DFPF Ltd t/a People 1st wins ABC Council Classroom Assistant Academy contract

Tender information last checkedLast checked 14 Oct 2026, 17:21.

Opportunity overview

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council (ABC or "the Council") is the largest local authority outside Belfast, serving a population of over 217,000 residents. The Borough benefits from a strong and diverse economy, with 9,255 VAT and/or PAYEregistered businesses—an increase of 3.6 percent since 2021, representing the highest growth among all Local Government Districts (LGDs) and accounting for 11.7 percent of all such businesses in Northern Ireland. This thriving economic landscape includes a broad range of enterprises, from innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to globally recognised brands. The Council recognises that a skilled, adaptable, and resilient workforce is essential for driving economic recovery, future growth, and long-term prosperity. Our vision is for the Borough to be a place where every individual can access opportunities and realise their full potential, regardless of background or circumstance. This vision reflects the Council’s ongoing commitment to supporting people, families, businesses, and communities to succeed and thrive. To achieve this, ABC Council is actively addressing social and economic barriers to equality and inclusion. We are working collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders to promote productivity and inclusive growth through targeted investment in skills development, business support, and people-focused initiatives. Our aim is to ensure the Borough is underpinned by a dynamic, responsive skills system—one that meets the evolving needs of both employers and the workforce, and supports sustainable, inclusive economic development.

Awarded to

Amounts belong to published awards or contracts. Where several suppliers share one value, it is labelled as shared and is not a supplier-specific allocation.

DFPF Ltd t/a People 1st

Match pending…

Published award value: Value not stated
Awarded: Not supplied
Contract signed: 22 Sept 2026
Award ID: 1
Status: active
Location: Belfast, UKN06, BT9 6SP, United Kingdom

Classification

No classification was supplied.

Lots

Lot 1Value not stated

Documents and notices

Contract details notice on Find a TenderOpen source ↗

Published notice details

Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.

Scope, procedure and submissions

Id: 6595586
Status: complete
Procurement Method: open
Procurement Method Details: Below threshold - open competition

Legal basis

Id: 2023/54
Scheme: UKPGA
Uri: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents ↗

Lots and requirements

Entry 1

Id: 1
Status: complete

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1

Name: Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council
Id: GB-PPON-PYMV-3527-LYNZ

Identifier

Scheme: GB-PPON
Id: PYMV-3527-LYNZ

Address

Street Address: Craigavon Civic & Conference Centre, 66 Lakeview Road
Locality: Craigavon
Postal Code: BT64 1AL
Country: GB
Country Name: United Kingdom
Region: UKN07

Contact

Email: procurement@armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk

Roles

buyer

Details

Classifications

Entry 1

Scheme: UK_CA_TYPE
Id: publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment
Description: Public authority - sub-central government

Entry 2

Scheme: UK_CA_DEVOLVED_REGULATIONS
Id: GB-NIR
Description: Northern Irish devolved regulations apply

Organisation 2

Name: DFPF Ltd t/a People 1st
Id: GB-FTS-187574

Address

Street Address: Rosemont, 89 Malone Road
Locality: Belfast
Postal Code: BT9 6SP
Country: GB
Country Name: United Kingdom
Region: UKN06

Contact

Email: b.kernaghan@people-1st.co.uk

Roles

supplier

Details

Scale: sme
Vcse: No

Award information

Award 1

Id: 1
Status: active
Main Procurement Category: services

Items

Item 1

Id: 1
Related Lot: 1

Additional Classifications

Entry 1

Scheme: CPV
Id: 80000000
Description: Education and training services

Entry 2

Scheme: CPV
Id: 80500000
Description: Training services

Entry 3

Scheme: CPV
Id: 80400000
Description: Adult and other education services

Entry 4

Scheme: CPV
Id: 80530000
Description: Vocational training services

Entry 5

Scheme: CPV
Id: 80570000
Description: Personal development training services

Entry 6

Scheme: CPV
Id: 79998000
Description: Coaching services

Entry 7

Scheme: CPV
Id: 79600000
Description: Recruitment services

Entry 8

Scheme: CPV
Id: 79414000
Description: Human resources management consultancy services

Suppliers

Supplier 1

Id: GB-FTS-187574
Name: DFPF Ltd t/a People 1st

Related lots

Contracts and changes

Entry 1

Id: 1
Award ID: 1
Title: Development and Delivery of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council Labour Market Partnership Classroom Assistant Academy 2026/2027
Status: active
Has Renewal: Yes
Above Threshold: No
Date Signed: 23 Sept 2026, 00:00

Period

Starts: 25 Sept 2026, 00:00
Ends: 31 Mar 2027, 23:59
Max Extent Date: 31 Dec 2027, 23:59

Renewal

Description: Possible 9 month extension

Value

Including VAT: 55,470
Currency: GBP

Documents

Entry 1

Id: 097174-2026
Document Type: contractNotice
Notice Type: UK7
Description: Contract details notice on Find a Tender
Url: https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/097174-2026 ↗
Published: 14 Oct 2026, 16:09
Format: text/html

Recorded locations

Buyer location · Craigavon · UKN07 · BT64 1AL · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

2 published notice versions reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

2 VERSIONS

060423-2026Tender notice on Find a Tender · 26 Jun 2026, 14:45
097174-2026Contract details notice on Find a Tender · 14 Oct 2026, 16:09

PROCURAAXIS AWARD ANALYSIS

Award outcome intelligence

Evidence-bound analysis of the published award appears below the official tender and award information.

ANALYSIS PREVIEW

Award intelligence at a glance

Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council has signed a contract with DFPF Ltd t/a People 1st for development and delivery of its 2026/2027 Classroom Assistant Academy under the Labour Market Partnership.

Published outcome signals

Procurement statusCompleteEvidence: The tender record has status “complete”; lot 1 is also marked complete.
Award statusActiveEvidence: Award 1 has status “active”.
Contract statusActive and signedEvidence: Contract 1 has status “active” and records dateSigned as 23 September 2026.

94% approved-analysis confidence1 supplier record analysed5 source limitations

SOURCE AND FRESHNESS

Traceable procurement data

Source: Find a Tender
Notice reference: 097174-2026
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06be64
First published: 26 Jun 2026
Last checked: 14 Oct 2026, 17:21
Notice versions reviewed: 2

View Find a Tender notice ↗

HOW THIS WAS PREPARED

Approved, evidence-bound analysis

ProcuraAxis structures information found in published procurement records, checks the result for consistency and publishes only approved analysis. Confidence describes the completeness and consistency of the available source information; it is not a guarantee of eligibility or contract award.

Analysis status: Approved for publication
Analysed: 17 Oct 2026

Read the analysis methodology →

AWARD OUTCOME

What happened

Published outcome

One active award covers lot 1. The published contract value is £55,470 gross, with a stated initial term from 25 September 2026 to 31 March 2027 and a possible nine-month extension.

Market significance

This is a below-threshold, openly competed Northern Ireland training-services contract spanning education, vocational training, coaching, recruitment and HR consultancy classifications.

AWARDED SUPPLIERS AND LOTS

1 supplier record analysed

DFPF Ltd t/a People 1st

92% confidence

Award 1 · Lots 1 · 55,470 GBP · Active contract

View supporting evidence

Award 1 names “DFPF Ltd t/a People 1st” as supplier and relates to lot 1. Contract 1, linked to award 1, records a gross value of £55,470.

LIFECYCLE

Award or contract stage

Procurement status

98% confidence

Complete

View supporting evidence

The tender record has status “complete”; lot 1 is also marked complete.

Award status

98% confidence

Active

View supporting evidence

Award 1 has status “active”.

Contract status

99% confidence

Active and signed

View supporting evidence

Contract 1 has status “active” and records dateSigned as 23 September 2026.

VALUES

Published values explained

Published contract value

99% confidence

£55,470 gross

View supporting evidence

Contract 1 value is amountGross 55,470 GBP.

Published maximum tender value

90% confidence

£60,000

View supporting evidence

The opportunity-level value_max is 60,000 GBP.

TIMELINE

Procurement timeline

Tender notice published

99% confidence

26 June 2026

View supporting evidence

Release history records tender notice 060423-2026 released on 26 June 2026.

Submission deadline

99% confidence

17 July 2026, 12:00 BST

View supporting evidence

The opportunity record gives a submission deadline of 2026-07-17T12:00:00+01:00.

Contract signed

99% confidence

23 September 2026

View supporting evidence

Contract 1 dateSigned is 2026-09-23.

Initial contract start

99% confidence

25 September 2026

View supporting evidence

Contract 1 period startDate is 2026-09-25.

Initial contract end

99% confidence

31 March 2027

View supporting evidence

Contract 1 period endDate is 2027-03-31.

Contract details notice published

99% confidence

14 October 2026

View supporting evidence

The contract details notice is dated 14 October 2026 in the contract document and release history.

SCOPE

What was awarded

Requirement

98% confidence

Development and delivery of the Labour Market Partnership Classroom Assistant Academy 2026/2027.

View supporting evidence

The contract title states this requirement.

Lot structure

99% confidence

One lot (lot 1)

View supporting evidence

The tender contains lot 1; award 1 and contract 1 relate to it.

Service classifications

99% confidence

Education and training; training; adult education; vocational and personal-development training; coaching; recruitment; and HR management consultancy.

View supporting evidence

Award item 1 lists CPV codes 80000000, 80500000, 80400000, 80530000, 80570000, 79998000, 79600000 and 79414000.

Delivery geography

84% confidence

Not explicitly stated in the contract data; the buyer is based in Craigavon, Northern Ireland.

View supporting evidence

The published data provides the buyer address in Craigavon but no contract delivery location.

PROCEDURE

Procedure and competition

Procedure

99% confidence

Open competition

View supporting evidence

The tender specifies procurementMethod “open” and “Below threshold - open competition”.

Threshold status

99% confidence

Below threshold

View supporting evidence

The procurement method detail states “Below threshold - open competition”; the contract record has aboveThreshold false.

Number of bids

99% confidence

Unknown

View supporting evidence

Information not supplied in the published notice data.

Evaluation and award rationale

99% confidence

Unknown

View supporting evidence

Information not supplied in the published notice data.

CONTRACT TERMS

Published contract terms

Initial term

99% confidence

25 September 2026 to 31 March 2027

View supporting evidence

Contract 1 period supplies these start and end dates.

Extension option

99% confidence

Possible nine-month extension

View supporting evidence

Contract 1 hasRenewal is true and its renewal description says “Possible 9 month extension”.

Maximum extent date

99% confidence

31 December 2027

View supporting evidence

Contract 1 period maxExtentDate is 2027-12-31.

Contract form and pricing detail

98% confidence

Not stated

View supporting evidence

Information not supplied in the published notice data.

COMMERCIAL VIEW

Commercial observations

Value position

97% confidence

The £55,470 published gross contract value is £4,530 below the published £60,000 maximum tender value.

View supporting evidence

Contract value is £55,470 gross and opportunity value_max is £60,000.

Market positioning

92% confidence

The requirement combines classroom-assistant academy delivery with a broad training, employability and HR-support service classification set.

View supporting evidence

The title identifies the Classroom Assistant Academy and the award lists training, coaching, recruitment and HR consultancy CPVs.

ANALYSIS QUALITY

94%overall confidence

Confidence reflects the completeness and consistency of the published award data.

Reference: ocds-h6vhtk-06be64
Analysed: 17 Oct 2026

APPROVED AWARD ANALYSIS

BUYER CONTEXT

Buyer context

Buyer

99% confidence

Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council

View supporting evidence

Named as buyer in the tender and parties data.

Buyer type

99% confidence

Sub-central government public authority; Northern Irish devolved regulations apply.

View supporting evidence

Buyer classifications state publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment and GB-NIR.

Strategic context

94% confidence

The Council describes a focus on skills development, business support, inclusive growth and reducing social and economic barriers.

View supporting evidence

The tender description sets out these objectives.

SUPPLIER CONTEXT

Supplier context

Supplier scale

95% confidence

SME

View supporting evidence

The supplier party details classify the supplier as scale “sme”.

Supplier identity

99% confidence

Unverified supplier name: DFPF Ltd t/a People 1st

View supporting evidence

The source names this supplier, but the completed identity workflow status is checked_unmatched and provides no verified company name or number.

VCSE status

95% confidence

Not a VCSE

View supporting evidence

Supplier party details set vcse to false.

RENEWAL OUTLOOK

Renewal outlook

Extension window

99% confidence

An extension of up to nine months is possible; the published maximum extent date is 31 December 2027.

View supporting evidence

The contract renewal description states “Possible 9 month extension” and maxExtentDate is 2027-12-31.

Renewal timing estimate

84% confidence

Any extension decision would be expected before or around the initial end date of 31 March 2027; this is an estimate, not a procurement forecast.

View supporting evidence

The initial end date and extension provision are published, but no decision timetable is supplied.

DATA QUALITY

Gaps and source limitations

Supplier verification limitation

99% confidence

The supplier identity workflow completed without finding a safe Companies House match. “DFPF Ltd t/a People 1st” is therefore reported as an unverified source name, not as Companies House-verified identity.

View supporting evidence

supplier_identity_status is checked_unmatched; no verified company name or number is supplied.

Lot detail limitation

99% confidence

Lot 1 has no published title, description or individual value.

View supporting evidence

Lot 1 fields are null for title, description and value.

Competition information

99% confidence

Bid count, tenderer identities, scoring and evaluation detail were not supplied in the published notice data.

View supporting evidence

Information not supplied in the provided record.

Value interpretation

95% confidence

The contract value is identified as gross. A separate £60,000 opportunity maximum is published, but the data does not explain the pricing breakdown or whether this maximum includes the extension.

View supporting evidence

Contract value is amountGross £55,470; opportunity value_max is £60,000; no pricing breakdown is supplied.

SOURCE DATA LIMITATIONS

Information not supplied in the published notice

The supplier name DFPF Ltd t/a People 1st could not be safely matched to a Companies House company in the completed workflow; no verified legal company name or number was supplied.
Lot 1 has no published title, description or individual value.
The published data does not provide bid numbers, unsuccessful suppliers, scores, evaluation rationale, pricing breakdown or contract form.
The delivery location is not explicitly published.
The data does not state whether the £60,000 opportunity maximum includes the possible extension.

MARKET THEMES

Relevant award themes

COMMON QUESTIONS

About this award

Who won the Classroom Assistant Academy contract?

The published award names DFPF Ltd t/a People 1st. Its identity is unverified in the supplied Companies House matching workflow.

What is the contract value?

The published gross contract value is £55,470.

When does the contract run?

The initial term runs from 25 September 2026 to 31 March 2027, with a possible nine-month extension.

Was the contract competitively tendered?

Yes. The published procedure is below-threshold open competition; bid numbers and evaluation results are not published in the supplied data.

ProcuraAxis award analysis supplements, but does not replace, the official award notice, contract data or procurement documents. “Awarded” does not by itself prove that a contract has been signed.

Development and Delivery of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council Labour Market Partnership Classroom Assistant Academy 2026/2027

Opportunity overview

Awarded to

DFPF Ltd t/a People 1st

Classification

Lots

Documents and notices

Published notice details

Scope, procedure and submissions

Legal basis

Lots and requirements

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Identifier

Address

Contact

Roles

Details

Classifications

Address

Contact

Roles

Details

Award information

Items

Additional Classifications

Suppliers

Related lots

Contracts and changes

Period

Renewal

Value

Documents

Recorded locations

Notice and amendment history

Award intelligence at a glance

Published outcome signals

Traceable procurement data

Approved, evidence-bound analysis

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