Official UK procurement notice
Early Learning & Childcare Provision Framework (New Applicants October 2026)
Authority: East Ayrshire Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionFramework Agreement for Early Learning and Childcare Provision - New Applicants October 2026
OCTOBER 2026 REOPENING OF FLEXIBLE FRAMEWORK - NOTE THAT FUNDED PROVIDERS ALREADY INCLUDED IN THE FRAMEWORK DO NOT REQUIRE TO RE-APPLY, THIS NOTICE IS APPLICABLE FOR NEW APPLICANTS ONLY
- How the procedure runs: https://www.gov.scot/Topics/Government/Procurement/policy/ProcurementReform/implementEUDirProcRef
CPV: Child daycare services · Pre-school education services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1As per the previously advertised Notice, the Flexible Framework commenced in April…
As per the previously advertised Notice, the Flexible Framework commenced in April 2021 and in accordance with the terms therein, it is now being re-opened for new applicants to be included under the same terms as the original application exercise.
Note that the initial 5 year term of the Framework commenced on 1 April 2021, therefore the end of the initial term of the contract ended on 31 March 2026 for all Providers included in the Framework, however an extension to this has been invoked as allowed under the terms of the Framework and therefore the new end date is 31 March 2028.
ORIGINAL CONTRACT NOTICE TEXT: East Ayrshire Council require to set up a flexible Framework Agreement with Early Learning and Childcare Providers to support its statutory duty to make available funded early learning and childcare for all eligible children on an as required basis. The Framework Agreement will be for a period of 5 years with the option to extend for a further 2-years and will be re-opened for new applications to become a funded provider annually.
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Refer to application/framework documentation
- Technical & professional ability
Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010; The Children & Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, as amended
- Staff
- Names and qualifications of delivery staff must be submitted
- Shortlisting
- Refer to application/framework documentation
- “Early Learning & Childcare Provision Framework (New Applicants October…” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract.
Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid
How East Ayrshire Council buys Pre-school education services (CPV 8011), and who usually turns up
East Ayrshire Council’s published record next to the market for the same work. Compared with other frameworks and DPS only. Whole-market view: Pre-school education services (CPV 8011) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
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How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
Local means the winner is registered in the region where that award was delivered. The market figure counts awards delivered in Scotland.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners were registered in the region where that award was delivered.
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How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the bid deadline to the award date, on competitions that published both.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards have an award date within 52 days of the bid deadline.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Missing bid counts may hide more single-bid awards. This share is a minimum.
How many bids did past lots attract?
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How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid7% / 33%
2–321% / 17%
4–624% / 0%
7+48% / 50%
How did awards compare with estimates?
i
Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
On a framework or DPS, prices are agreed when work is called off.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Not comparable on a framework or DPS: the price is set later, on each call-off.
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list
Our matching links this notice to “Early Learning & Childcare Provision Framework (New Applicants October 2023)” and “Early Learning & Childcare Provision Framework” of this authority, but none of the 20 panel members sit in a category matching this notice.
Lot #1As per the previously advertised Notice, the Flexible Framework commenced in April…CPV 8011Estimate not published
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative. The bar shows 125 past lots.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid10%
2–319%
4–626%
7+46%
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
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Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
Candidate suppliers for this notice have not been worked out yet, so this is not a verdict that nobody fits.
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record · publisher note attached- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Open admission
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Framework agreement
- Who may use this agreement
- Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 26 Oct 2026, 14:17 GMT
- Last source update
- 26 Oct 2026, 14:17 GMT
- Authority reference
PS/19/135 Oct 2026- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-101073- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-079046Find a Tender
- How it runs
- Electronic trading
- e-invoicing allowed · electronic ordering · electronic payment
- Performance terms
Refer to application/framework documentation
Publisher note: Applications for submissions must be made by the deadline set (refer above), however the deadline for expressing an interest in the first instance must be made by 12 noon on 7 December 2026. The buyer is using PCS-Tender to conduct this ITT exercise. The Project code is 32952. For more information see: http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/info/InfoCentre.aspx?ID=2343 The Contracting Authority does not intend to include a sub-contract clause as part of community benefits (as per Section 25 of the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014) in this contract for the following reason: Not suitable The Contracting Authority does not intend to include any community benefit requirements in this contract for the following reason: Not suitable (SC Ref:845571)
How to participate & submission route
Official notice Apply via Public Contracts Scotland- Requests to participate (first stage)
- —
- Appointment period ends
- 10 Dec 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- —
- Submission channel
- {"electronicSubmission"}
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
26 Oct 2026 → 10 Dec 2026 · 2 dates- Notice publishedearlier today26 Oct 2026, 14:17 GMT
- Today26 Oct 2026
- Admission / appointment period endsin 45 days · period end, not a bid countdown10 Dec 2026, 12:00 GMT
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Nothing awarded yet- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Dispute resolution & review bodies
- Kilmarnock Sheriff CourtReview body
Official documents & specifications
Official links; attachments are not copiedNo document links were published on the notice; the tender pack is on the portal.