Published date: 21 January 2026

Last edited date: 21 January 2026

Open early engagement - This means that a procurement idea is currently active, it is in the early stage of development and judging interest from potential suppliers.


Closing date: 4 February 2026

Contract summary

Industry

  • Research and development services and related consultancy services - 73000000

  • Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security - 79000000

Location of contract

North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London, South East, South West

Procurement reference

tender_510556/1545294

Published date

21 January 2026

Closing date

4 February 2026

Contract is suitable for SMEs?

Yes

Contract is suitable for VCSEs?

Yes

Description

Early Engagement Notice: Department for Education's (DfE) EdTech Testbed Programme Market Engagement Session.

Today, at Bett UK, the Secretary of State announced (see link for further details) that the DfE will be investing an additional £23m to expand our EdTech Impact Testbed pilot into the 4-year DfE EdTech Testbed Programme.

The expanded programme will generate robust evidence over 4 years on the effectiveness of EdTech products and practice, including new AI tools and Assistive Technologies (AT), to reduce workload, improve outcomes, and support inclusion.

Market Engagement Session:

The Department for Education intends to procure a research and delivery supplier to evaluate the impact of EdTech tools in real education settings and deliver Lot 2 of the DfE EdTech Testbed Programme, scheduled to run from FY 2026-27 to FY 2029-30.

As part of our pre procurement activity, we will be hosting a Market Engagement Session on Thursday 5 February 14:00-15:15. This session will provide potential suppliers with an opportunity to learn more about the programme aims, expected requirements, anticipated procurement approach, and timelines. It will also be an opportunity for suppliers to feedback on our invitation to tender.

Supplier Registration for the Market Engagement Session:

Suppliers interested in attending the market engagement session are invited to register their interest as soon as possible by emailing: Edtech.TESTBED@education.gov.uk

Please include in the subject: Registration for DfE EdTech Testbed Programme market engagement session.

Further details regarding the online event, including format and joining instructions, will be provided following registration.

Procurement Route:

Subject to internal approvals, we intend to open the EdTech Testbed tender to suppliers registered on the Crown Commercial Services Research and Insight Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS). We are sharing this information early to ensure potential suppliers have sufficient time to complete registration should they wish to bid.

DPS Registration:

If you are not currently registered on the Research and Insight DPS, you are encouraged to begin the process as soon as possible via the Supplier Registration Service: Step 1 - Choose type of organisation - Supplier Registration Service

Please note that registration typically takes 15-21 days to complete. Suppliers whose registration is not finalised at the point the procurement goes live may be unable to submit a bid.

More information

Previous notice about this procurement

Project_10223 - EdTech Impact Testbed Programme procurement

  • Early engagement
  • Published 21 January 2026, last edited 21 January 2026

Links

Additional text

Useful links

How to apply

Follow the instructions given in the description or the more information section.

About the buyer

Address

Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street
London ​​​​​​​
SW1P 3BT
England

Email

Edtech.TESTBED@education.gov.uk