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IA3354 Alternative Provision Light Touch Framework

Staffordshire County Council

This public procurement record has 5 releases in its history.

Award

10 Sep 2026 at 10:20

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

09 Jun 2026 at 14:56

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

17 Nov 2025 at 10:42

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

20 Aug 2025 at 13:48

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

19 May 2025 at 13:23

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Staffordshire County Council has established a light-touch education and support framework for children and young people of compulsory school age who cannot currently attend a school place. It covers five service areas: full-time alternative provision, part-time alternative provision, tutoring, complementary provision, and bespoke provision for pupils with higher-level special educational needs or other complex needs. The work combines education, training, health and social support, classified under CPV 80000000 and 85000000. Services are delivered across Staffordshire, excluding Stoke-on-Trent. The framework supports individual placements and, where required, block arrangements for multiple pupils. Suppliers may be used through referrals, mini-competitions or direct awards in specified circumstances.

The procurement is complete and the framework has been awarded, with contracts signed for all five lots. Each lot has an estimated value of £7,040,000 excluding VAT, or £8,448,000 including VAT. Lot 1, full-time provision, was awarded to Phoenix Learning Communities and Keys PCE Limited. Lots 2 to 5 were awarded to multi-supplier panels: 21 suppliers for part-time provision, 36 for tutoring, 32 for complementary provision and 20 for bespoke higher-level SEND and complex-needs provision. The framework runs from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2034. It was conducted as an open procedure, with suppliers able to apply for one or all lots. Evaluation was 60% quality and 40% price, with quality covering performance and assurance, safeguarding, and lot-specific provision for children and young people. Call-offs generally use competition between relevant framework suppliers.

This opportunity demonstrates sustained demand from Staffordshire County Council for providers able to educate and support vulnerable children and young people outside mainstream school. Relevant suppliers include alternative education settings, tutoring organisations, specialist SEND providers, sports and activity organisations, wellbeing services, community and social enterprises, and education or support agencies able to tailor provision to individual needs. Credibility requires appropriately qualified staff or tutors, safeguarding and quality-assurance arrangements, suitable premises or delivery facilities, information technology where needed, and enough immediately available capacity to start when a placement is referred. Suppliers must be able to describe provision for different levels of need, including complex SEND, and price services through hourly rates. Organisations able to respond quickly to emergency, urgent and standard referrals, and to deliver individual or block placements, are particularly well aligned.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

IA3354 Alternative Provision Light Touch Framework

Notice Description

This is an Contract Details Notice as Staffordshire County Council has procured the Alternative Provision Light Touch Framework (ref IA3354). The Framework will be in place from 01/09/2026 to 31/08/2034. The purpose of the Framework will be to deliver Alternative Provision to children and young people of compulsory school age who are not currently able to attend a school place. The Framework includes 5 Lots: Lot 1: Full-Time Alternative Provision Lot 2: Part-Time Alternative Provision Lot 3: Tutoring Page 2 to 78 Lot 4: Complementary Provision Lot 5: Bespoke Provision for higher level SEND and other complex needs The Framework may be re-opened in future subject to need for example if the Council needs to increase the capacity or respond to emerging needs but the Council reserves the right to not re-open the Framework. Interested Suppliers should register on the Council's e-tendering system https://supplierlive.proactisp2p.com/Account/Login and opt to receive notifications for the CPV codes 80000000 - Education and training services and 85000000 - Health and social work services to ensure they receive any future notifications.

Lot Information

Full-Time Alternative Provision Part-Time Alternative Provision Tutoring Complementary Provision Bespoke Provision for higher level SEND and other complex needs

Planning Information

For the avoidance of doubt this is not a call for competition, this is to initiate preliminary market engagement. Staffordshire County Council wishes to re-procure the Alternative Provision currently procured via the Dynamic Purchasing System for the Provision of Opportunities to Improve Attainment and Engage Vulnerable Children and Young People in Education (ref IA1256 known as the Alternative Provision DPS). The current provision is across Staffordshire (excluding Stoke-on-Trent) and the DPS is currently divided into 4 Lots: Lot 1 Full Time Alternative Provision Lot 2 Part Time Alternative Provision Lot 3 Tutoring and Lot 4 Complementary Provision. The DPS commenced in 2018, and the current end date is 31 August 2026. The Council invites all Providers and prospective Providers to participate in a market engagement event to review the existing arrangements and input into how Alternative Provision will be commissioned going forward. The market engagement event will be held in person from 10:00-12:00 on 18 September 2025 at the Rudyard Suite, Staffordshire Place 1, Tipping Street, Stafford, ST16 2LP. Providers will also be able to join via Microsoft Teams for those not able to attend in person. To book a place on an event please email educationcommissioning@staffordshire.gov.uk by no later than 16 September. Please note that places at the event in person are restricted to 1 per Provider. As it will be possible to join via Microsoft Teams for those not able to attend in person. Please state whether you intend to attend the event in person or via Teams when requesting a place. Providers are urged to register on the Council's e-tendering portal where the current DPS tender is live, and future tender will be advertised: https://supplierlive.proactisp2p.com/Account/Login Providers participating in procurements are now also required to register on the Governments Central Digital Platform prior to submitting a tender response. Providers are therefore also urged to register and complete their information at www.gov.uk/find-tender Also for information in December 2024 the Government issued a White Paper on Local Government Re-Organisation entitled the "English Devolution White Paper". In March 2025 Staffordshire County Council submitted their suggested re-organisation plan to the Government and are awaiting a response. Final proposals will be submitted in November 2025 and implementation of the changes is expected by Government to be by 2028 at the earliest. Whilst the expected impact of most changes to Local Government will be settled at Government Level, please be aware that it may be government policy or expedient that any affected party will be recommended to agree bi-lateral or multi-lateral changes to their contractual arrangements. Updates on proposals and changes can be found on the Staffordshire County Council Website and at other media outlets.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0516d9
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085696-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Large, SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

80000000 - Education and training services

85000000 - Health and social work services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£35,200,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
£35,200,000 £10M-£100M
Awards Value
£7,040,000 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
£7,040,000 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
10 Sep 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
17 Dec 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
3 Nov 2025Expired
Award Date
9 Jun 20264 months ago
Contract Period
1 Sep 2026 - 31 Aug 2034 Over 5 years
Recurrence
2033-10-31

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Staffordshire 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
STAFFORD
Postcode
ST16 2DH
Postcode Area
Stoke-on-Trent
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLG West Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLG2 Shropshire and Staffordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLG24 Staffordshire CC
Delivery Location
TLG24 Staffordshire CC
Local Authority
Stafford
Electoral Ward
Forebridge
Westminster Constituency
Stafford

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
46
Supplier Names

PHOENIX LEARNING COMMUNITIES

Keys PCE Limited

33 RECRUITMENT LTD

ACHIEVE, INSPIRE AND MOTIVATE CIC

BES Tuition

BEYOND YOUTH PROJECT MANAGEMENT LTD

BOUNCING STATISTICS SERVICES LTD

Chase Aqua Rural Enterprise CIC

Dragon Football Academy

EAGLE'S NEST PROJECT

FUTURE BELIEVERS LTD

Halliwell Tuition (also

HARNESS COACHING CIC

INSIGHT WELLBEING SERVICES LTD

KOJIKOJO LIMITED

Liminal Education LTD

PATHWAYNEXUSGROUP LTD

PROGRESSIVE SPORTS FOR SCHOOLS LIMITED

Remedy Education Limited

STAR PLAYER LTD

U-EDUCATE LTD

ASEND LIMITED

Be My Tutor

CRT ENTERPRISES LIMITED

EM Skills Enterprise CIC

ESTEEM EDUCATORS STAFFORDSHIRE LTD

Fleet Education Services

HOLDEN KNIGHT RECRUITMENT LIMITED

MENTIS D LTD

National Teaching & Advisory Service

ON TARGET TUITION LTD

Prospero Group Ltd

Randstad Solutions Limited

Reflective School Support Ltd

SEIN (STAFFORDSHIRE) CIC

SMART EDUCATION RECRUITMENT LTD

SPORT 4 LIFE UK

Targeted Provision

CATCH-UP ACADEMY LTD

THE HAVEN SCHOOL LIMITED

THRIVE LEARNING GROUP LTD

TRINITY SUPPORT SERVICES LTD

INCLUSIVE MEDIA SOLUTIONS LTD

POWER2 LTD

STOKE-ON-TRENT AND NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE THEATRE TRUST LIMITED

ADAPT ED AP LIMITED

Further Information

Notice Documents

Notice URLs

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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