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Find a TenderPast planning noticePreliminary market engagement notice
Published 20 Mar 2025, 09:24 GMT

Official UK procurement notice

Independent Special Education Provision and Out of School Tuition

Official notice

Authority: Cambridgeshire County Council (Local council)

Framework agreementServicesAbove thresholdLight touch regimeSME suitableVCSE suitable
Sectors: Health & Social Care (85) Delivery: East of England (UKH1)
Planned pipeline value£281,000,000pipeline notice, not a live tender · 1 value update
Tender notice expected 1 Nov 2025from the planned procurement notice
Framework period 5 yrsends 31 Aug 2032 · up to 31 Mar 2036 with extensions · starts 1 Sept 2027

What is being bought

Published requirement description

Cambridgeshire County Council is conducting preliminary market engagement in relation to the recommissioning of the Independent Special School (ISEP) and Out of School Tuition (OoST) frameworks.

CPV: Social work and related services

How this framework works

From the published notice
Framework period
5 yrs · up to 8 yrs 7 mo from 1 Sept 2027

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · no lot value published
Lot #1PlannedRenewal 5 yrsSMEVCSE
Contract period: 1 Sept 2027 – 31 Aug 2032 (5 yrs) · up to 31 Mar 2036 with extensions
Delivery: East of EnglandEligibility: SME eligibleVCSE eligible
Extensions: Extension options published
85300000 Social work and related services

What it takes to win
i

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 more
What this means for your bid
  • “Independent Special Education Provision and Out of School Tuition” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Services
Notice status
Past planning notice
Procurement threshold
Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime
Light touch regime
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
20 Mar 2025, 09:24 GMT
Last source update
1 Apr 2026, 14:40 BST
Authority reference
24118
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-030420
Latest notice
Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
Classification (CPV)
Social work and related services
Delivery area
East of England (UKH1)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-04ef76 Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice
Appointment period ends
—

Timeline

20 Mar 2025 → 1 Sept 2027 · 5 dates
  1. Planning notice published
    20 Mar 2025, 09:24 GMT
  2. Tender notice expected361 days ago
    1 Nov 2025, 23:59 GMT
  3. Latest notice published210 days ago
    1 Apr 2026, 14:40 BST
  4. Today
    29 Oct 2026
  5. Market engagementin 183 days
    30 Apr 2027, 23:59 BST

    Following a recent SEND Provider Forum, the Council is planning some focus groups between now and February 2027.

    Please see below an indicative timeline:

    • April 26 = Benchmarking with providers their experience with other LA's
    • May 26 = Sub-Lots
    • June 26 = Appetite for training opportunities
    • July 26 = Policies - What does good look like
    • September 26 = Service Specification
    • October 26 = Pricing Schedules
    • November 26 = Application/Bids/Themes
    • December 26 = Procurement - Platform Familiarisation
    • January 27 = Referral Processes

    If you have any feedback on the above, please contact Childrenscommissioningteam@cambridgeshire.gov.uk by the end of the day on the 7th April.

    Some of these meetings will take place online and others in person.

  6. Contract startsin 306 days
    1 Sept 2027, 00:00 BST

Notice history

7 events · 5 releases on Find a Tender · since 20 Mar 2025
  1. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    20 Mar 2025, 09:24 GMT
    UK2
  2. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    23 Apr 2025, 16:52 BST
    UK2
  3. Pipeline notice published
    16 May 2025, 11:33 BST
    UK1
  4. Published value published: £281,000,000
    16 May 2025, 11:33 BST
  5. Status changed to planned
    16 May 2025, 11:33 BST
  6. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    28 Jan 2026, 16:13 GMT
    UK2
  7. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    1 Apr 2026, 14:40 BST
    UK2
Published amendments (3)

Details of further preliminary market engagement have been added, namely a potential provider questionnaire.

Advertising new provider forum in relation to this potential procurement exercise

Updated with indicative timeline for provider focus groups

Routine re-releases (5)
  • 2025-04: 1 release · 23 Apr 2025
  • 2025-03: 1 release · 20 Mar 2025

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Pipeline notice
Awards (0)
No award published
Contracts (0)
No contract published
Bid statistics
No aggregate bid statistics published

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Cambridgeshire County Council

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PJVB-3262-VGVJ New Shire Hall Emery Crescent Enterprise Campus,, Alconbury Weald, Huntingdon, East of England, PE28 4YEContact email

Official documents & specifications (5)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure