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F002PA - Education Healthcare Plan Writing

Essex County Council

This public procurement record has 4 releases in its history.

Award

25 Jun 2026 at 18:35

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

28 Apr 2026 at 14:27

UK4 - Tender Notice
PlanningUpdate

12 Nov 2025 at 10:59

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

27 Oct 2025 at 11:47

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Essex County Council has successfully awarded a contract for the service titled "Education Healthcare Plan Writing" after initiating an open procedure tender. Classified under the special education services industry, this procurement process was completed on 25 June 2026, with a contract value of £900,000 inclusive of VAT. The awarded supplier, ENHANCE EHC LTD, will commence services from 1 August 2026, lasting initially for one year, with options to extend annually up to a maximum of three years (1+1+1 structure). The Council requires the preparation of Education Healthcare Plans (EHCPs) for children and young people with significant special educational needs and disabilities across the Chelmsford area and beyond, ensuring compliance with existing statutory requirements and codes of practice.

This contract offers significant opportunities for businesses specialised in educational services, particularly those with capabilities in supporting special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). SMEs are especially encouraged to participate due to the flexible, high-demand nature of the requirement which peaks during certain times of the academic year. Successful bidders will need to demonstrate proficiency in writing and managing EHCPs, coordinated in various report formats, and a comprehensive understanding of both local guidelines and the SEN Code of Practice. With the potential for service renewal, companies with a strong commitment to quality, compliance with statutory requirements, and the ability to scale resources efficiently will find this a lucrative avenue for business growth.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

F002PA - Education Healthcare Plan Writing

Notice Description

Essex County Council ("the Council") is seeking to commission an external provider to prepare Education Healthcare Plans (EHCP) to enable the Council to fulfil its statutory duties under the Children and Families Act 2014 and the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Code of Practice. Please be advised that whilst the Council is working towards a model where EHCPs are written internally, this procurement is also designed to facilitate the Council's ability to meet the demand for EHCPs during peak times in the academic year where the number of plans (new and amendments) exceed the internal capacity. Therefore, there is no guarantee of numbers under this contract and the resource needs to be flexible to meet demand. However, please note that further details regarding the current and projected demand for EHCPs is provided within the service specification which has been published as part of the tender documents. The successful bidder will be required to prepare EHCPs for children and young people (0-25) with significant special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The EHCPs will detail the young person's: * Needs across education, health, and care * The young person's support requirements and desired outcomes The EHCPs will ensure that eligible children and young people receive coordinated, tailored support and help to secure resources for specialist provision. Please be advised that as a minimum, the EHCPs must be prepared in line with the following principles: * Fully comply with the Essex process for initiating assessments, undertaking assessments and drafting EHCPs (see: http://www.essexlocaloffer.org.uk/) * Write EHCPs for individual children and young people using information contained in a variety of report formats * EHCPs must comply with the requirements within the SEN Code of Practice https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/398815/SEND_Code_of_Practice_January_2015.pdf * Account needs to be taken of any guidance provided by the Department for Education or Essex County Council * Appoint and manage appropriately experienced and qualified staff to write the EHCPs * Ensure that there is sufficiency of trained staff to meet and deliver to Local Authority requirements and that there will be a continuous service delivery. * Ensure strict compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and all updates. Please be advised that further details regarding the Council's requirements for this service will be accessible from the dedicated specification which will be published on the Council's e-tendering platform, ProContract which can be accessed via: https://procontract.due-north.com/ Please register for a user account to gain access to the tender documentation for this procurement opportunity, noting that the Council envisages that this opportunity will be published on Tuesday 28 April 2026. Explanatory notes: The contracting authority is Essex County Council and any Successor Body meaning one or more entities which assumes any of the Council's functions (as applicable) as a result of Local Government Reform (LGR). Such successor body or bodies may be, without limitation, a local authority, a combined authority, a combined county authority, a strategic authority or any other status determined pursuant to the Devolution and LGR Legislation. In addition, please note that the budgetary information within this notice is stated inclusive of VAT due to the requirements of the form and the total budget for this service is PS900,000. Similarly, please be advised that the contract for this service includes annual break clauses and the requirements are being commissioned under a 1+1+1 year term. Due to the constraints of the fields within this notice, the stated three (3) year contract duration represents the maximum contract term for this service.

Planning Information

Essex County Council are working towards a model where EHCPs are written internally, however there are peak times in the academic year where the number of plans (new and amendments) exceed the internal capacity. There is therefore no guarantee of numbers under this contract and the resource needs to be flexible to meet demand. We are intending to run a series of drop in market engagement sessions with suitably experienced organisations to support our requirement moving forward. We would like to hear from organisations interested in this requirement and who are able to demonstrate the following relevant experience: • Understand the Essex process for initiating assessments, undertaking assessments and drafting EHCPs http://www.essexlocaloffer.org.uk/ • Write EHCPs for individual children and young people using information contained in a variety of report formats • EHCPs must comply with the requirements within the SEN Code of Practice https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/398815/SEND_Code_of_Practice_January_2015.pdf • Account needs to be taken of any guidance provided by the Department for Education or Essex County Council • Appoint and manage appropriately experienced and qualified staff to write the EHCPs • Ensure that there is sufficiency of trained staff to meet and deliver to Local Authority requirements and that there will be a continuous service delivery. • Ensure strict compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and all updates. Please send your expression of interest to harvey.neary@essex.gov.uk who will share a microsoft forms to be complete in time for the drop in sessions

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05d40e
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/060055-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services

CPV Codes

80340000 - Special education services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£960,000 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
£900,000 £500K-£1M
Awards Value
£900,000 £500K-£1M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
25 Jun 20262 months ago
Submission Deadline
28 May 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
26 Nov 2025Expired
Award Date
25 Jun 20262 months ago
Contract Period
1 Aug 2026 - 31 Jul 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Pending
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Essex 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
CHELMSFORD
Postcode
CM1 1QH
Postcode Area
Chelmsford
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH3 Essex
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH36 Heart of Essex
Delivery Location
TLH3 Essex
Local Authority
Chelmsford
Electoral Ward
Moulsham and Central
Westminster Constituency
Chelmsford

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

ENHANCE EHC LTD

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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