---
title: "Nursery Provision of Early Years & Childcare for RAF Marham and RAF Cranwell"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0694e8"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0694e8"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0694e8.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0694e8.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "MINISTRY OF DEFENCE"
published: "2026-07-08"
---

# Nursery Provision of Early Years & Childcare for RAF Marham and RAF Cranwell

Buyer: MINISTRY OF DEFENCE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0694e8

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## Summary

The Ministry of Defence has completed a procurement process for the nursery provision of early years and childcare services at RAF Marham and RAF Cranwell in the UK. This contract was awarded on 8th July 2026 to RAFA KIDZ LIMITED, with the procurement process comprising an open competition below the threshold and split into two lots. The process involved the tender stages with submissions ending on 5th June 2026, with the contract set to commence on 1st September 2026. The contract will run until 31st August 2031, with a possible extension of two years. The services fall under the industry category of pre-school education services and are intended to support service families stationed at these RAF bases.

The tender represents a significant opportunity for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly those with expertise in early years education and childcare management. SMEs interested in expanding their operations can leverage their existing capabilities to serve a defined demographic, providing tailored educational and care services to children from infancy to 11 years. The flexibility to bid for one or both lots allows businesses to align their resources and experience with the specific needs of each location, fostering growth and enhancing reputational credibility within the public sector domain.

## Notice

The Authority intends to run a Tender process for the provision of RAF Nurseries using Open Competition with Lots. The Tender will be open for 25 Calendar days. The locations will be split into Lots as outlined below: Lot 1 to include RAF Cranwell, Wellesley Way, Cranwell, Sleaford NG34 8HB. Lot 2 to include RAF Marham, Elm Road, Upper Marham, King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE33 9NF. All suppliers are to submit a response to all evaluation questions (even if not applicable) relating to the Lot/s they wish to bid for. Failure to do so will render your bid non-compliant. Suppliers can bid for one lot or both lots within the Tender. For any bids you do not wish to bid for please leave the questions blank. Description of the procurement: The below provides a brief illustration of the current provision and operational delivery of the nursery and childcare sites. Please note this is an illustration and detail can be subject to change. There will be scope to work with each station to adapt the operational delivery and outputs of the setting to meet the needs of service families and the station's statement of requirements. RAF Cranwell The nursery operates out of a purpose-built nursery that is located inside of the wire at RAF Cranwell, Sleaford NG34 8HB. The nursery is currently open Mon - Fri from 07.30 - 18.00 for 51 days of the year providing up to 76 places for children aged 0-5 years, including an offer of full, half day and sessional options to meet the needs of service families living and working at RAF Cranwell. There are currently 92 children under 5 on roll at the nursery. Wraparound childcare and holiday provision for up to 40 places is also offered to children aged 4 - 11 years at other sites within close proximity to the nursery. There are 35 staff employed to work with the children. The nursery provides funded early education for children aged 9months+. RAF Marham The nursery and childcare provision operates out of a purpose built-building facility that is located outside the wire at RAF Marham. The setting is currently open 0700 - 1800 and operates all year round providing up to 186 places at any one time for children aged 0 - 11 years including an offer of full days, part time, sessional and wraparound childcare options to meet the needs of service families. There are 44 staff employed to work with the children. The setting provides funded early education for children aged 9 months+.

### Lot Information

RAF Cranwell

Renewal: One optional 2 year extension period

RAF Marham

Renewal: One optional 2 year extension period

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/064240-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - open competition |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 8 Jul 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 5 Jun 2026 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 24 Jun 2026 |
| Contract period | 31 Aug 2026 - 31 Aug 2031 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £2 |
| Lots value | £2 |
| Awards value | £1 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | MINISTRY OF DEFENCE |
| Locality | HIGH WYCOMBE |
| Post town | Hemel Hempstead |
| Postcode | HP14 4UE |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire |
| ITL 3 | TLJ13 Buckinghamshire |
| Local authority | Buckinghamshire |
| Electoral ward | Ridgeway West |
| Westminster constituency | Mid Buckinghamshire |
| Delivery location | TLF3 Lincolnshire, TLH1 East Anglia |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | RAFA KIDZ |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 80 - Education and training services

### Codes

- 80110000 - Pre-school education services

## Release History

- 8 Jul 2026 at 12:54 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/064240-2026
- 7 Jul 2026 at 10:24 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/063552-2026
- 27 May 2026 at 14:05 - TenderUpdate - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/049801-2026
- 8 May 2026 at 14:12 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/042621-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/064240-2026
  8th July 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/063552-2026
  7th July 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/049801-2026
  27th May 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/042621-2026
  8th May 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://contracts.mod.uk/go/64626040019E07C448AC
- 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-0694e8. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0694e8.json.