Early Years (EY) Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Provision of Phase 1 Materials and Training

DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION

This public procurement record has 9 releases in its history.

Tender

26 May 2026 at 14:13

Planning

22 May 2026 at 10:07

PlanningUpdate

26 Mar 2026 at 12:40

PlanningUpdate

24 Mar 2026 at 12:59

PlanningUpdate

23 Mar 2026 at 12:45

PlanningUpdate

23 Mar 2026 at 12:28

Planning

23 Mar 2026 at 12:07

PlanningUpdate

23 Mar 2026 at 11:42

Planning

23 Mar 2026 at 11:29

Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Education is seeking to procure an online training package for Early Years (EY) professionals focusing on Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Continuous Professional Development (CPD). The tender is part of a central government initiative and is currently in the tender stage. The procurement employs an open procedure, with key submission deadlines set between 26 May 2026, when the tender period commences, and 12 June 2026 when it closes at 5pm. Located in London, the buyer is interested in providing accessible training across the United Kingdom, emphasizing its commitment to improving inclusive educational practices for ages 0-4. The tender value is estimated at £3,166,667, highlighting the significant investment in educational services. The contract is set to start on 16 July 2026 and end on 15 September 2027, with a possible extension for another year.

This tender offers significant growth opportunities for businesses specialising in educational services, particularly for those with expertise in developing digital training modules. The requirement for an online, modular, and self-paced format is particularly advantageous for companies with strengths in e-learning and digital content creation. Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs) are considered suitable for this opportunity, encouraging diverse participation. Businesses with experience in inclusive education practices and those who can deliver innovative solutions in digital learning are well-positioned to benefit from this procurement, which aims to provide a minimum of 20 hours of professional development content, thereby setting a new standard for early years SEND training.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Title

Early Years (EY) Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Provision of Phase 1 Materials and Training

Notice Description

Early Years (EY) Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Provision of Phase 1 Materials and Training Procurement Description This Tender Notice is in relation to the Department for Education Early Years (EY) Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Provision of Phase 1 Materials and Training. Department for Education are seeking to procure an online package of training with learning materials for early years practitioners on SEND and make this available and accessible for all early years practitioners from September 2026 for up to 12 months, with the possibility of extension on a quarterly basis for up to an additional 12 months if required The training should: Be specific to SEND in early years only, specifically ages 0-4. Be available and applicable to all early years practitioners, regardless of qualification level or setting type (PVIs, school-based nurseries, childminders etc.) and meet government accessibility standards. Be in an online, modular, self-paced format that users can revisit at their convenience with videos/webinars dispersed amongst the online learning. Provide a minimum of 20 hours of content, to enable and support learning beyond the level currently covered in the DfE's Early Years Child Development Training, module 8. Cover, at a minimum, content around inclusive practice and methods for embedding this within a setting and information/guidance on engaging with parents of children with SEND. A combination of existing and newly configured content is acceptable, provided mobilisation and outcomes requirements are met. =================================================================================== DfE uses Jaggaer e-procurement portal. Suppliers must register/log in to access the full ITT and submit a response. Please refer to ITT 3968. The Tender period is Tuesday 26 May and closes at 5pm on Friday 12 June. Clarification period will be until 5pm on Friday 06 June. Please submit Clarification Questions via Jaggaer messaging portal.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: up to 12 months, added on a quarterly basis if required

Planning Information

Open early engagement - this means that a procurement idea is currently active, it is in the early stage of development and judging interest from potential suppliers. On 16th January 2026, the government announced a £200 million investment in SEND teacher training. The package was described as including: A new Early Years CPD programme, providing free, accessible training focused on inclusive practice, child development, and practical strategies for supporting children with SEND – available to all early years practitioners. We are currently also conducting separate market engagement on procurement for the creation of a new, more extensive package of training to become available from autumn 2027. Further, on the 23rd February 2026, as part of the SEND Reform: Putting Children and Young People First consultation document, it was published that all staff in early years will be entitled to receive high quality-training from September 2026. The Department for Education (DfE) is commencing market engagement and seeking feedback to inform interest from the market and viability of the requirements for the first phase of the investment. Interested parties are invited to attend an online market engagement event to be held 15th April 13:00-14:00 to hear further details about this opportunity and share thoughts and questions about the future programme through a feedback questionnaire. Please note, in the interest of fairness, attendance will be limited to 2 people per organisation. To reguster please clock on the following link https://education.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html Select 'View opportunities' and SSQ 749 Early Years (EY) Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Provision of Pre‑Developed CPD Materials and Training Joining instructions can be found within the attachements section. Follow up 1-2-1 interviews may be scheduled at the discretion of the Department, and further information on this will be shared during the event. DfE may also decide to host further engagement events prior to the launch of a formal tender process. Further details will be provided in due course. This market engagement notice does not signify the commencement of any competitive process, nor does it constitute a commitment to any future procurement activity.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-067130
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/048906-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Planning, Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
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

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£3,166,667 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£3,166,667 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
26 May 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
12 Jun 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
26 May 2026Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
15 Jul 2026 - 15 Sep 2027 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1P 3BT
Post Town
South West London
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

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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