Planning

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

DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION

This public procurement record has 8 releases in its history.

Planning

22 May 2026 at 10:07

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
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

The Department for Education is in the planning stage of a procurement process for the Early Years (EY) Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Provision of Phase 1 CPD Materials and Training. Located in London, at Sanctuary Buildings, this process aims to provide an online package of training specifically for SEND applicable to early years practitioners. The training will be available from September 2026 for an initial 12 months and could potentially extend for a further 12 months. The process will utilize an open procurement method and involves a significant investment exceeding the threshold. Key dates include the publication of the Tender Notice on 26th May 2026, with the tender period ending on 12 June 2026. The training package will cover comprehensive content aimed at improving inclusive practice and parent engagement.

This upcoming tender presents substantial opportunities for growth especially for Small to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs). With a project value of approximately £3.8 million, businesses with expertise in online educational content development, specifically in SEND for children aged 0-4, can leverage this opportunity. Companies with existing modular, self-paced learning content supported by positive user feedback are particularly well-suited to compete. The structure aids in not only fostering SMEs and VCSEs but also invites collaborative and consortia bids, reinforcing the government's commitment to inclusive supplier participation.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

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

Notice Description

Early Years (EY) Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Provision of Phase 1 CPD Materials and Training Procurement Description Please note that all references to procedure, value and term length are purely illustrative and subject to change. 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 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 and/or 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 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. 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. 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. This will be referred to as Phase 2 within the specification and ITT documents which will be published and is out of scope of this procurement. This Pipeline Notice does not signify the commencement of any competitive process, nor does it constitute a commitment to any future procurement activity. Please note that Department for Education intends to publish the Tender Notice and ITT in connection with this procurement on Tuesday, 26 May. The Tender period will be open until 17:00 hours, Friday, 12 June.

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/047654-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK1 - Pipeline 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
£3,200,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
22 May 2026Today
Submission Deadline
15 May 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
26 May 20263 days to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
15 Jul 2026 - 15 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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