Scope
Description
At the first UK-EU Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK government agreed to work towards association to the Erasmus+ Programme. We are taking forward the next stage of negotiations with the European Union on the clear mutual understanding that the UK will only associate to Erasmus+ on significantly improved financial terms. The timelines and terms for any association are subject to further discussion.
Erasmus+ is the European Union's flagship programme to support education, training, youth, and sport in Europe and beyond, with an estimated budget of €26.2 billion for the period 2021-27. It is a grant funding scheme offering a broad range of opportunities for learners and staff across the education, training, youth, and sport sectors, from school exchanges, work placements, language courses, and semesters abroad, to professional development activities for youth workers, training for grassroots sport staff, and a range of international partnership and cooperation projects for institutions.
The Erasmus+ Programme is implemented mostly by a network of National Agencies located in the EU Member States and 'third countries' associated to the Programme. The National Agency (NA) for the Erasmus+ Programme in the UK would market the Programme, provide advice, guidance, and training to applicants and beneficiaries, assess applications for a number of the Programme's actions, administer grants to organisations across the UK and provide support throughout the lifecycle of their projects, and work closely with the UK Government and the Devolved Governments of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland to ensure that the Programme provides maximum benefits to our education, training, youth, and sport systems.
The DfE is keen to maximise opportunities to participate in procurement for Small to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs). Consideration will also be given to consortia and collaborative bids from all forms of organisations.
Total value (estimated)
- £20,000,000 excluding VAT
- £24,000,000 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 1 July 2026 to 31 December 2027
- 1 year, 6 months
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 75121000 - Administrative educational services
- 75100000 - Administration services
- 75131000 - Government services
Engagement
Engagement deadline
28 November 2025
Engagement process description
**THIS PMEN NOTICE IS TO NOTIFY SUPPLIERS OF A POTENTIAL UPCOMING REQUIREMENT THAT WE ANTICIPATE COULD BE ADVERTISED **
The purpose of this Preliminary Market Engagement Notice (PMEN) is to inform the market that the Department for Education, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and the Devolved Governments of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are considering our strategy for possible delivery of the Erasmus+ Programme. For the purposes of this notice, we have listed the Department for Education as the contracting authority for any awarded contract.
We are looking to understand the market available to deliver our potential requirements, so that we can better understand how we may structure our requirements and develop our strategy All details in this PMEN are subject to being updated or changed in the tender notice.
This PMEN does not signify the commencement of any procurement process and does not constitute any commitment by the Department for Education, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, or the Devolved Governments of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
This is a Preliminary Market Engagement Notice (PMEN) for information purposes only. It is not a formal invitation to tender. You will need to respond to any tender notice that may be issued in order to be considered for any upcoming contract.
The PMEN fulfils the requirement for a Preliminary Market Engagement Notice to be issued under the Procurement Act 2023.
We will be holding a virtual supplier event on 27th August 2025. Please see below for details.
How to engage
There will be an introductory market engagement webinar via Microsoft Teams at 11am 27th August 2025, which will run for approximately 60 minutes.
The purpose of the event is to:
Provide an overview of the Erasmus+ Programme.
Outline the role of the National Agency and National Authority.
Provide a summary of the National Agency activities.
Gather feedback on the design (including timelines) and scope of the tender (via a post-event questionnaire ).
We would encourage the attendance of interested suppliers at the market engagement event. We are keen to speak to as many organisations as possible to allow the market to shape our thinking and to ensure that the requirements of any invitation to tender that we may issue are deliverable.
Jaggaer
All communication and information will be released through Jaggaer. All information from the day, including Q&A, will be made available via Jaggaer to those who are unable to attend.
To participate in this opportunity and register your organisation's interest in attending the webinar, please register for an account and view the "current opportunities" page at Jaggaer https://education.app.jaggaer.com and search for: "project_ 9738 Erasmus+".
Once you have located project_ 9738, please confirm your interest by selecting "Express Interest" to receive full access to the opportunity. All relevant documentation will be made available in the Data Room, which can be accessed via the "Buyer Attachments" section, under "ITT Details".
Please note, you must answer the question within the "My Response" section and submit your response to ensure registration at the webinar. You can then use the messaging function to provide attendee details.
Information about the Erasmus+ Programme can be found here:
Contracting authority
Department for Education
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PDZG-3487-DPVD
Sanctuary Buildings, 20 Great Smith Street
London
SW1P3BT
United Kingdom
Region: UKI32 - Westminster
Organisation type: Public authority - central government