--- title: "Apprenticeship Enrolment, Delivery and Quality Management Platform - Request for Engagement (RFE)" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06f087" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06f087" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f087.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f087.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "Bedford College" published: "2026-09-02" --- # Apprenticeship Enrolment, Delivery and Quality Management Platform - Request for Engagement (RFE) Buyer: Bedford College Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06f087 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06f087) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f087.json) ## Summary Bedford College is exploring software for apprenticeship enrolment, delivery and quality management. The intended solution is an educational software platform, covering the administration of apprenticeships from joining and programme delivery through to quality oversight. The requirement is categorised as goods and includes educational software packages and wider software and information systems. Services would support Bedford College’s apprenticeship operations in the United Kingdom. The market engagement is intended to help the College understand available solutions, supplier capability and emerging innovation before it defines its future procurement strategy and requirements. Suppliers offering apprenticeship management platforms, education-sector software or integrated information systems should therefore find the subject relevant, particularly where their products support enrolment, delivery administration and quality management in one platform. This process is at the planning stage and is a preliminary market engagement exercise, not an invitation to tender, quotation request or competition. Participation is voluntary and does not create an advantage in any later procurement. Bedford College expects to conduct any subsequent procurement under the Procurement Act 2023 and associated regulations. The engagement milestone is expected by 30 September 2026, with a future notice date indicated as 15 December 2026. If a contract follows, the planned contract period is 1 September 2027 to 31 August 2028. There is one planned lot, suitable for SMEs and VCSEs. The recorded estimated value is £0 including VAT, in GBP. The engagement includes an RFE, soft market-testing questionnaire, innovation discovery form, supplier capability survey, and optional demonstrations or concept presentations. This engagement is relevant to suppliers that develop, implement or support apprenticeship enrolment, delivery and quality management platforms, including education technology providers and software companies with experience of integrated information systems. Bedford College is seeking market insight into supplier capability and emerging innovation, so businesses should be ready to explain their product’s functionality, implementation approach, interoperability and ability to support apprenticeship administration and quality oversight. The planned lot is expressly suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community and social enterprises, widening the likely supplier profile beyond large education-software providers. Suppliers may also have the opportunity to demonstrate their platform or present concepts during the engagement. Businesses should use this stage to shape their response and prepare evidence of relevant education or apprenticeship-sector capability before any formal procurement is launched. ## Notice Bedford College is undertaking a preliminary market engagement exercise to explore apprenticeship enrolment, delivery and quality management platform solutions. The engagement seeks to gather market insight, understand supplier capability, identify emerging innovation, and help inform the College's future procurement strategy and requirements. The exercise consists of: Request for Engagement (RFE) Soft Market Testing Questionnaire Innovation Discovery Form Supplier Capability Survey Optional supplier demonstrations and concept presentations This is a pre-market engagement exercise only and is not a tender, invitation to tender, request for quotation, or call for competition. Participation is voluntary and will not confer any advantage in any future procurement process. The College may subsequently undertake a formal procurement process following completion of this engagement. ### Planning Information The Contracting Authority will conduct the procurement in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023 and the associated regulations, ensuring compliance with the statutory objectives. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083137-2026 | | Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Goods | | Procurement method | Not Specified | | Procurement method details | Not specified | | Tender suitability | SME, VCSE | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 2 Sep 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 15 Dec 2026 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 1 Sep 2027 - 31 Aug 2028 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | Not specified | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Planning | | Lots status | Planning | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | Bedford College | | Locality | BEDFORD | | Postcode area | Milton Keynes | | Postcode | MK42 9AH | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLH East (England) | | ITL 2 | TLH2 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | | ITL 3 | TLH24 Bedford | | Local authority | Bedford | | Electoral ward | Cauldwell | | Westminster constituency | Bedford | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 48 - Software package and information systems ### Codes - 48000000 - Software package and information systems - 48190000 - Educational software package ## Release History - 2 Sep 2026 at 15:18 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083137-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083137-2026 2nd September 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - 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-06f087. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f087.json.