Planning

SCE0035 - Alternative Provision - Health and Safety and Safeguarding Quality Assurance

LEICESTER CITY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

16 Jun 2025 at 13:56

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Leicester City Council is currently in the planning stage of a public procurement process titled "SCE0035 - Alternative Provision - Health and Safety and Safeguarding Quality Assurance." This service seeks to enhance health and safety and safeguarding quality assurance for alternative education provisions across Leicester and Leicestershire. The procurement process is focusing on health and social work services, with an aim to commence services on 1st September 2025. Key engagement activities are planned with a soft market test running from 16th June 2025 to 27th June 2025. The contract period is expected to span from the start of September 2025 to the end of August 2026. The procurement method involves a preliminary market engagement to assess interest and gather insights rather than a formal competitive bidding process at this stage.

This tender presents a unique opportunity for businesses specialising in quality assurance, health and safety, and safeguarding within education sectors. Companies experienced in conducting audits for unregistered alternative provisions and those capable of working closely with local councils to provide comprehensive reporting and support to schools will find this opportunity rewarding. Given the impact on health and social work services, businesses with a robust understanding of government plans and educational guidelines, such as those from the Department for Education and OfSTED, are well-suited to compete. Successful engagement could pave the way for future collaboration with local authorities, positioning businesses for long-term growth in public contracts.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

SCE0035 - Alternative Provision - Health and Safety and Safeguarding Quality Assurance

Notice Description

THIS IS NOT A CALL FOR COMPETITION Alternative Provision: Health and Safety and Safeguarding Quality Assurance Introduction Leicester City Council and Leicestershire County Council are considering commissioning an Alternative Provision Health and Safety and Safeguarding Quality Assurance service which will cover both regions. It is anticipated, dependent upon an engagement exercise, that tenders for this service would be sought in 06/ 2025, to enable a new contract to begin from 01/ 09/ 2025. As part of the commissioning process, the authority is undertaking a soft market test. This gives potential providers and other stakeholders the opportunity to express their interests and feed in their views about the potential service model and specification principles. The commissioners will use the information to appraise options and further develop the specification. This process does not constitute a formal tender or other competitive bidding process and will not result in the letting of a Contract. The authority is using this process solely to test the market to gather information and ascertain the level of interest in this particular service. There are therefore no formal criteria which we will use to judge your responses, and it is not our intention to provide any feedback. Leicester City Council provides a wide range of services to over 360,000 people. The City Council is a unitary authority, comprising 21 wards. Leicestershire County Council provides a wide range of services to over 700,000 people. The Council comprises 151 wards. Key service requirements The commissioning partners require a service that will fulfil quality assurance responsibilities in relation to the use of unregistered alternative provision by schools in the City and County. This may be expanded to include a small number of providers outside of the area, which are used by the authorities and colleagues in Rutland. This service will require quality assurance audits to be undertaken with 70+ unregistered alternative provision providers that feature in the LLR Alternative Provision Directory. These audits will have an emphasis on health and safety and safeguarding requirements and will need to be completed annually. Providers will need to communicate findings to contacts within the Local Authority and be a point of reference for schools when they are placing CYP within the target APs. We would like the provider to track schools who commission each AP; the timeframe for use and the impact of the AP intervention. The service will effectively link to and contribute to the delivery of actions detailed in the Leicester City and Leicestershire Alternative Provision Strategic Plans and Alternative Provision Handbook, as well as Guidance from the Department for Education and OfSTED.

Planning Information

Soft Market Test from 16 June 2025 until midday on 27 June 2025

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-054966
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/032648-2025
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

85000000 - Health and social work services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
16 Jun 20258 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
27 Jun 2025Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Sep 2025 - 31 Aug 2026 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
LEICESTER CITY COUNCIL
Contact Name
Mr Michael Percival
Contact Email
michael.percival@leicester.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LEICESTER
Postcode
LE1 1FZ
Post Town
Leicester
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLF East Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLF2 Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLF21 Leicester
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Leicester
Electoral Ward
Castle
Westminster Constituency
Leicester South

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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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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