Edtech opportunities for members: two DfE tenders, the coalition question, and parliamentary engagement this June

The Department for Education has published two significant market engagement notices this month: one on workforce digital skills and one on data standards and interoperability. Both are open to EdTech suppliers now. Deadlines are tight. Read on and take action.

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Context and wider opportunities

These two tenders sit within a broader developing policy landscape that includes the AI product safety standards published by DfE in January 2026, the EdTech impact testbed programme, i.AI's work on AI tutoring and sovereign benchmarks, and the £200 million SEND teacher training programme.

In our analysis of the Schools White Paper, we noted that without a clearer overarching technology vision, individual initiatives risk progressing as parallel strands without a unifying framework. These two tenders are encouraging precisely because they highlight that workforce capability and shared data infrastructure are not being treated as separate workstreams.

On 22 June, techUK and partners are convening to scope a coalition response to the digital maturity challenge, one that supports government initiatives and seeks greater join-up with key national stakeholders. Please do join us!

We are also engaging parliamentarians on the research and evidence base for EdTech at Parliament on Thursday 18 June, 12:30 to 15:30pm, as part of London EdTech Week. Hosted by DOHE EdTech Hub in collaboration with techUK, the Open University, Policy Connect and Weypoint, the Redefining Learning Forum event forms part of a longer Delphi study examining how the UK can strengthen connections between research activity, innovation and adoption across the EdTech ecosystem. If this is an area of interest, we would welcome your RSVP.

Austin Earl

Senior Programme Manager, Education and EdTech, techUK

Education and EdTech Programme activities

techUK’s Education and EdTech programme seeks to address this challenges by bridging the gap between education, the tech industry, and policymakers. We ensure that education institutions can effectively adopt technology that enhances learning, streamlines operations, and supports skills development. Visit the programme page here