The department has signed four engagements with specialist suppliers that will provide technical support across a range of digital services, including funding platforms, data operations, and the UK’s apprenticeships regime

The Department for Education has awarded a quartet of major digital and data deals potentially collectively worth in excess of £100m.

The largest of the four, which came into effect on 28 May, covers the provision of “digital skills, product delivery and user-centred design capabilities to support the [department] in delivering digital outcomes within programmes of work in the Data Operations and Data Engineering divisions” of the DfE, according to a recently published commercial notice. This agreement with supplier Hippo Digital runs for four years, and is valued at £37.25m, inclusive of VAT.

Worth £19m is a two-year engagement with CGI, which commenced on 4 June and will see the supplier “deliver agile core and live running services for a range of portfolios that underpin [the] Apprenticeship Service and wider areas within DfE that support skills growth and key priorities”.

“This contract will work across agile development phases, alongside an established digital team, to deliver defined outcomes and supply service provisions to deliver strategic objectives and outcomes for the programmes of work covered by the statement of requirements,” the contract-award notice says.

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The department has also agreed an initial two-year agreement with Cognizant covering various “digital delivery capabilities to run and refine the funding service – which is a group of digital products relating to the ESFA (Education and Skills Funding Agency) and DfE’s funding offering to education providers”.

The supplier – which, if the deal runs for its full potential 30-month term, could be paid up to £27.4m – has been contracted to “develop the funding service, create a sustainable BAU service; test, run and fix the funding service,  update the service and work operationally, [and] provide DevOps services”, the commercial notice says.

Another deal, worth a possible £19.1m, also relates to the provision of digital assistance for the funding service. This contract, awarded again to Hippo Digital, is intended to help the DfE “improve and grow” its digital platforms for the provision of funding.  The agreement runs for two years, plus a potential six-month extension.

The notice adds: “The supplier shall: develop the funding service; improve the flow of data… improve communications with, and experience of, users; improve accessibility; increase the grant offering; [and] maintain service levels.”

Between them, the four contracts could be worth up to £103m.

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