Tender for the PE and School Sport Partnership Network

Overview

The Department for Education has awarded a contract for the establishment and operation of a national PE and School Sport Partnerships Network. The Network will support schools to improve the quality, accessibility and impact of PE, school sport and physical activity, with a particular focus on increasing participation, reducing inequalities and improving outcomes for children and young people. The National Delivery Partner will establish, manage and assure a network of national, regional and local delivery partners. It will provide schools with universal support, targeted support based on identified need, and access to additional school-requested services. The services include school engagement and needs assessment; coordination of local and regional provision; workforce development and continuing professional development; support for inclusive PE and school sport; swimming and water-safety support; management of grants and other funding where required; quality assurance, safeguarding and performance management; and the collection, analysis and reporting of delivery and outcomes data. The National Delivery Partner will also provide and operate a Digital Platform through which schools and delivery partners can access services, manage referrals and delivery activity, maintain relevant records, and report performance and outcomes. The contract includes mobilisation and transition from existing delivery arrangements, supply-chain management, stakeholder engagement, continuous improvement, evaluation and support for the Department’s wider policy objectives for PE, school sport and physical activity. ***IMPORTANT NOTICE*** The Department issued updated assessment summaries to all tenderers for this procurement on 9 November 2026, and the Department is therefore restarting the standstill period on 10 November 2026. Owing to a system issue, it is not possible to update the date or timeframe for the standstill period as set out in this updated notice. The following are the correct updated dates, and supersede the date and timeframe shown in the “Standstill period” section of this notice below: Standstill period end: 19 November 2026 (8 working days) Earliest date the contract will be signed: 20 November 2026