Invitation to tender
Purpose
The purpose of this procurement process is for The National Archives to select a supplier with significant experience of archives and public engagement work to create a new toolkit by Tuesday 31 March. This toolkit will help archives run sessions for schools that enable young people to understand the purpose of archives and the careers available in them better.
About us
The National Archives is the official archive and publisher for the UK government, and for England and Wales. In 2011, The National Archives took on leadership responsibilities for the archive sector in England, working with over 2,500 archives across the country. The government’s strategic vision for the sector, Archives Unlocked, outlines the leadership priorities under the themes of trust, enrichment and openness, and describes its work to encourage a sustainable and innovative archives sector.
Background
The National Archives is on the steering group of the Discover Creative Careers programme, which is funded by DCMS and informs young people about careers in the cultural and creative industries.
In 2025, the Discover! Creative Careers programme funded The National Archives to award grants of £1,600 to enable more archives across England to take part in the programme’s ‘Discover! Creative Careers Month’. During this flagship month each November, organisations provide in-person and online opportunities for young people to learn about different careers from people who are already in these roles.
The National Archives would like to support even more archives, beyond those that receive grants, in creating engagement sessions that teach young people about careers in archives. As part of the match funding for the grants, The National Archives committed to developing a toolkit that would make it easier for archives to organise and deliver engagement sessions with school groups, focusing on understanding the value of archives and the potential of careers in archives.
Required deliverables
Part 1: Templates for emails and required forms
- A template for an advocacy email that archive teams can use to contact their management to get endorsement for carrying out an engagement session with a school
- A template introductory email to the school to explain the purpose and value of visiting the archive for an engagement session
- A checklist of information to include in a follow-up email to school (e.g. accessibility, toilets, lunch spaces, onsite rules, photography consent etc)
- A template form for the school to fill out to provide information from their side (e.g. number of students, number of accompanying adults, SEND or additional needs etc)
- A completed risk assessment template showing examples of risks relevant to a school’s visit to an archive and how these can be mitigated
Part 2: Facsimile packs
Two facsimile packs (two different sets of 20 images each) so that students can work in Groups A and B. Each pack should contain:
- 15 unique high-resolution images of archival records. (These should show the range of formats, ages and creators that archival records have, while retaining some noticeable thematic/geographic overlaps in places so that students can draw links and comparisons.)
- 5 images of ‘records’ that might not be selected for permanent preservation so that students can practise what is and isn’t collected.
The National Archives can help make contact with requested archives to source images and permissions. These facsimile packs can be provided digitally but should have the permission to be printed by the archives using these packs.
Part 3: Guide to the facsimile packs
The facsimile packs should be accompanied by a guide for the archive team to use. This short guide should have an explanation of what each of the records in pack A and B are, and instructions for how an archive team can use the packs to run different activities such as:
- Students working out what individual records are and guessing their age
- Each group deciding what to keep and not keep for permanent preservation from their pack
- Explaining to each other the purpose of keeping individual records and why people may want to access them
- Spotting whether a record might need conservation intervention
- Creating a quick display or exhibition of the records and then presenting it to the other group to view
Part 4: Additional resources for the archive team
- A suggested timetable for an engagement visit, showing how much time should be spent on different activities, including introduction and Q&A.
- A checklist of the information to include in a tour of the archive, as well as engagement top tips, to ensure it’s both informative and engaging
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) to help archive teams answer questions on tricky topics, such as salaries and career routes.
Budget
We anticipate this work will take approximately ten days work, with the following estimated breakdown:
- 1 day creating the email and risk assessment templates (Part 1)
- 2 days researching appropriate content for the facsimile packs (Part 2)
- 2 days liaising with archive services to gain high-resolution copies/permissions (Part 2)
- 2 days creating a guide to the facsimile packs (Part 3)
- 1 day creating the timetable, FAQs and tour checklist (Part 4)
- 2 days liaising with The National Archives and making any amendments
The total contract price is £7000 excl. VAT, inclusive of all other expenses.
How to respond
If you have any clarification questions related to your response, please submit these to ASL@nationalarchives.gov.uk by Friday 20 February, 5pm (UK Time).
Please submit your response via the Smart Survey expression of interest form by Wednesday 25 February, 5pm (UK Time)
It is for you to determine what format your tender response should take so as to describe your offer in a clear, comprehensive fashion. However please ensure your tender response includes as a minimum:
- your understanding of the project and deliverables
- details of your prior experience suited to this project, including understanding of sector-related guidance and standards
- your proposed methodology for delivery of the project deliverables (see list above)
- names and experience of the individuals you will assign to the project, and their involvement with each phase of unit of the work.
- your contract price, including breakdown of costs for each phase or unit of work, day rate for each team member and other costs or expenses.
The Smart Survey expression of interest form includes a section on contact details and contract price. Suppliers are welcome to submit their tender in the comment box provided, or as an attachment. Suppliers are also welcome to submit additional attachments to support their tender response, such as a CV.
Evaluation
Your Tender Response will be evaluated using the following criteria:
- Extent to which proposal demonstrates an understanding of the brief
- Knowledge and experience relevant to the project, including understanding of the archive or wider culture and heritage sectors
- Quality of methodology
- Contract price
Each of the four criteria will be assessed against a maximum score of 5 points (1 being the lowest). The tender response will receive an overall score out of 20 points.
Timetable
Invitation to Tender published: Wednesday 11 February 2026
Deadline for potential suppliers to submit clarification questions to ASL@nationalarchives.gov.uk: 5pm on Friday 20 February 2026
Deadline for potential suppliers to submit tender responses: 5pm on Wednesday 25 February 2026
Contract award: week commencing Monday 2 March 2026
Deadline for completion of work: Tuesday 31 March 2026