Daycare Tenders and Contracts

Daycare contracts cover nursery places for hospital and government staff, council-funded early learning and childcare places, and childminder framework agreements. Some notices set up flexible frameworks that let new providers join throughout the contract term.

Stotles brings together daycare tenders and contracts from 100+ portals into one search, so you do not have to check each portal separately, and you can set alerts for new opportunities across the UK and Ireland.

If you want to search the government portals directly, Find a Tender carries higher-value contracts across the UK and Contracts Finder carries lower-value contracts in England. Public Contracts Scotland, Sell2Wales and eTendersNI cover Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, Ireland's eTenders covers Irish public bodies, and many councils, NHS bodies and housing associations publish on their own e-tendering portals such as ProContract. Scottish councils often use flexible frameworks that admit new nursery and childminder providers during the term, and on-site nurseries are let as single-site contracts.

Childcare providers must be registered with Ofsted in England, the Care Inspectorate in Scotland or the equivalent regulator, and staff need enhanced DBS checks with a children's barred list check. Tenders usually set minimum insurance cover, check financial standing and ask for evidence of similar provision at selection stage. Under the Procurement Act 2023, suppliers can be excluded for certain criminal convictions, insolvency or failure to pay tax.

Both appear. Councils set up flexible frameworks that admit new registered nursery and childminder providers on an ongoing basis, while single-site contracts such as an on-site creche are let for a fixed term with a single supplier.

Local councils, NHS trusts and central government bodies are regular buyers. Colleges and other public bodies also buy on-site nursery or creche provision for their own staff and students.

Read early learning and childcare expansion plans, nursery provision reviews, framework admission windows and staff nursery requirements, which show work coming due ahead of a notice. On Stotles you can track those signals and the buyers behind them, then follow a notice from pre-tender through to award.

Daycare notices carry 85312110 (Child day-care services) and the broader 80110000 (Pre-school education services).