Tender

Suffolk Alternative Provision Tier One (Outreach) Service

SUFFOLK COUNTY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

01 May 2026 at 13:39

Summary of the contracting process

Suffolk County Council is currently seeking tenders for its Suffolk Alternative Provision Tier One (Outreach) Service, aimed at delivering targeted early support within mainstream schools across the UKH14 region. This procurement, identified with the reference PA0035-1, falls under the Education and Training Services industry category. The procurement is using an open procedure and is part of a light-touch regime, ensuring inclusivity and accessibility for small and medium enterprises. Key dates include an enquiry period ending on 15 May 2026, a tender submission deadline on 27 May 2026 at 11:00 AM, and an anticipated contract awarding by 31 July 2026. The service aims to support vulnerable children in Key Stages 1-4, enhancing learning outcomes and preventing school exclusions, with a contract period from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2028, with possible extension up to 2030.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in educational and social outreach services, particularly those adept at working with vulnerable youth to provide tailored support. Companies with experience in partnership-building with educational institutions, as well as those skilled in handling complex educational needs, can find this project rewarding both financially and in terms of social impact. This procurement is ideally suited for providers who have robust policies in data protection, health and safety, and who maintain an ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Good’ Ofsted rating, ensuring they meet Suffolk County Council's standards for educational provision and learner safety.

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Notice Title

Suffolk Alternative Provision Tier One (Outreach) Service

Notice Description

Suffolk County Council (SCC) are currently out to tender for an Alternative Provision Tier One (Outreach) Service. A tender notice (2026/S 000-022023) for this service was originally published on 11 March 2026. However, due to changes in the budget envelope, the tender was cancelled and a procurement termination notice (2026/S 000-030429) was published on 1 April 2026. The previous procurement identifier (OCID) was ocds-h6vhtk-05e9aa and the reference was PA0035. A new reference number of PA0035-1 has been allocated for this new tender. Changes to the original tender documents have been recorded and a summary of the changes will be included within the tender documentation. The service involves delivering targeted early support within mainstream schools, supporting children across all Key Stages 1 - 4, to address emerging needs promptly. The goal is to provide assistance before challenges escalate for children, reducing the likelihood of exclusion, maximising engagement and participation in learning and promoting inclusion with the mainstream educational environment. Timely outreach support and robust intervention with Children and Young People (CYP) to ensure they can succeed and remain in mainstream education will raise education attainment and skill levels. This is important as these CYP are often our most vulnerable in our communities and failure to secure a good quality educational offer can often lead to a reliance upon other services such as social care or mental health providers. The CYP who will be referred, and who will access the Tier 1 Outreach support, will have complex needs that will require the provider to tailor their approach to the individual needs of the young person. This will involve working in partnership with other agencies, schools and stakeholders as well as parents/carers and the young people themselves to ensure best outcomes. The primary objective of Tier 1 AP is to provide specific support around barriers to learning and enable pupils to remain in their referring school. The Special Educational Needs/Alternative Provision Service Development Team has a core focus on commissioning high quality educational provision for vulnerable and disadvantaged learners as well as ensuring that this cohort of pupils can make progress based on age, ability and prior achievement through easy access to a robust 'Local Offer' as set out in the SEND reforms (Special Education Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years). Historically there has been a significant increase in the number of young people permanently excluded across all Key Stages. Suffolk County Council has a continued commitment to provide the right intervention at the right time. As such, this Tier 1 AP Outreach programme can have a key impact to avoid exclusion.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: Contract can be extended by up to 24 months.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-069079
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/040596-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
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

85 - Health and social work services


CPV Codes

80000000 - Education and training services

85000000 - Health and social work services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£1,600,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£1,600,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
1 May 2026Yesterday
Submission Deadline
27 May 20264 weeks to go
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Aug 2026 - 31 Aug 2028 2-3 years
Recurrence
2028-04-01

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
SUFFOLK 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
IPSWICH
Postcode
IP1 2BX
Post Town
Ipswich
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH6 Suffolk
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH62 Ipswich
Delivery Location
TLH14 Suffolk CC

Local Authority
Ipswich
Electoral Ward
Gipping
Westminster Constituency
Ipswich

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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