Planning

Independent Special School

CITY OF DONCASTER COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

05 Mar 2026 at 15:25

Summary of the contracting process

The City of Doncaster Council is in the planning stage of a procurement process for establishing an "Independent Special School" aimed at providing education services to children aged 5 to 18 within council-owned assets in Doncaster. This initiative falls under the education and training services industry category, specifically addressing primary, secondary, higher education, and special education needs. A market engagement event is scheduled for 19th March 2026 from 13:30 to 17:00 at The CAST Waterdale, Doncaster. Interested parties must confirm their attendance by 11th March 2026. The procurement follows a "light touch" regime and is above the threshold, indicating a significant investment with a planned contract value of approximately £41 million and a contract period commencing on 1st September 2026 and concluding on 31st August 2036.

This tender provides substantial opportunities for educational providers with experience in managing independent special schools and delivering high-quality education services. It is particularly well-suited for small and medium enterprises (SME) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSE) looking to solidify their presence in the educational sector within the UK. Businesses capable of forming partnerships with local authorities and possessing the necessary resources to adapt to specialised educational requirements for independent schooling will find this opportunity aligns well with their growth strategies. With the market engagement event fostering dialogue directly between providers and the council, participants can gain valuable insights to refine their offerings and augment their chances of success in this procurement process.

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How relevant is this notice?

Notice Title

Independent Special School

Notice Description

The City of Doncaster Council is seeking a high quality suitability resourced education provider to working partnership to deliver an independent special school for Doncaster children aged 5 -18 within an identified council owned asset.

Planning Information

The Market Engagement Event As part of the commissioning process we will be holding a market engagement event on Thursday 19th March 2026 from 13:30pm until 17:00pm at The CAST Waterdale Doncaster DN1 3BU The purpose of the event will be to engage with providers and discuss: • services included within this procurement exercise. • contextual information. • insights from those delivering similar services - to inform the final specification. Each organisation will be limited to maximum of two representatives. Please note: For those unable to attend, the presentation slides will be made available via Yortender following the event. To book a place on one of the sessions please email: ChildrensCommissioning@doncaster.gov.uk providing the following information: • Name of delegate and job title of delegate • Organisation details, including address • Delegate email address and contact telephone number Please confirm your attendance by 5pm Wednesday 11th March 2026

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06634e
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020025-2026
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
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services


CPV Codes

80000000 - Education and training services

80100000 - Primary education services

80200000 - Secondary education services

80300000 - Higher education services

80340000 - Special education services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£41,138,640 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
5 Mar 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
3 Apr 20263 weeks to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Sep 2026 - 31 Aug 2036 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
CITY OF DONCASTER 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
DONCASTER
Postcode
DN1 3BU
Post Town
Doncaster
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLE Yorkshire and The Humber
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLE3 South Yorkshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLE35 Doncaster
Delivery Location
TLE31 Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham

Local Authority
Doncaster
Electoral Ward
Town
Westminster Constituency
Doncaster Central

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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