Planning

Early Years (EY) Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Provision of Pre-Developed CPD Materials and Training

DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION

This public procurement record has 7 releases in its history.

PlanningUpdate

26 Mar 2026 at 12:40

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
PlanningUpdate

24 Mar 2026 at 12:59

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
PlanningUpdate

23 Mar 2026 at 12:45

UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
PlanningUpdate

23 Mar 2026 at 12:28

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

23 Mar 2026 at 12:07

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
PlanningUpdate

23 Mar 2026 at 11:42

UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
Planning

23 Mar 2026 at 11:29

UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

On 16th January 2026, the Department for Education (DfE) announced a £200 million investment in Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) teacher training as part of its procurement process. This development is in the planning stage, with an early market engagement event scheduled for 15th April 2026. The initiative aims to deliver a new Early Years (EY) Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme focusing on inclusive practices for early years practitioners. Located in London, the contracting authority is DfE, classified as a central government public authority. Potential suppliers are invited to provide feedback during the engagement event, which seeks to outline interest in pre-developed CPD materials and training, to be rolled out from September 2026, with possible extensions beyond its initial 12-month term.

This procurement presents significant opportunities for growth for Small to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprises (VCSEs), with an accessible structure for various organisation types, including nurseries and childminders across the UK. The programme is designed to foster long-term skills development by offering modular, self-paced training with over 30 hours of content enhanced by webinars and interactive materials. Organisations with existing SEND CPD solutions, evidenced by positive uptake and user feedback, are particularly suited to find synergies within this procurement, under its open procedure, specifically planned for the education and training services sector. This approach not only supports the expansion of training-focused enterprises but also aligns with government standards on accessibility and inclusion.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Early Years (EY) Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Provision of Pre-Developed CPD Materials and Training

Notice Description

Early Years (EY) Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Provision of Pre-Developed CPD Materials and Training Procurement Description This is a notice seeking early engagement from interested parties in relation to the Department for Education Early Years (EY) Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Provision of Pre-Developed CPD Materials and Training. Please note that all references to procedure, value and term length are purely illustrative and subject to change. We are seeking to procure a package of pre-developed 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 a short extension. 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 30 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. Already be developed and actively being used in practice, with demonstrable evidence of positive uptake and feedback by users. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please note that this notice is for early market engagement and exploratory purposes and is not a call for competition. The Department reserves the right not to enter any formal processes or agreements. Accordingly, the authority will not be liable for any bid cost, expenditure, work, or effort incurred by a provider in acting based on this notice. 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 PS200 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. 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.

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.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-067130
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/027886-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement 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
£3,200,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£3,200,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
26 Mar 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
15 May 20262 months to go
Future Notice Date
4 May 20261 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
22 May 2026 - 30 Sep 2027 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planned
Lots Status
Planned
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

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

Download

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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