ID 6210936 - DAERA - CAFRE - Farming for Sustainability Scheme Training and Themed Groups Requirements

CAFRE, College of Agriculture, Food and Rural EnterprisecontractFind a TenderRef ocds-h6vhtk-05d031Procurement Act 2023Light-touch servicesSME suitablepending
View buyer

Estimated value

Awarded value

£3.5m

Awarded 12 Dec 2025

Suppliers

2

2 SME

Lots

2

2 awarded

Published

12 Dec 2025

Description

This contract will be broken down into 2 Lots: • Lot 1 - Face-to-face training for groups of farmers • Lot 2 - Themed peer-to-peer group facilitators Each Lot will be evaluated and awarded independently. Lot 1- CAFRE require a Supplier to administer, secure access to appropriate venues and deliver training to participants who cannot use e-learning courses without support. The supplier will be required to administer, hire appropriate venues, and deliver training sessions to groups of participating farmers. Each course will have its own specific Learning Outcomes, underpinning knowledge, assessment process (if required) and delivery schedule. Lot 2 - CAFRE requires a Supplier to administer and deliver specialist technical facilitation and mentoring to Themed Groups. These groups will be delivered alongside Business Sustainability Groups (BSGs) and are a development from the previous Business development Group (BDG) scheme which operated under the Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme. BSGs are enterprise specific but with a focus on the sustainability of the entire farm. Themed Groups will provide more focused support and advice relating to specific enterprises and topics. Groups will also have a shorter duration of 18-24 months with an estimated 3-6 meetings per group per year dependent on topic. This will be a demand-led contract and all values are estimates only.

Scope

Reference
ID 6210936
Commercial tool
Standalone contract
Contract dates
05 Jan 2026 to 04 Jan 2029
Possible extension to 04 Jan 2031

One optional extension period of 2 years for each Lot. The extension will be utilised at the Buyers discretion.

CPV classifications
80000000
80500000
80522000
80521000
80531200
80510000
Particular suitability
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)

Award criteria

Criteria the buyer will use to evaluate bids.

NameDescriptionTypeWeighting
Qualitative Criterion5 Criteria as detailed within the Instruction to Tender - Lot 1 Document. the criteria are Key Delivery Personnel Experience, Recruitment, Promotion and Marketing Plan, Programme Delivery and Implementation, Contract Management and Business Continuity, and Social Value.quality
Quantitative CriterionTotal Contract Price as detailed within the Instructions to Tender - Lot 1 document.price
Qualitative Criterion5 Criteria as detailed within the Instruction to Tender - Lot 2 Document. the criteria are Key Delivery Personnel Experience, Program Delivery and Implementation, Marketing and Promotion Plan, Contract Management and Communication, Social Value.quality
Quantitative CriterionTotal Contract Price as detailed within the Instructions to Tender - Lot 2 document.price

Participation

Conditions suppliers must meet to bid.

TA1 - Event Management Experience

TA1 - Company Experience

Submission & procedure

Procedure
Open procedure

Award details· 2 awards

Awarded supplier(s), contract period and value as published in the award notice.

Awarded value

£500k

Award date

12 Dec 2025

Contract start

05 Jan 2026

Contract end

04 Jan 2029

Lots · 2 total

Divisions of the contract. Each lot can be awarded separately.

View all →
LotTitleEst. valueStatus
1Face-to-face training for groups of farmers£500kcomplete
2Themed peer-to-peer group facilitators£3.0mcomplete