Published date: 20 January 2026

Awarded contract - This means that the contract has been awarded to a supplier.


Closing: 11 December 2025, 12pm

Contract summary

Industry

  • Educational games - 37524100

  • Primary education services - 80100000

  • Secondary education services - 80200000

Location of contract

United Kingdom

Value of contract

£570,000

Procurement reference

IA3702

Published date

20 January 2026

Closing date

11 December 2025

Closing time

12pm

Contract start date

30 January 2026

Contract end date

29 January 2032

Contract type

Supply contract

Procedure type

Open procedure (above threshold)

Any interested supplier may submit a tender in response to an opportunity notice.

This procedure can be used for procurements above the relevant contract value threshold.

Contract is suitable for SMEs?

Yes

Contract is suitable for VCSEs?

Yes


Description

The Service is to provide as a minimum six (6) parcels. These must be sent calendar monthly to the Virtual Schools nominated address, as identified for each eligible child. High-quality books from a range of genres, maths games and other high-quality materials, that are age appropriate to support our children's learning, which will support narrowing the gap in education achievements for our children. We expect the Provider to demonstrate how and why materials included in a parcel are chosen. The Council support academic five hundred and thirty (530) children per year. The provider will be able to support additional children should the Council need to add new to care children to the Service each month. For those new to care children, we expect them to receive all parcels from the year.

Supply of Materials-
Staffordshire County Council invites Tenders for the provision of a Service to deliver "Educational Books and Maths Games Parcels" to eligible children in care as identified by the Staffordshire virtual school. These parcels must engage the children and young people of in reading and playing educational games through the content they provide. The Provider will supply these children with colourful parcels containing books for them to keep, maths games, stationery and other high-quality materials on a calendar monthly basis, for six (6) agreed months of the year, at an agreed start date per agreed cohort. There will be an additional bonus parcel at Christmas. Suppliers will not be expected to provide the bonus parcel for 2025 but will be expected for the years thereafter. This brings the Total to seven (7) parcels per academic cohort.

The provider will need to have available parcels that are split by school year groups:
• Children aged 4-5 in the Early Years Foundation Stage/Reception
• Children in Year 1, (age 5-6)
• Children in Year 2, (ages 6-7)
• Children in Year 3, (ages 7-8)
• Children in Year 4 (ages 8-9)
• Children in Year 5, (ages 9-10)
• Children in Year 6 (ages 10-11)
• Children in Year 7 (ages 11-12)

Note: If there is a child who is working at a lower or higher level, an appropriate parcel despite their school year group can be chosen.

The parcel packaging will be robust to contain and transport the contents by the selected postal service be child friendly and it should not distinguish the cohort it's intended for. The packaging must however have distinguished identification (what this is will be decided between the Provider and the Council) to allow teachers and carers to identify the package. The Virtual School will provide the current posting list each month to the provider upon request.


More information

Previous notice about this procurement

Book Parcels and Maths Games for Children in Care

  • Opportunity
  • Published 11 November 2025


Award information

Awarded date

20 January 2026

Contract start date

30 January 2026

Contract end date

29 January 2032

Total value of contract

£570,000

This contract was awarded to 1 supplier.

BookTrust

Address

1 Aire Street, Leeds, LS1 4PR, UK

Reference

Companies House number: 00210012

Supplier is SME?

Yes

Supplier is VCSE?

No


About the buyer

Address

Tipping Street
STAFFORD
ST162LP
England

Email

commercial.team@staffordshire.gov.uk