Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government when expressions of interest closed for the new contract for supporting the development of the Free Schools Programme; what was the tender amount; and how many bidders expressed an interest.

The deadline for tenders for the grant to run a Support Service to the Free Schools Programme was Friday 19 January 2018. The invitation to bid (ITB) requested tenders in the range of £1.4 million to £1.7 million per annum. The ITB was published on the Contract Finder portal of GOV.UK in line with Public Contract Regulations. As the tender process is ongoing, the number of bids received remains commercially sensitive information at the present time. Once a preferred bidder is announced, and grant arrangements finalised, we will then be in a position to release this information.