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Specialist Education - Alternative Provision

Nottinghamshire County Council

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Tender

22 May 2026 at 10:24

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

07 May 2026 at 12:54

UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
Planning

14 May 2025 at 14:42

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Nottinghamshire County Council is inviting tenders for the establishment of an open framework to commission Specialist Education - Alternative Provision. This procurement, tagged 'tender', is focused on services including primary, secondary, and higher education, as well as training services, and will significantly cater to the needs of children and young people in Nottinghamshire and adjacent areas. The procurement, under the Planning and Tender stages, has a submission deadline of 3rd July 2026, and tendering organisations are required to complete all stages of the procurement process. The entire framework is estimated to have a gross value of £240 million GBP and will run until January 2035 with potential extensions, allowing for a substantial engagement period for suitable providers. Key procurement methods include competitive flexible procedures, within the light touch regime with a primary focus on quality and price in selecting providers.

This tender provides significant opportunities for education providers specialising in alternative provision services to engage in a lucrative framework agreement. Businesses with capabilities in offering tailored educational and training services that cater to specific needs, including social, emotional, and mental health support for young learners, should consider applying. The open framework allows for multiple lot participation, making it particularly appealing for SMEs and VCSEs to expand their reach in the education sector. Participation in this framework can facilitate sustained business growth through long-term partnerships with Nottinghamshire County Council and other participating educational establishments in the region.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Specialist Education - Alternative Provision

Notice Description

The Council is seeking to establish an Open Framework of suitable Providers under which the Council intend to commission Specialist Education - Alternative Provision. These services will cover the requirements for Alternative Provision placements of children & young people (Learners) made directly on behalf of Nottinghamshire County Council with additional scope to include Local Council maintained Schools, or Free Schools and Academies (Contracting Council) within Nottinghamshire and surrounding areas if they wish to use it. Providers that are successful in demonstrating that they are able to meet the Council's standards, as set out in the service specification, will be awarded onto the Framework under the appropriate Lot and will be subsequently invited to offer places that match the needs of the Learners. Providers will be expected to evidence the quality of their provision by participating in regular Quality Assurance (QA) checks that will be carried out on behalf of the Contracting Authorities. Any Providers that fail to maintain the quality standards will be suspended from the Framework until they are able to provide evidence that they can meet the quality standards.

Lot Information

Transitional Short Term time limited Placements - Block arrangement

The Council is seeking to commission transitional short-term time limited alternative provision placements designed to re-engage learners and support a successful return to mainstream education via a block booking arrangement for the following groups of young people: * Students requiring short term intervention prior to reintegration into mainstream education or other provision. * Students supported under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 due to illness, exclusion, or otherwise. * Section 61 learners with complex SEMH/SEND (Social, Emotional and Mental Health/Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) needs preventing mainstream attendance. * Students under section 100 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 who have been permanently excluded and require provision within 6 days. * Primary and secondary aged learners Provision may be full or part time and delivered through DfE registered or unregistered settings (DfE registered preferred). The Council is looking to put in place up to three block contracts in each of the following geographic areas: North Notts, Mid Notts and South Notts. There will be a maximum of three providers per geographic area and in order for the block contracting arrangements to be viable the Council require at least one Provider per locality during Framework One. Lot 1 may be re-opened as a successive Framework to increase capacity in response to need/demand and appoint additional Providers in accordance with Procurement Legislation and associated regulations.

Renewal: It is anticipated this Framework will commence from January 2027 with a maximum initial term of four years. This may be supplemented by up to two optional extensions of two years each, resulting in a potential total duration of 8 years until January 2035. Tenderers should be aware that when reviewing whether to take up any contract extension provision which is at the sole discretion of the Council, the Council will, under its duty to obtain best value, consider a range of factors when deciding whether to extend or retender this contract.

Department for Education Accredited Online Provision (the Online Education Accreditation Scheme)

The Council is seeking to specifically commission Providers of online Alternative Provision who are successfully enrolled on the Online Education Accreditation Scheme (OEAS). Placements under this Lot would be short term, remote learning programmes delivered in small groups or 1:1. The provision will be designed to support students to thrive outside of the traditional classroom. It should be accessible full or part-time from home or other agreed locations. The curriculum should be tailored to individual need and designed to ensure continuity of learning. Support should include tailored reintegration planning to either mainstream or in-person alternative provision.

Renewal: It is anticipated this Framework will commence from January 2027 with a maximum initial term of four years. This may be supplemented by up to two optional extensions of two years each, resulting in a potential total duration of 8 years until January 2035. Tenderers should be aware that when reviewing whether to take up any contract extension provision which is at the sole discretion of the Council, the Council will, under its duty to obtain best value, consider a range of factors when deciding whether to extend or retender this contract.

Specialist Individual Tailored Provision

The Council is seeking a range of Alternative Provision Providers for which they can call off contracts for placements for individual children and young people as and when required. Education placements will be commissioned on an individual basis as per the referral process detailed in Section 4. Placements will be bespoke, longer-term programmes combining academic learning, vocational pathways and wider personal development. This Lot includes both 1-1 and small group work and is to include ongoing reintegration planning and can be full-time or part-time.

Renewal: It is anticipated this Framework will commence from January 2027 with a maximum initial term of four years. This may be supplemented by up to two optional extensions of two years each, resulting in a potential total duration of 8 years until January 2035. Tenderers should be aware that when reviewing whether to take up any contract extension provision which is at the sole discretion of the Council, the Council will, under its duty to obtain best value, consider a range of factors when deciding whether to extend or retender this contract.

Tutoring

The Council is seeking to commission arrangements with high quality external tuition services to provide tailored education plans and to ensure positive outcomes including progression and achievement, enable participation, increase wellbeing and increase independence. The Lot will be made up of tuition companies and 1-1 tutors. Tuition should be delivered by qualified teachers (QTS) and can be offered face to face or through virtual sessions. Sessions will be 1-1 or small groups. Tuition must be tailored to meet identified developmental and educational needs of students.

Renewal: It is anticipated this Framework will commence from January 2027 with a maximum initial term of four years. This may be supplemented by up to two optional extensions of two years each, resulting in a potential total duration of 8 years until January 2035. Tenderers should be aware that when reviewing whether to take up any contract extension provision which is at the sole discretion of the Council, the Council will, under its duty to obtain best value, consider a range of factors when deciding whether to extend or retender this contract.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-051347
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/047572-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Planning, Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services

CPV Codes

80100000 - Primary education services

80200000 - Secondary education services

80300000 - Higher education services

80500000 - Training services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£200,000,000 £100M-£1B
Lots Value
£25,738,500 £10M-£100M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
22 May 20263 months ago
Submission Deadline
3 Jul 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
11 May 2026Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
21 Jan 2027 - 20 Jan 2031 4-5 years
Recurrence
2027-05-13

Notice Status

Tender Status
Active
Lots Status
Active
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Nottinghamshire County Council
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
NOTTINGHAM
Postcode
NG2 7QP
Postcode Area
Nottingham
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLF East Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLF1 Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLF16 South Nottinghamshire
Delivery Location
TLF15 North Nottinghamshire, TLF16 South Nottinghamshire
Local Authority
Rushcliffe
Electoral Ward
Trent Bridge
Westminster Constituency
Rushcliffe

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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