ID 5828340 - DfE - Skills for Life and Work Programme 2025

Procurement reference

ID 5828340

Procurement 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.

Main category

Services

Delivery regions

• UKN - Northern Ireland

Total value (estimated, excluding VAT)

195000000 GBP to 195000000GBP

Contract dates (estimated)

01 September 2025, 00:00AM to 31 July 2027, 23:59PM

Extension end date (if all the extensions are used): 31 July 2031

Department for the Economy - DfE

Procedure type

Open procedure

Is this procurement under a special regime?

Light touch

Is the total value above threshold?

Above threshold

Trade agreements

Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

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

Delivery regions

• UKN - Northern Ireland

Lot value (estimated)

195000000 GBP Excluding VAT

234000000 GBP Including VAT

Contract start date (estimated)

01 September 2025, 00:00AM

Contract end date (estimated)

31 July 2027, 23:59PM

Extension end date (estimated)

31 July 2031, 23:59PM

Can the contract be extended?

Yes

Description of extensions

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.

Participation

Award criteria

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.

Tender submission deadline

25 June 2025, 15:00PM

Enquiry deadline

16 June 2025, 15:00PM

Date of award of contract

22 July 2025, 23:59PM

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

May tenders be submitted electronically?

Yes

Languages that may be used for submission

• English