Scope
Reference
ID 5828340
Description
The Department for the Economy is seeking tenders for the delivery of the Skills for Life and Work Programme 2025. The programme will support a diverse cohort of young people through a relevant and empowering vocational education and training experience that equips them for progression to higher levels of learning or to employment, according to their own aspirations. The overall aim of the Programme is to ensure continuity of youth vocational education and training provision, contribute to social and economic inclusion, deliver skills learning and achievement, and act as a pathway to any next step. Many participants will enter the Programme with a disability or disabilities, and/or with a complex range of issues and barriers to learning and achievement, including mental wellbeing challenges and mental health difficulties. Additional disability support will be the responsibility of the training provider to deliver or source. Payment for this support will be covered in the funding table and contractual measures will be in place to ensure that this additional funding is ring-fenced and directed towards those young people with disabilities. Suppliers should refer to the Specification Schedule for full detail on the deliverables of this contract.
Total value (estimated)
- £195,000,000 excluding VAT
- £234,000,000 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 1 September 2025 to 31 July 2027
- Possible extension to 31 July 2031
- 5 years, 11 months
Description of possible extension:
The Award of Contract is anticipated to be August 2025 with the Initial Contract Period of up to two years commencing in September 2025, or as soon as possible thereafter (where 'up to two years' pertains to the period of recruitment of participants to the programme). There will be a run-off period following the Initial Contract Period during which all Contract provisions, terms and conditions will continue to apply. This is to accommodate the participant training entitlements set out in the Operational Requirements. Service delivery cannot commence until the first Monday of the September 2025, or as soon as possible thereafter following Contract commencement and the programme will close to new participant entrants after July 2027.
There will be an option to extend the Initial Contract Period for a further four one-year periods , and if the Contract is extended the Programme will remain open to new participant entrants during the extension period. Participants recruited during the Initial Contract Period or the extension period will have a training entitlement as set out in the Operational Requirements.
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 80000000 - Education and training services
- 80210000 - Technical and vocational secondary education services
- 80310000 - Youth education services
- 80500000 - Training services
- 80521000 - Training programme services
- 80530000 - Vocational training services
- 80531000 - Industrial and technical training services
- 80531100 - Industrial training services
- 80531200 - Technical training services
- 80570000 - Personal development training services
Contract locations
- UKN - Northern Ireland
Participation
Technical ability conditions of participation
As per Tender documentation.
Submission
Enquiry deadline
16 June 2025, 3:00pm
Tender submission deadline
25 June 2025, 3:00pm
Submission address and any special instructions
Tenders must be submitted electronically via the relevant Call for Tender (CfT) opportunity on eTendersNI, website details immediately below.
Paper submissions will not be accepted or considered and will be rejected by the Contracting Authority / Buyer.
The tender documents are available with unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at: URL https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
Tenders may be submitted electronically
Yes
Languages that may be used for submission
English
Award decision date (estimated)
22 July 2025
Award criteria
| Name | Description | Type | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|
| AC1 Teaching and Learning | As per Tender documentation. |
Quality | 20% |
| AC3 Staffing | As per Tender documentation. |
Quality | 20% |
| AC2 Disability Support | As per Tender documentation. |
Quality | 15% |
| AC5 Leadership and Management | As per Tender documentation. |
Quality | 15% |
| AC4 Resource Access | As per Tender documentation. |
Quality | 10% |
| AC6 Partnerships | As per Tender documentation. |
Quality | 10% |
| AC7 Social Value | As per Tender documentation. |
Quality | 10% |
Other information
Payment terms
For further details on invoicing procedures please see : https://www.finance-ni.gov.uk/ar ticles/account-ni-good-invoicing-practice
Contract Value
The estimated value figure indicated in the Scope Section represents an overall estimated contract value. This value reflects the potential scale of the contract. Neither CPD nor the contracting Authority can provide any guarantee as to the level of business under this contract. The Contracting Authority does not bind itself to accept any tender. Suppliers remain responsible for all costs and expenses incurred by them or by any third party acting under instructions from the Supplier in connection with taking part in this procurement process regardless of whether such costs arise as a consequence, directly or indirectly of any amendments made to the procurement documents by the Contracting Authority at any time. No legally binding contract shall arise (and a Supplier shall have no legitimate expectation that a contract will be entered into) until such time as entry into the Contract has been confirmed by the Contracting Authority.
Applicable trade agreements
- Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Open procedure
Special regime
Light touch
Justification for not publishing a preliminary market engagement notice
Arrangements for the provision of disability support in Skills for Life and Work (SfLW) 2025 have changed from the previous programme. In SfLW 2021, the Department for the Economy (DfE) separately contracted additional disability support but following internal reviews, engagement with stakeholders and a public consultation, additional disability support will now be the responsibility of the Supplier to deliver or source. This was all undertaken by the Department prior to the commencement the Procurement Act 2023, which came into force on February 24, 2025. Further details can be found within the document entitled 'ID 5828340 - Instructions to Tender'.
Contracting authority
Department for the Economy - DfE
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PZXX-5679-MBYZ
39/49 Adelaide Street
Belfast
BT2 8FD
United Kingdom
Email: SSDAdmin.CPD@finance-ni.gov.uk
Website: https://www.economy-ni.gov.uk/
Region: UKN06 - Belfast
Organisation type: Public authority - central government
Devolved regulations that apply: Northern Ireland
Other organisation
These organisations are carrying out the procurement, or part of it, on behalf of the contracting authorities.
CPD - Supplies & Services Division
Summary of their role in this procurement: Construction and Procurement Delivery - Supplies and Services Division, is a Centre of Procurement Expertise and provides a central procurement function for central government in Northern Ireland.
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PVWG-8426-YWXV
Clare House 303 Airport Road West
Belfast
BT3 9ED
United Kingdom
Region: UKN06 - Belfast