---
title: "South West - Digital and Technology Skills Programme"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06a39a"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06a39a"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06a39a.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06a39a.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY"
published: "2026-07-17"
---

# South West - Digital and Technology Skills Programme

Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06a39a

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06a39a)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06a39a.json)

## Summary

The procurement process led by the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology focuses on the “South West - Digital and Technology Skills Programme.” This initiative, under the main procurement category of services, attracted a wide range of bidders, culminating in an active contract awarded to Spark South West as of 17th July 2026. The programme is central to the Government’s TechFirst initiative, geared towards enhancing digital and technology skills among youth in the South West of England. The open procedure was utilised for procurement, and the contract period is set from 1st August 2026 to 30th September 2027, with possibilities for extensions until March 2029. The main industry category targeted is computer-related professional services, with activities to be conducted primarily in the South West region, facilitating collaboration between local industries and academia.

This tender offers substantial growth opportunities for businesses involved in digital education, technology training, and those with strong regional networks in the South West of England. Particularly, firms specialising in STEM education and those capable of engaging with schools and colleges to inspire digital career paths will find this contract advantageous. Companies like Spark South West have demonstrated the capacity to fulfill the programme requirements, highlighting the competitive landscape for large-scale enterprises focused on expanding their reach within the UK’s technology and education sectors. The programme, which aims to rectify the gap in digital skill sets and promote diversity within tech careers, presents vast potential for businesses dedicated to fostering skill development in underrepresented communities.

## 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 West. 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/067879-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 17 Jul 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 25 Jun 2026 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 16 Jul 2026 |
| Contract period | 31 Jul 2026 - 30 Sep 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £1,375,000 |
| Lots value | £1,375,000 |
| Awards value | £1,369,690 |
| 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 | 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 | SPARK SOUTH WEST |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 72590000 - Computer-related professional services

## Release History

- 17 Jul 2026 at 13:39 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/067879-2026
- 10 Jun 2026 at 16:40 - TenderUpdate - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/054940-2026
- 10 Jun 2026 at 14:18 - TenderUpdate - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/054835-2026
- 26 May 2026 at 12:39 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/048779-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/067879-2026
  17th July 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/054940-2026
  10th June 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/054835-2026
  10th June 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/048779-2026
  26th May 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-06a39a. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06a39a.json.