Northern Ireland’s Education Authority (EANI) has launched a new procurement process for Education Technology Managed Services (ETMS), seeking a supplier to deliver modernised digital infrastructure and managed services for schools under a contract worth up to £851 million.

The Register reports that the procurement will replace the existing Education Network for Northern Ireland, supporting more than 1,100 schools, approximately 350,000 pupils, 22,000 teachers and 40,000 non-teaching staff.

The contract is intended to transform the technology infrastructure used across the education system, providing a modern managed service designed to support teaching, learning and day-to-day operations throughout Northern Ireland's schools.

The procurement includes an estimated £246 million for core services during the initial contract term. Additional provisions for contract extensions, optional services and a schools catalogue could increase the overall value to a maximum of £851 million, including VAT.

The new competition follows an earlier procurement process that resulted in the award of a contract to Fujitsu in 2023. That agreement was subsequently concluded on a mutually agreed basis in 2024, leading EANI to extend its existing managed services contract while developing a revised procurement strategy.

Unlike the previous competition, the current procurement focuses on managed technology infrastructure and services and does not include the development of a new school management system.

The initiative represents one of the largest education technology procurements undertaken in Northern Ireland and reflects continued investment in digital transformation across public sector education.

For suppliers, the procurement presents a significant opportunity to support the long-term delivery of critical technology services while contributing to the modernisation of education infrastructure across the region.

The programme also highlights the growing emphasis on competitive procurement as public bodies seek long-term technology partners capable of delivering resilient, scalable and future-ready managed services that support operational performance and evolving educational requirements.