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VPN Provision

Ofsted · Central government

In brief

Ofsted has announced plans to buy IT and software work. This is an early notice: there is nothing to bid on yet, but it tells you a tender may follow.

The estimated value is £408,333 excluding VAT.

The contract runs for 3 years, up to 4 years with extensions, starting 1 June 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.

Can I win this?

Competition

Typical: a median of 4 bids per contract for IT and software contracts in this region (from 125 awards in the last 12 months).

What the notice says

The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is issuing this notice to notify the market to that we are engaging with suppliers on the Technology Services 4 (RM6190) to help shape a pending tender process for the provision of a fully managed VPN service. The current contract that Ofsted has for providing this service is due to end in October 2026 and Ofsted are looking to start the process of procuring a new contract now. Ofsted intends to appoint a supplier to deliver a fully managed VPN service that provides secure, encrypted network connectivity across the organisation. The appointed supplier will be responsible for the end‑to‑end design, implementation, operation, monitoring, and support of the VPN service. This approach will remove the requirement for in‑house management and ensure that the service is proactively maintained and supported by a specialist provider. Ofsted is therefore looking at running a procurement exercise, starting as soon as is practicable in 2026, for a supplier to provide this service. Our chosen route to market will be via CCS Framework Technology Services 4 (RM6190) -Lot 4a Infrastructure Management (lower value and complexity) and engagement is currently limited to suppliers on this Framework.

How to bid

  1. Read the full notice on Find a Tender, including any tender documents it links to.
  2. Register your organisation on the Central Digital Platform (through Find a Tender) if you have not already. Suppliers need to be registered to take part in procurements under the Procurement Act 2023.
  3. Follow the submission instructions in the notice; it does not name an e-tendering portal.

Timeline

  1. Preliminary market engagement notice · UK2, notice 008083-2026
  2. Preliminary market engagement notice · UK2, notice 010279-2026

About the buyer

OfstedLast 12 months

Procurements

11

Awards

5

Suppliers it has used most for IT and software

All tenders and awards from Ofsted

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From notice 008083-2026 on Find a Tender, first published 29 January 2026, last updated 5 February 2026. We last checked for changes on 28 September 2026.