/058199-2026 19th June 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020961-2026 9th March 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/019988-2026 5th March 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - 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-066333. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-066333.json.