Basingstoke Early Years Specialist Hub Provision

Hampshire County Council Children’s Services, through the Basingstoke Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Service for Young Children Inclusion Team, is seeking to re-procure an Early Years Specialist Hub Provision for the district of Basingstoke and Deane. This service forms part of the Council’s inclusive early years education offer and will include a defined number of reserved places for pre-school children with Special Educational Needs (SEN). In addition, the service will provide outreach support to private, voluntary, and independent early years providers, as outlined in the service specification.

This provision plays a critical role in supporting early years children with complex developmental needs and is aligned with Hampshire’s strategic priorities for inclusion and early intervention. The service specification outlines a targeted model of delivery through a specialist nursery hub, focusing on early identification, timely intervention, and multi-agency collaboration. The overarching aim is to reduce the need for statutory intervention by offering preventative support during a pivotal stage in a child’s development.

The delivery model incorporates structured support from experienced practitioners, tailored learning environments, and coordinated input from health, education, and social care professionals. Operating within Hampshire’s strategic framework, the service is expected to contribute to improved school readiness, reduced inequalities, and better outcomes for vulnerable children and their families. The specification also includes defined performance measures, eligibility criteria, and expectations for partnership working to ensure the service remains impactful, accountable, and responsive to local needs.

The new contract will commence on 1st September 2026, under Procurement Act 2023 Light Touch Regime Regulations.

Event Details:

• The Authority will are holding a market engagement event for providers on the 7th January 2026 at 13:30 hours. The purpose of the event is to provide the market of the Authority's intention in re-procuring the contract
• The event will be conducted on Teams and you will be sent an invitation to join virtually.
• The Commissioning lead will give an outline of the service and the nature of the requirement and procurement colleagues will advise on registering on the Authority's e tendering portal to apply for the opportunity.
• Any questions must be submitted via Intend after the meeting by a close of business on Friday 9th January 2026 date and all questions and responses will be published as part of this opportunity along with the market engagement slides.

Registering on In-tend

• Providers interested in attending the event are encouraged to register on in tend (The Authority's e-tendering system) at in-tendhost.co.uk/hampshire/ ↗
• We recommend that you refer to the e-tendering guidance for suppliers which can be found by clicking on `Information for Suppliers` at the top of the In-Tend home page.
• If your organisation is not registered on the Hampshire In-tend portal, please go to the website stated above and click on the `Register` tab - registration is free.

To Attend

Once registered, please search CS27681 'Basingstoke Early Years Specialist Hub Provision' and confirm your attendance via the correspondence function. Please provide the name of your organisation, the name of your attendee (max 2 attendees per organisation), the attendee email address(es) They will then receive a calendar invitation with the Teams link. Please do this by 17:00hrs on Tuesday 6th January, as invitations will not be able to be issued after this date.

Receiving Notification Emails

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