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Feedback from schools highlighted variations in technical and procurement capability, and the importance of affordability, clarity and simplicity when purchasing hardware including greater transparency of costs over the lifecycle of a device. Market engagement is therefore being used alongside school insights to ensure that any future solution is informed by both user need and market capability, and can support consistent access to suitable, cost effective and sustainable technology across the school system.\nPlease note that although DfE has answered 'no' to the question \"Is a framework being established?\" this is not yet decided, and the answer to this question may be affected by the discussions that take place during market engagement.", "items": [ { "id": "1", "additionalClassifications": [ { "scheme": "CPV", "id": "30213100", "description": "Portable computers" }, { "scheme": "CPV", "id": "30213000", "description": "Personal computers" }, { "scheme": "CPV", "id": "30213200", "description": "Tablet computer" }, { "scheme": "CPV", "id": "30213300", "description": "Desktop computer" } ], "deliveryAddresses": [ { "region": "UK", "country": "GB", "countryName": "United Kingdom" } ], "relatedLot": "1" } ], "value": { "amountGross": 360000000, "amount": 300000000, "currency": "GBP" }, "mainProcurementCategory": "goods", "aboveThreshold": true, "lots": [ { "id": "1", "suitability": { "sme": true }, "contractPeriod": { "startDate": "2026-10-01T00:00:00+01:00", "endDate": "2029-09-30T23:59:59+01:00", "maxExtentDate": "2031-09-30T23:59:59+01:00" }, "hasRenewal": true, "description": null, "status": "planning" } ], "communication": { "futureNoticeDate": "2026-09-01T23:59:59+01:00" }, "status": "planning" }, "language": "en", "extensions": [ "https://standard.open-contracting.org/profiles/eu/latest/en/extension.json", "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/open-contracting-extensions/ocds_amendment_rationale_classifications_extension/master/extension.json", "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/open-contracting-extensions/ocds_budget_breakdown_extension/master/extension.json", "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/open-contracting-extensions/ocds_contract_completion_extension/master/extension.json", "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/open-contracting-extensions/ocds_documentation_extension/master/extension.json", "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/open-contracting-extensions/ocds_pagination_extension/master/extension.json", "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/open-contracting-extensions/ocds_performance_failures_extension/master/extension.json", "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/open-contracting-extensions/ocds_suitability_extension/master/extension.json", "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/portaledcahn/ocds_Links_extension/main/extension.json", "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cabinetoffice/ocds_uk_extension/main/extension.json" ] }, { "buyerID": [], "id": "063653-2026", "tag": [ "planning" ], "date": "2026-07-07T13:41:38+01:00", "initiationType": "tender", "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-0696c8", "parties": [ { "name": "Department for Education", "id": "GB-PPON-PDZG-3487-DPVD", "identifier": { "scheme": "GB-PPON", "id": "PDZG-3487-DPVD" }, "address": { "streetAddress": "Sanctuary Buildings, 20 Great Smith Street", "locality": "London", "postalCode": "SW1P3BT", "country": "GB", "countryName": "United Kingdom", "region": "UKI32" }, "contactPoint": { "name": "DTS Software Team", "email": "DTS.SOFTWARE@education.gov.uk" }, "roles": [ "buyer" ], "details": { "classifications": [ { "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE", "id": "publicAuthorityCentralGovernment", "description": "Public authority - central government" } ] } } ], "buyer": { "id": "GB-PPON-PDZG-3487-DPVD", "name": "Department for Education" }, "planning": { "milestones": [ { "id": "engagement", "type": "engagement", "description": "The exact scope of the market engagement is being developed, and will be communicated in due course.", "dueDate": "2026-07-31T23:59:59+01:00", "status": "scheduled" } ], "documents": [ { "id": "063653-2026", "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice", "noticeType": "UK2", "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender", "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/063653-2026", "datePublished": "2026-07-07T13:41:38+01:00", "format": "text/html" } ] }, "tender": { "id": "N/A", "legalBasis": { "id": "2023/54", "scheme": "UKPGA", "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents" }, "title": "Software VAR for Schools", "description": "The Maximising Value for Pupils (MaxVP) programme (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/maximising-value-for-pupils/maximising-value-for-pupils), launched in December 2025, aims to support schools and trusts in achieving better value across their spending, ensuring that resources are used as effectively as possible to improve outcomes for pupils. 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This will depend on the number of suppliers expressing an interest in engaging with us.\nWe would like to hear from suppliers with capacity and capability to deliver a full end-to-end service, but also from SMEs who may be interested in collaborating, but may lack the capacity to deliver a full end-to-end service, in order to design a process that takes a wide range of views into account.\nIf you are interested in taking part in market engagement, please express your interest by registering an account on Jaggaer at this link: https://education.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html and completing the expression of interest for the event 'IT Hardware for Schools EOI'." }, { "releaseID": "063653-2026", "releaseDate": "2026-07-07T13:41:38+01:00", "releaseTag": [ "planning" ], "value": "The exact scope of the market engagement is being developed, and will be communicated in due course." } ], "dueDate": [ { "releaseID": "043509-2026", "releaseDate": "2026-05-12T14:29:46+01:00", "releaseTag": [ "planning" ], "value": "2026-06-05T23:59:59+01:00" }, { "releaseID": "063653-2026", "releaseDate": "2026-07-07T13:41:38+01:00", "releaseTag": [ "planning" ], "value": "2026-07-31T23:59:59+01:00" } ], "status": [ { "releaseID": "043509-2026", "releaseDate": "2026-05-12T14:29:46+01:00", "releaseTag": [ "planning" ], "value": "scheduled" } ] } ], "documents": [ { "id": "043509-2026", "documentType": [ { "releaseID": "043509-2026", "releaseDate": "2026-05-12T14:29:46+01:00", "releaseTag": [ "planning" ], "value": "marketEngagementNotice" } ], "noticeType": [ { "releaseID": "043509-2026", "releaseDate": "2026-05-12T14:29:46+01:00", "releaseTag": [ "planning" ], "value": "UK2" } ], "description": [ { "releaseID": "043509-2026", "releaseDate": "2026-05-12T14:29:46+01:00", "releaseTag": [ "planning" ], "value": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender" } ], "url": [ { "releaseID": "043509-2026", "releaseDate": "2026-05-12T14:29:46+01:00", "releaseTag": [ "planning" ], "value": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/043509-2026" } ], "datePublished": [ { "releaseID": "043509-2026", "releaseDate": "2026-05-12T14:29:46+01:00", "releaseTag": [ "planning" ], "value": "2026-05-12T14:29:46+01:00" } ], "format": [ { "releaseID": "043509-2026", "releaseDate": "2026-05-12T14:29:46+01:00", "releaseTag": [ "planning" ], "value": "text/html" } ] }, { "id": "063653-2026", "documentType": [ { "releaseID": "063653-2026", "releaseDate": "2026-07-07T13:41:38+01:00", "releaseTag": [ "planning" ], "value": "marketEngagementNotice" } ], "noticeType": [ { "releaseID": "063653-2026", "releaseDate": "2026-07-07T13:41:38+01:00", "releaseTag": [ "planning" ], "value": "UK2" } ], "description": [ { "releaseID": "063653-2026", "releaseDate": "2026-07-07T13:41:38+01:00", "releaseTag": [ "planning" ], "value": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender" } ], "url": [ { "releaseID": "063653-2026", "releaseDate": "2026-07-07T13:41:38+01:00", "releaseTag": [ "planning" ], "value": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/063653-2026" } ], "datePublished": [ { "releaseID": "063653-2026", "releaseDate": "2026-07-07T13:41:38+01:00", "releaseTag": [ "planning" ], "value": "2026-07-07T13:41:38+01:00" } ], "format": [ { "releaseID": "063653-2026", "releaseDate": "2026-07-07T13:41:38+01:00", "releaseTag": [ "planning" ], "value": "text/html" } ] } ] }, "tender": { "id": [ { "releaseID": "043509-2026", "releaseDate": "2026-05-12T14:29:46+01:00", "releaseTag": [ "planning" ], "value": "ocds-h6vhtk-0696c8" }, { "releaseID": "063653-2026", "releaseDate": "2026-07-07T13:41:38+01:00", "releaseTag": [ "planning" ], "value": "N/A" } ], "legalBasis": { "id": [ { "releaseID": "043509-2026", "releaseDate": "2026-05-12T14:29:46+01:00", "releaseTag": [ "planning" ], "value": "2023/54" } ], "scheme": [ { "releaseID": "043509-2026", "releaseDate": "2026-05-12T14:29:46+01:00", "releaseTag": [ "planning" ], "value": "UKPGA" } ], "uri": [ { "releaseID": "043509-2026", "releaseDate": "2026-05-12T14:29:46+01:00", "releaseTag": [ "planning" ], "value": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents" } ] }, "title": [ { "releaseID": "043509-2026", "releaseDate": "2026-05-12T14:29:46+01:00", "releaseTag": [ "planning" ], "value": "IT Hardware for Schools" }, { "releaseID": "063653-2026", "releaseDate": "2026-07-07T13:41:38+01:00", "releaseTag": [ "planning" ], "value": "Software VAR for Schools" } ], "description": [ { "releaseID": "043509-2026", "releaseDate": "2026-05-12T14:29:46+01:00", "releaseTag": [ "planning" ], "value": "Preliminary Market Engagement is being undertaken to inform and refine the DfE’s requirements as it considers the potential for the establishment of a route to market for schools to procure classroom and user IT hardware under the Procurement Act 2023. This engagement is intended to support the development of a solution that is deliverable, value for money, and responsive to the needs of the education sector, while encouraging innovation and effective competition within the supplier market.\nThrough this Pre-Market Engagement, the Department seeks to gain a clearer understanding of current market capability, capacity and commercial models, including how suppliers structure pricing, logistics, support and sustainability across a large and diverse customer base. Market engagement will help test assumptions, explore potential delivery and commercial options, identify risks and barriers to entry, and assess how a future procurement could be designed to remain accessible to organisations of different sizes, including SMEs and VCSEs.\nThis engagement complements and builds on insights already gathered from engagement with schools and the wider education sector. Feedback from schools highlighted variations in technical and procurement capability, and the importance of affordability, clarity and simplicity when purchasing hardware including greater transparency of costs over the lifecycle of a device. Market engagement is therefore being used alongside school insights to ensure that any future solution is informed by both user need and market capability, and can support consistent access to suitable, cost effective and sustainable technology across the school system.\nPlease note that although DfE has answered 'no' to the question \"Is a framework being established?\" this is not yet decided, and the answer to this question may be affected by the discussions that take place during market engagement." }, { "releaseID": "063653-2026", "releaseDate": "2026-07-07T13:41:38+01:00", "releaseTag": [ "planning" ], "value": "The Maximising Value for Pupils (MaxVP) programme (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/maximising-value-for-pupils/maximising-value-for-pupils), launched in December 2025, aims to support schools and trusts in achieving better value across their spending, ensuring that resources are used as effectively as possible to improve outcomes for pupils. Software and digital services are a key area of focus within this programme, given their growing importance in the day-to-day operation of schools.\nThrough a combination of recent engagement with the education sector and established market insight, the Department for Education (DfE) recognises that software procurement and management present a number of significant challenges. These range from increasing and often opaque costs, to complexities in licensing models, and, in some cases, practices that do not consistently deliver fair value to schools and trusts.\nIn response, the DfE has identified an opportunity to explore the implementation of a Value Added Reseller (VAR) model. Such a model has the potential to simplify procurement routes, improve pricing transparency, and provide more consistent support to schools in managing their software requirements. It could also enable the aggregation of demand, leading to stronger commercial outcomes and reduced burden on individual institutions.\nIn parallel, the DfE has been considering the application of a VAR model to support its own internal software requirements for a number of years. Aligning these ambitions presents an opportunity to create a unified commercial approach that delivers benefits at both departmental and sector levels.\nThe overarching objective is therefore to establish a VAR model that effectively meets the needs of both the education sector and the DfE, driving improved value, greater efficiency, and more sustainable software procurement practices." } ], "items": [ { "id": "1", "additionalClassifications": [ { "releaseID": "043509-2026", "releaseDate": "2026-05-12T14:29:46+01:00", "releaseTag": [ "planning" ], "value": [ { "scheme": "CPV", "id": "30213100", "description": "Portable computers" }, { "scheme": "CPV", "id": "30213000", "description": "Personal computers" }, { "scheme": "CPV", "id": "30213200", "description": "Tablet computer" }, { "scheme": "CPV", "id": "30213300", "description": "Desktop computer" } ] }, { "releaseID": "063653-2026", "releaseDate": "2026-07-07T13:41:38+01:00", "releaseTag": [ "planning" ], "value": [ { "scheme": 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