ID 6210936 - DAERA - CAFRE - Farming for Sustainability Scheme Training and Themed Groups Requirements
College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise · Education
In brief
College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise awarded training and education work to Countryside Services Limited on 29 December 2025.
The notice gives a value of £3,500,000 excluding VAT.
The contract runs for 3 years, up to 5 years with extensions, starting 5 January 2026.
It is split into 2 lots, so a supplier can bid for part of the work.
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
Lots
| Lot | Trade | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Face-to-face training for groups of farmers 5 January 2026 to 4 January 2029 What this lot coversCAFRE 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. The training courses will be prioritised by DAERA as part of the Sustainable Agriculture Programme or wider policy programme, with CAFRE responsible for overall planning and development of learning materials for each training course. Each course will have its own specific Learning Outcomes, underpinning knowledge, assessment process (if required) and delivery schedule. | Training, Education services | £500,000 |
| Themed peer-to-peer group facilitators 5 January 2026 to 4 January 2029 What this lot coversCAFRE 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. | Training, Education services | £3,000,000 |
Who won
| Winner | Lot | Value | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Countryside Services Limited (SME) 2 bids received | Face-to-face training for groups of farmers | £500,000 | Awarded 12 December 2025 5 January 2026 to 4 January 2029 |
| Countryside Services Limited (SME) 2 bids received | Themed peer-to-peer group facilitators | £3,000,000 | Awarded 12 December 2025 5 January 2026 to 4 January 2029 |
Values as the award notice gives them, excluding VAT where stated.
Timeline
- Tender notice · UK4, notice 066886-2025
- Contract award notice · UK6, notice 082659-2025
- Contract details notice · UK7, notice 006939-2026
About the buyer
Procurements
6Awards
5Suppliers it has used most for training
- Countryside Services Limited1 contract
- RSK Adas Limited1 contract
Similar open tenders
All open training tenders- £243kestimated
- £458kframework ceiling
- £1.9mestimated
- £360mestimated
From notice 066886-2025 on Find a Tender, first published 20 October 2025, last updated 27 January 2026. We last checked for changes on 28 September 2026.