Scope
Reference
ID 5998126
Description
The Department of Education (the Buyer) requires a Supplier to undertake an independent evaluation of the RAISE programme. The Supplier must provide ongoing evidence and assessment to assist the Programme Board and Locality Reference Groups in refining the programme throughout its delivery/the delivery of their Strategic Area Plans.
Total value (estimated)
- £400,000 excluding VAT
- £480,000 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 1 February 2026 to 31 January 2028
- Possible extension to 31 January 2030
- 4 years
Description of possible extension:
option to extend for a further two periods of up to one year each
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services
- 79311000 - Survey services
- 79315000 - Social research services
- 79421000 - Project-management services other than for construction work
- 79419000 - Evaluation consultancy services
Participation
Legal and financial capacity conditions of participation
As per tender documentation
Technical ability conditions of participation
As per tender documentation
Particular suitability
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
Submission
Enquiry deadline
2 January 2026, 3:00pm
Tender submission deadline
8 January 2026, 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)
19 January 2026
Award criteria
| Name | Type |
|---|---|
| AC1 - Proposed methodology | Quality |
| AC2 - Proposed Team Experience | Quality |
| AC3 - Contract Management | Quality |
| AC4 - Price | Price |
Weighting description
Qualitative - 90%
Quantitative - 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 and
https://www.finance-ni.gov.uk/articles/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 and takes into account
potential optional extension periods and the uptake of potential optional services as detailed
in the tender documents. This figure does not however take into account the application of
indexation or increases to charges due to increases in the Real Living Wage. 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 the lowest or 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.
Description of risks to contract performance
Exclusions
If at any time during the procurement, or post award, it comes to the attention of the
Contracting Authority (CA) or CPD, by whatever means, that a Supplier has become
'excluded' or 'excludable' as per Sec 57 of the PA 2023, the CA, after compliance with its
obligations under the PA 23, reserves the right to exclude said Supplier from the
procurement procedure or terminate any contract they have been awarded.
The Contracting Authority expressly reserves the rights:
(I). not to award any contract as a result of the procurement process commenced by
publication of this notice;
(II). to make whatever changes it may see fit to the content and structure of the tendering
Competition;
(III). to award (a) contract(s) in respect of any part(s) of the [services] covered by this
notice; and
(IV). to award contract(s) in stages.
and in no circumstances will the Authority be liable for any costs incurred by candidates.
The Contracting Authority reserves the right to hold additional rounds of negotiation /
dialogue with tenderers; to require the submission of any further or additional information or
tender submissions; to award the Contract following the submission of initial tenders and/or
to down-select tenderers at specified points in the process. For the avoidance of doubt, final
tenders will not be subject to any negotiation with the Contracting Authority (however, they
may be subject to clarification, if required, at the Contracting Authority's absolute
discretion). The Contracting Authority reserves the right: to reject any or all PSQ or tender
responses and to cancel or withdraw the procurement process at any stage; to award a
contract without prior notice; to change the basis of, the procedure and the timescales set
out or referred to in the procurement documents; to require a tenderer to clarify its PSQ or
tender response in writing and/or provide additional information; to terminate the
Page 7 to 9
procurement process; and/or to amend the terms and conditions of the PSQ or tender
evaluation process or negotiation process in line with section 31 of the Procurement Act
2023.
Suppliers should note that all dates, time periods and figures in relation to values and
volumes specified in this notice and the procurement documents are approximate only and
the Contracting Authority reserves the right to change any or all of them.
Applicable trade agreements
- Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Open procedure
Contracting authority
Department of Education
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PTYH-9512-JWZZ
Rathgael House, Balloo Road, Rathgill
Bangor
BT19 7PR
United Kingdom
Region: UKN09 - Ards and North Down
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.
Construction and Procurement Delivery
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
303 Airport Road West
Belfast
BT3 9ED
United Kingdom
Region: UKN06 - Belfast