Helping a Kumon Franchise Owner Break into Public Sector Education Contracts
Client Background
Sandra, a successful Kumon franchise owner, had built a strong local business delivering tutoring services directly to parents through a private-pay model.
While well established in this space, Sandra recognised a major growth opportunity in supplying tutoring services directly to schools, academies, and local authorities. She understood that public sector education buyers regularly used tutoring providers, but had no knowledge of how procurement worked or how to access these contracts.
During a free 30-minute consultation with Matka, Sandra openly explained that while she had educational credibility, she knew nothing about public sector tendering, frameworks, or contract pathways.
The Challenge
Sandra’s challenge was not service quality, it was market entry.
She needed to understand:
• How schools and local authorities bought tutoring services
• The difference between Dynamic Purchasing Systems (DPS), Frameworks, and open tenders
• Under-threshold vs over-threshold contract opportunities
• Which route would offer the highest probability of repeatable success
Without a clear strategy, there was a significant risk of targeting overly complex or highly competitive opportunities too early.
Our Intervention
Following the consultation, Sandra engaged Matka on a 12-month mentoring and training programme.
Strategic Business Review
Matka conducted a full review of:
• Her business model
• Competitive strengths
• Brand recognition
• Delivery credibility
• Likely public sector buyer profile
Strategic Route to Market
Rather than targeting large frameworks or high-value national contracts, Matka identified a more strategic entry point:
Under-threshold opportunities under £40k annual spend
This included smaller contracts with:
• Local authorities
• Schools
• Academies
This route was selected because competition was often limited to smaller local providers, while Kumon’s recognised brand, structured methodology, and established reputation created a stronger competitive edge.
Practical Support Delivered
Matka provided both strategic and hands-on support throughout the programme.
Market Intelligence
Using our systems and tools, we developed a target prospect list based on:
• School spend data
• Local authority supplier data
• Existing provider analysis
• Opportunity prioritisation
Capability Building
Sandra attended Matka’s bid writing training workshops, helping her develop:
• Tender writing skills
• Buyer-focused response techniques
• Procurement confidence
Quality Assurance
Before submission, Sandra used Matka’s independent bid review service to strengthen response quality and maximise scoring potential.
Outcome
Over the 12-month period, Sandra successfully secured:
3 Public Sector Education Contracts
Annual Revenue: £150k
Contract Length: 3 years
Total Contracted Value: £450k
Strategic Impact
This fundamentally changed the trajectory of Sandra’s business.
Key Results:
• Expanded from direct-to-parent sales into public sector education
• Secured long-term contracted revenue
• Built repeatable public sector growth capability
• Diversified revenue streams
• Developed internal tendering confidence and skill
Client Feedback
“The end-to-end strategy support and bid training gave me the structure and skillset to grow my business. Without Michael’s support there is no way I would have won these contracts. I still use Michael as my public sector growth mentor.”
Long-Term Value
This case demonstrates that successful public sector growth is not always about pursuing the largest contracts first.
For Sandra, the right strategy was targeted, under-threshold market entry, building capability, confidence, and repeatable wins through strategically aligned opportunities.
By combining mentoring, market intelligence, and practical bid support, Matka helped transform a local tutoring business into a growing public sector education supplier.