Procurement for Education Technology Managed Services
Estimated value
£709.0m
Awarded value
—
Suppliers
0
Lots
1
Published
08 Jun 2026
Description
The Education Authority (EA) has a requirement to procure a Supplier to provide Education Technology Managed Services (ETMS). The EA is responsible for ensuring that efficient and effective primary and secondary education services are available to meet the needs of children and young people and support the provision of efficient and effective youth services. As part of this, EA manages an educational technology service for over 1,100 schools, 350,000 pupils, 22,000 teachers and 40,000 non-teaching staff. The ETMS will replace and transform the technical infrastructure and services for schools known as the Education Network for Northern Ireland (ENNI), providing digital services to schools to support teaching and learning. End users of the ETMS are from primary, post primary, special schools, Education Other than at School (EOTAS) centres and nursery schools (staff only) who all require access to secure and efficient technology infrastructure to support their teaching and learning needs. This includes Controlled Schools, Controlled Integrated Schools, Catholic Maintained Schools, Irish Medium Schools, Grant Maintained Integrated Schools, Controlled and Voluntary Grammar Schools and users from approved education and external stakeholder organisations as further described in the ETMS Technical Specification – PSQ Stage. The EA is procuring the ETMS as a single integrated ETMS Contract, comprising: • Infrastructure and Network Services (including Integration Services); • Identity Services; • Security Operations Centre Services; • User Experience Services; and • Service Management and Service Desk, including Schools Catalogue. The procurement is being conducted using the Competitive Flexible Procedure, as further described in this notice and in the procurement documents. The procurement strategy has been informed by preliminary market engagement, which commenced with EA publishing a UK2: Preliminary market engagement notice on 18th December 2025 in Find a Tender Service (FTS) (Notice identifier: 2025/S 000-084518/ Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-05f966. (Provision for Education Technology Managed Services - Find a Tender) Further details are provided in the procurement documents. The ETMS Contract will be for an initial term that commences on the Effective Date (as defined in the Contract) and ends on 31st March 2035, which is seven years from the planned transition completion date of 31st March 2028. The Contract will also include up to seven extension periods of one year each which may be awarded individually or as multiple years at the EA’s sole discretion (resulting in a latest contract expiry date of 31st March 2042). The value of the ETMS Contract over its maximum term (i.e. initial term plus extensions) is currently estimated to be circa £851m including allowances for changes / modifications, indexation (i.e. inflation) and VAT in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023. This comprises circa £246m for core services paid for by EA over the initial term of the contract (including contingency/OB, inflation and VAT), and a further circa £605m for contract extensions, schools catalogue and potential Optional Services or Additional Services (including contingency/OB, inflation and VAT). Under this procurement the successful Supplier will be required to support EA's social value objectives. Accordingly, contract performance conditions and award criteria will relate, in particular, to social value. Further details are provided below and in the procurement documents. Suppliers should note that this Competition has commenced whilst the business case process is ongoing. The EA is currently working with the Department of Education to secure business case approval prior to the commencement of the Tender Stage. Progression of the Competition to the Tender Stage and Award Stage will be subject to the necessary approvals being in place.
Scope
- Reference
- EdiS-25-008
- Total value
- £709,000,000 excluding VAT£851,000,000 including VATAbove the relevant threshold
- Commercial tool
- Standalone contract
- Contract dates
- 29 Sept 2027 to 31 Mar 2035Possible extension to 31 Mar 2042
The Contract will include up to seven extension periods of one year each which may be awarded individually or as multiple years at the EA’s sole discretion (resulting in a latest contract expiry date of 31st March 2042).
- Main category
- services
- CPV classifications
- 72000000722000007250000072700000482000004860000048800000
Award criteria
Criteria the buyer will use to evaluate bids.
| Name | Description | Type | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|
| AC1 Transition Services | 10.5% | quality | — |
| AC2 Infrastructure Services | 17.5% | quality | — |
| AC3 Identity Services | 8.4% | quality | — |
| AC4 Security Operation Centre Services | 4.9% | quality | — |
| AC5 User Experience Services | 11.2% | quality | — |
| AC6 Service Management and Service Desk | 7% | quality | — |
| AC7 Social Value | 10.5% | quality | — |
| AC8 NPV of the Total Cost of the Services for the Initial Term | 16.5% | price | — |
| AC9 NPV of the Total Cost of the Services for the maximum Term (including all extensions) | 10.5% | price | — |
| AC10 Pricing for Supplier Personnel Rate Card | 3% | price | — |
| Robustness and Transparency of Financial Model | Pass / Fail | price | — |
Participation
Conditions suppliers must meet to bid.
Legal capacity conditions of participation are contained in the procurement document “COP Response Document – Authority Specific Questions” and comprise: • Modern Slavery Act 2015; • Compliance with Relevant Employment, Equality and Health and Safety Law and Human Rights Standards; • Employment Collective Agreements; • Fair Work Practices; • Real Living Wage; • Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998; • Equality of Opportunity Contract Condition; • Conflict of Interest; • Supplier Team Restrictions and Equality Protocol; • EA Supplier Code of Conduct; and • Data Protection. Financial capacity conditions of participation are contained in the procurement document “COP Response Document – Financial Capacity” and comprise: • Economic and financial standing; and • Insurances.
The conditions of participation relating to technical ability are contained in the procurement document “COP Response Document – Technical Ability”. EA will assess responses to the conditions of participation relating to technical ability in accordance with the scoring method and scoring matrix provided for each of the six questions contained in that COP Response Document. The scores awarded in respect of each question will be converted into a weighted score based on the question weightings set out below. 1. Transition of Services 20% weighting 2. Infrastructure Services Provision 20% weighting 3. Identity Services 15% weighting 4. Security Operations Centre Services 15% weighting 5. User Experience Services 20% weighting 6. Service Management and Service Desk 10% weighting Total 100% The weighted scores for each question will then be added together to provide an overall weighted score out of 100 for each Supplier in relation to Technical Ability. Following the evaluation of Technical Ability, the Authority and its advisors will carry out assessments to ensure that the three highest ranking Suppliers arising from the Technical Ability assessment meet the minimum requirements for the conditions of participation relating to Financial Capacity. If any of the three highest ranking Suppliers fails to meet the minimum requirement of a ‘Pass’ in respect of any of the conditions of participation relating to Financial Capacity, it will be deemed non-compliant, and that Supplier will be eliminated from the Competition. The next highest ranked Supplier will then be assessed until three Suppliers are selected to be shortlisted to participate in the Tender Stage. However, if there are less than three eligible Suppliers shortlisted, the Authority reserves the right to continue the procurement process by inviting all remaining eligible Suppliers to participate in the Tender Stage.
Based on its evaluation of the PSQ Responses received, the EA will shortlist three Suppliers to proceed to the Tender Stage. However, if there are less than three eligible Suppliers shortlisted, the EA reserves the right to continue the procurement process by inviting all remaining eligible Suppliers to proceed to the Tender Stage. Further procurement documents will be provided to the shortlisted Suppliers at the Tender Stage, as further described in section 2 of the ITT – PSQ Stage document. Such documents shall be issued to shortlisted Suppliers via the eTendersNI portal.