Official UK procurement notice
Extension of existing Dynamic Purchasing System of Suffolk Adult and Community Learning Services
Authority: Suffolk County Council (Local council)
What is being bought2 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionSuffolk County Council are inviting applicants to join a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for the provision of Adult and Community Learning Services. Contracts will be for the delivery of learning against the funding the Council receives from the Department for Education (DFE) for the Adult Skills Fund (ASF) for learners aged 19 years and over. Delivery must meet the regulations outlined in the DFE Funding Rules:
www.gov.uk/government/publicati… ↗
We reserve the right to award places within this DPS to an unlimited number of suppliers. New applicants can join the DPS during the course of the duration. Please note should performance not be compliant with the DPS Tender Terms and Conditions, applicants may be removed from the DPS.
CPV: Adult and other education services
How this dynamic market works
From the published notice- Type
- Dynamic market
Lots and requirements (2)Procurement structure
2 lots · all with a published valueApplies to lots 1, 2.
Please see short description above. Additional information: This DPS has been extended for a further 24 months to 31 March 2027. The duration given in II.2.7) is the duration of the extension period.
The extension will allow Suffolk County Council and potential bidders time to plan a suitable replacement under the Procurement Act 2023 that also takes into consideration the objectives of the National Procurement Policy Statement.
We reserve the right to extend, shorten or terminate, in part or whole, any Lot or the entire DPS at any time giving 6 months' notice.
Lot #1Adult and Community LearningRenewalPublished value£4,790,000
Lot #2Skills DevelopmentRenewalPublished value£2,500,000
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
- “Extension of existing Dynamic Purchasing System of Suffolk Adult and…” is a dynamic market: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract.
Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid
How Suffolk County Council buys Adult and other education services (CPV 8040), and who usually turns up
Suffolk County Council’s published record next to the market for the same work. Compared with other frameworks and DPS only. Whole-market view: Adult and other education services (CPV 8040) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
i
How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
Local means the winner is registered in the region where that award was delivered.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners were registered outside the region where that award was delivered. 42 known-location awards sit across 5 procurements, so one procurement can dominate this percentage.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the bid deadline to the award date, on competitions that published both.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards have an award date within 48 days of the bid deadline.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Direct awards or one recorded bid are common here. Check the route before spending time on a bid.
How many bids did past lots attract?
i
How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid0%
2–30%
4–631%
7+69%
How did awards compare with estimates?
i
Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
On a framework or DPS, prices are agreed when work is called off.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Not comparable on a framework or DPS: the price is set later, on each call-off.
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list
Lot #1Adult and Community LearningCPV 8040Published estimate£4.8m
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid1%
2–314%
4–624%
7+61%
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
| Supplier | This buyer’s earlier contract | Lot | Award value | Why listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ipswich Community Media & LearningWorked for this buyer | Support for Speakers of Other Languagesnotice published Jul 2022 | Supporting with English, IT and Digital Skills for Speakers of other Languages | — | Similar wording and category |
| Out Loud Music CICWorked for this buyer | Project to Promote Social Inclusionnotice published Jul 2022 | — | — | Similar wording and category |
| Steadfast Training LtdWorked for this buyer | Sector Skills Pathwaysnotice published Jul 2022 | — | — | Similar wording and category |
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
| Supplier | Won in this category | Live contracts | Award vs estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| £507k3 awards in 36m · last 3 months ago | 1 live · £150k iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | no comparable pairs | |
| — | None on file | no comparable pairs | |
| 3 awards in 36m · last 15 months ago | 1 live · £10m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | no comparable pairs | |
| 1 award in 36m · last 34 months ago | 1 live · £10m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | no comparable pairs | |
Purple RulerSME | 1 award in 36m · last 34 months ago | 1 live · £10m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | no comparable pairs |
Lot #2Skills DevelopmentCPV 8040Published estimate£2.5m
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid1%
2–318%
4–625%
7+56%
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
| Supplier | This buyer’s earlier contract | Lot | Award value | Why listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ipswich Community Media & LearningWorked for this buyer | Support for Speakers of Other Languagesnotice published Jul 2022 | Supporting with English, IT and Digital Skills for Speakers of other Languages | — | Similar wording and category |
| Steadfast Training LtdWorked for this buyer | Sector Skills Pathwaysnotice published Jul 2022 | — | — | Similar wording and category |
| Out Loud Music CICWorked for this buyer | Project to Promote Social Inclusionnotice published Jul 2022 | — | — | Similar wording and category |
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
| Supplier | Won in this category | Live contracts | Award vs estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| £507k3 awards in 36m · last 3 months ago | 1 live · £150k iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | no comparable pairs | |
East Coast CollegeLarge | £518k3 awards in 36m · last 13 months ago | None on file | at estimate n=1 |
| — | None on file | no comparable pairs | |
| £616k4 awards in 36m · last 28 months ago | 2 live · £357k iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 9% below n=4 | |
| 3 awards in 36m · last 15 months ago | 1 live · £10m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | no comparable pairs |
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record · publisher note attached- Procedure method
- Restricted procedure
- Legal basis
- CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Open admission
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Dynamic market
- Who may use this agreement
- Any qualifying supplier may apply while the market is open
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Yes
- First published
- 12 Feb 2025, 12:56 GMT
- Last source update
- 15 May 2026, 07:49 BST
- Authority reference
CD1281- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-044726- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-04de1aFind a Tender
Publisher note: This DPS has been extended for a further 24 months to 31 March 2027. The duration given in II.2.7) is the duration of the extension period. This opportunity was previously advertised on the Official Journal of the European Union. The extension will allow Suffolk County Council and potential bidders time to plan a suitable replacement under the Procurement Act 2023 that also takes into consideration the objectives of the National Procurement Policy Statement. We reserve the right to extend, shorten or terminate, in part or whole, any Lot or the entire DPS at any time giving 6 months' notice.
How to participate & submission route
Official notice Apply via portal- Requests to participate (first stage)
- —
- Admission period ends
- 23 Feb 2029, 12:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- —
- Submission channel
- {"electronicSubmission","written"}
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
15 May 2026 → 23 Feb 2029 · 2 dates- Notice published167 days ago15 May 2026, 07:49 BST
- Today29 Oct 2026
- Admission / appointment period endsperiod end, not a bid countdown23 Feb 2029, 12:00 GMT
Notice history
2 releases on Find a TenderPublished amendments (1 · 1 deadline change)
| When | What | Before | After | Shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | TextEstimated total value · II.2.5 | Value excluding VAT: £7,290,000 | Value excluding VAT: £8,690,000 | |
| — | TextEstimated value · II.2.5 | Value excluding VAT: £4,790,000 | Value excluding VAT: £6,190,000 | |
| — | DeadlineIV.2.2 | 31 Mar 2027 | 23 Feb 2029 | +695 d |
This DPS has been further extended to 23 February 2029. The extension will allow Suffolk County Council and potential bidders time to plan a suitable replacement under the Procurement Act 2023 that also takes into consideration the objectives of the National Procurement Policy Statement. We reserve the right to extend, shorten or terminate, in part or whole, any Lot or the entire DPS at any time …
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Nothing awarded yet- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications
Official links; attachments are not copiedNo document links were published on the notice; the tender pack is on the portal.