North East Combined Authority Awards Child Poverty Education Support Contract

The North East Combined Authority has awarded a contract worth £249,698 to The Junction Foundation to deliver a region-wide service aimed at reducing the cost of education for children and young people.

Awarded following an open procedure, the contract forms part of the Child Poverty Reduction Programme – Cutting the Cost of Education and will establish a network to facilitate the donation, collection and distribution of essential educational items.

Education settings across the region, from early years providers through to colleges, will be able to access the service to obtain items that help children and young people fully participate in education. The authority said these could include school uniforms, digital equipment and scientific calculators.

The contract is expected to commence on 19 August 2026 and run until 19 August 2028, with the option to extend for a further 12 months until 19 August 2029.

Two tenders were received, with both submitted by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs). Following evaluation, The Junction Foundation was selected as the successful supplier.

Based in Redcar, The Junction Foundation is both an SME and a VCSE. The contract award decision was made on 5 August 2026, with the standstill period due to end on 17 August 2026. The earliest date the contract can be signed is 19 August 2026.

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