How to win: Market Engagement Event - Delivery partner for partnerships supporting early years-school transitions

About this contract

This is a notice seeking early engagement from interested parties in relation to the Department for Education procurement of a Delivery Partner to support effective delivery of partnerships that strengthen children’s transitions from pre-reception early years settings into school. The partnerships will focus particularly on support for those children with SEND and from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Delivery Partner will play a central role in helping partnerships plan and implement their approaches, promote collaboration and good practice, and support continuous improvement across the programme. The Delivery Partner will also help ensure delivery aligns with priorities, maintains strong governance standards and contributes to sustainable outcomes for children beyond the funding period. Please note that all references to procedure, value and term length are purely illustrative and subject to change. Please note that this notice is for early market engagement and exploratory purposes and is not a call for competition. The Department reserves the right not to enter any formal processes or agreements. Accordingly, the authority will not be liable for any bid cost, expenditure, w

How to win contracts like this

• ✓Answer against the marking scheme, not the question text — Department for Education scores each response, so map your evidence to the published criteria and weightings.
• ✓At £2,281,000, expect quality and social value to carry a large share of the score — price alone rarely wins services work.
• ✓Show recent, comparable delivery: name similar services contracts you've delivered for public bodies, with measurable outcomes.
• ✓Start early: it closes 20 July 2026 and a strong bid takes iteration.

BidWriter drafts your responses from your company profile, scores them against the marking scheme, and tracks your whole pipeline. Free to start — no card needed.

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