Official UK procurement notice
Provision of Suffolk Adult Learning Service
Authority: Suffolk County Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionSuffolk County Council wishes to Direct award a contract to Realise Futures for the provision of the Suffolk Adult Learning Service Adult Skills Fund.
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1Awarded
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Direct award
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Notice status
- Awarded without competition
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Light touch regime
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Direct award (no call for competition)
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 24 Jun 2026, 11:26 BST
- Last source update
- 24 Jun 2026, 11:36 BST
- Authority reference
PA0045/MO22- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-059324- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06bbedFind a Tender
- Why no open competition
- Additional Repeat Extension Partial Replacement; Urgency
- Published justification
Suffolk County Council is part of the Devolution Priority Programme. A Mayoral Combined County Authority for Norfolk and Suffolk, with strategic powers and led by an elected Mayor, is intended to be established. The Government announced on 4 December 2025 that the inaugural mayoral election would be delayed until 2028. However, Adult Skills Funding has been devolved in other areas without a Mayor, and it is therefore expected that Adult Skills Funding will be devolved from academic year 2027/28, from August 2027. At that point, delivery and procurement responsibilities are expected to transfer from Suffolk County Council to the Norfolk and Suffolk Mayoral Combined County Authority.
To ensure continuity of service during this transition period, Suffolk County Council proposes to make a direct award to the incumbent provider, Realise Futures, for a period of one year, with an option to extend for a further year. This will maintain service continuity and align the contractual arrangement with the anticipated devolution timetable.
- Risks
Suffolk County Council has joined the government's Devolution Priority Programme (DPP), a fast-track programme towards devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR).
Under the DPP it is proposed that:
a) a Mayoral Combined County Authority (MCCA) for Norfolk and Suffolk is established, with strategic powers and headed by an elected mayor ("Devolution").
b) the existing two-tier council structure in Suffolk is abolished and replaced with one or more three unitary councils covering the current geographical boundary of Suffolk ("LGR").
These changes are declared as known risks as we do not yet know the implications of Devolution and/or LGR.
As a result of LGR and Devolution, contract modifications may be necessary to novate, transfer or disaggregate the contract from the one you entered into to one or more successor authorities or the MCAA. Impacts could include changes to geographical boundaries, significant increases and/or decreases in the goods and/or services required due to the change in size/scope of any successor authority or the MCAA. This may also change the scope of the contract.
Contract novation, transfer or disaggregation to one or more Successor Authorities or the MCAA within the current geographical boundary of Suffolk.
Contract novation, transfer or disaggregation to one or more Successor Authorities or the MCAA outside the current geographical boundary of Suffolk.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
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Timeline
24 Jun 2026 → 3 Jul 2026 · 2 dates- Notice published126 days ago24 Jun 2026, 11:36 BST
- Standstill ends116 days ago3 Jul 2026, 23:59 BST
Notice history
3 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 24 Jun 2026- Transparency notice published24 Jun 2026, 11:26 BSTUK5
- Contract award notice published24 Jun 2026, 11:36 BSTUK6
- Contract signature expected9 Jul 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Realise Futures CICSMEVCSE1 Aug 2026 – 31 Jul 2027 · up to 31 Jul 2028Extensions: Optional 1 year extension in order to maintain service continuity and align the contractual arrangement with the anticipated devolution timetable. | £4,970,778 inc. VAT | 25 May 2026standstill to 3 Jul 2026 | Standstill |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- REALISE FUTURES CICAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender