AwardedAwarded 20 August 2026
Erasmus+ Government Authorised Exchange Visa Sponsor
Department for Education · Education
In brief
Department for Education awarded IT and software and marketing work to IRARA Services limited on 20 August 2026.
The notice gives a value of £12,118,000 excluding VAT.
The contract runs for 28 months, up to 40 months with extensions, starting 1 September 2026.
The buyer says it is suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.
Built from the notice's own fields. Always check the official notice before you bid.
What the notice says
On 17 December, the UK and the European Commission reached an agreement in principle for the UK to associate to Erasmus+ in 2027.
Erasmus+ is the European Union's flagship programme to support education, training, youth, and sport in Europe and beyond, with an overall estimated budget of €26.2 billion for the period 2021-27. It is a grant funding scheme offering a broad range of opportunities for learners and staff across the education, training, youth, and sport sectors.
Procurement of a Visa Sponsor
Separately, the Department is seeking to procure an overarching sponsor to issue Certificates of Sponsorship and ensure compliance with Home Office requirements for a new Erasmus+ Government Authorised Exchange (Temporary Work) visa scheme, for inbound mobilities to the UK where participants are undertaking supernumerary work placements such as traineeships, teacher assignments or training assignments.
The DfE is keen to maximise opportunities to participate in procurement for Small to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs). Consideration will also be given to consortia and collaborative bids from all forms of organisations.
Who won
| Winner | Value | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| IRARA Services limited 7 bids received | £4,585,304 | Awarded 17 July 2026 1 September 2026 to 29 December 2028 |
Values as the award notice gives them, excluding VAT where stated.
Timeline
- Preliminary market engagement notice · UK2, notice 012713-2026
- Planned procurement notice · UK3, notice 034073-2026
- Tender notice · UK4, notice 034076-2026
- Tender notice · UK4, notice 034267-2026
- Contract award notice · UK6, notice 067725-2026
- Contract details notice · UK7, notice 088696-2026
About the buyer
Department for EducationLast 12 months
Procurements
209Awards
132Suppliers it has used most for IT and software
- Big Motive Ltd1 contract
- Bytes Software Services Ltd1 contract
- Coram1 contract
- Corduroy Dinosaur Ltd1 contract
- Dun & Bradstreet Limited1 contract
Similar open tenders
All open IT and software tenders- £9.25mestimated
- £15mframework ceiling
- £40kestimated
- £65kestimated
- £400kestimated
From notice 012713-2026 on Find a Tender, first published 12 February 2026, last updated 18 September 2026. We last checked for changes on 28 September 2026.