---
title: "Exploring Skills Needs in England: A Qualitative Research Study (con_31878)"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-078fa5"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078fa5"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078fa5.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078fa5.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Department for Education"
published: "2026-10-23"
---

# Exploring Skills Needs in England: A Qualitative Research Study (con_31878)

Buyer: Department for Education  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-078fa5

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## Summary

The Department for Education commissioned a qualitative research study, Exploring Skills Needs in England. The work is research services focused on understanding skills needs across England. The contract covers delivery of the study by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), with the Department for Education as the buyer. The procurement is presented as a single requirement rather than separate work packages, and the recorded research classification is research services. The study’s stated geographic focus is England; no more specific delivery location is described. It is a research assignment rather than a purchase of goods or construction works, and is relevant to organisations with the expertise to investigate skills needs through qualitative research and deliver findings for a government department.

The procurement has been awarded and the contract is active. The Department for Education selected the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER). This was a below-threshold limited competition, with one lot. The contract was signed on 26 January 2026 and runs from 26 January to 31 March 2026. Its value is £80,903.75 excluding VAT and £97,084.50 including VAT. The award is recorded as active, and the contract as active. The available procurement details identify the qualitative study as the requirement but do not set out further evaluation criteria or eligibility conditions. The contract period and values relate to this single awarded contract; no separate award values are reported.

For research organisations competing for comparable Department for Education work, this award shows demand for qualitative research into skills needs in England, delivered as a focused, single-lot assignment. A credible competitor would need to demonstrate the ability to design and carry out qualitative research on skills-related questions, produce findings relevant to national education and workforce policy, and manage delivery for a central government client. NFER, a large research organisation, was selected, indicating the kind of established research provider that can deliver this requirement. The procurement used a limited competition below the applicable threshold, so suppliers should be equipped to respond to a competitive process with a defined scope. Experience conducting policy-facing research and translating evidence into useful conclusions would be directly relevant to this buyer’s requirement.

## Notice

This contract sets out an agreement between the Department for Education (DfE) and the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) to deliver a qualitative study titled Exploring Skills Needs in England.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/100772-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Limited |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - limited competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 23 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 26 Jan 2026 - 31 Mar 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £80,903 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Department for Education |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Postcode area | 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 | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 73110000 - Research services

## Release History

- 23 Oct 2026 at 20:42 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/100772-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/100772-2026
  23rd October 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education/about/procurement
- 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-078fa5. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078fa5.json.