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Exceptional Post 16 Provision

Cornwall Council

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Planning

02 Oct 2026 at 12:52

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

03 Aug 2026 at 09:44

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

28 May 2026 at 13:36

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Cornwall Council intends to commission exceptional post-16 education for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including provision currently accessed outside existing contracts. The work sits within Cornwall’s Post-16 Inclusion Pathway and is intended to strengthen education, inclusion and transitions into adulthood. The Council’s stated priorities include a more accessible online prospectus, effective use of education passports, less duplication in learning plans, stronger Preparing for Adulthood outcomes, better tracking of destinations after education, and clearer communication with young people, families and providers. Services will be delivered in Cornwall. The Council is considering how this provision should be organised and contracted, rather than setting out a finished service specification at this stage.

This is at the planning stage: Cornwall Council has stated an intention to procure, but has not invited tenders. It expects to use an open procedure. The procurement is planned as one lot, with an estimated value of £15 million gross. The anticipated contract period is 1 September 2027 to 31 August 2030, and the Council expects to publish a future notice by 18 February 2027. Market engagement is under way to inform commissioning intentions, the specification and business case. Proposed online sessions in early October 2026 cover fee modelling and future contractual arrangements. The Council is testing options including a lead-provider or umbrella model, an open framework, or direct contracts with providers, alongside suitable quality, monitoring and reporting requirements.

The work is likely to suit education and training providers experienced in post-16 SEND provision, including smaller specialist providers, further education colleges and organisations able to lead or coordinate a wider provider network. The Council is seeking a sustainable, transparent fee approach that reflects differences in providers’ cost structures and offers value for money while improving outcomes. Providers with practical experience of inclusive education, transition planning, Preparing for Adulthood, education passports and destination tracking are well placed to contribute to the developing requirements. The Council also wants providers to help shape workable quality, monitoring and reporting arrangements. Small and medium-sized businesses and voluntary, community and social enterprises are identified as suitable participants. The current engagement is intended to inform future requirements; it is not a tender invitation. No specific accreditation or formal qualification is set out at this stage.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Exceptional Post 16 Provision

Notice Description

Education off contract services. exceptional, off contract for post 16 young persons

Planning Information

Dear Colleague, Thank you for the time, insight and expertise you have already contributed to the development of Cornwall’s Post-16 Inclusion Pathway. The sessions held so far have been invaluable in helping us understand what needs to be included within future Post-16 provision for young people with SEND, and how we can work together to strengthen outcomes, inclusion and transitions into adulthood. Through this work, we have heard clearly that Cornwall needs: • a clearer and more accessible online Post-16 prospectus; • stronger use of education passports so that information follows young people effectively; • better planning to prevent duplication of learning; • stronger embedding of Preparing for Adulthood outcomes across educational delivery; • improved tracking of young people’s destinations when they leave education; • clearer communication between the Council, providers, young people and families. We are now moving into the next stage of this work. The information gathered so far is helping us begin to shape the detail of future provision specifications, and we would like to invite providers to take part in a further round of Post-16 SEND Provision Market Engagement Sessions. These sessions will focus on two key areas. 1. Fee modelling and value for money We know that Post-16 SEND education fees vary significantly across provision, including where provision appears to be similar in nature. We also know that Cornwall’s Post-16 expenditure places us as an outlier compared with comparable local authorities, but this level of investment is not yet translating into consistently stronger outcomes for young people. We therefore want to explore with providers whether there is appetite to develop a more transparent, tailored or bespoke fee model for Post-16 SEND provision in Cornwall. We recognise that providers operate in different ways, and that smaller providers may have different cost structures from larger FE colleges or lead-provider models. We want to understand what a fair, sustainable and outcomes-focused model could look like. 2. Future contractual arrangements We also need to consider how Post-16 SEND provision should be formalised and contractualised in future. Current arrangements are varied, with some provision accessed through subcontracting routes and some provision operating outside those structures. The market engagement sessions will therefore explore potential future models, including: • whether Cornwall should go to market for a lead provider/umbrella organisation; • whether an open framework would be more appropriate for all providers to join; • If providers might contract directly with the Council, how contract management would operate, depending on value and volume; • what quality, monitoring and reporting requirements would need to be in place; • how we can ensure future arrangements support quality, inclusion, Preparing for Adulthood outcomes and value for money. These sessions are not part of a formal tender process. They are an opportunity for Cornwall Council to engage with our education providers and partners, and test what may be possible before finalising our commissioning intentions, specification and business case. As with previous engagement, we want to work collaboratively with providers so that future arrangements are realistic, deliverable and ambitious for young people with SEND. The earlier provider engagement sessions demonstrated the value of co-producing specifications, quality expectations and monitoring arrangements with the market, and we want to continue that approach. Proposed sessions We are proposing to hold market engagement sessions in late September and early October. We are proposing at least two dates for each area to ensure maximum attendance and engagement. Monday 5th October 1400-1600, Microsoft Teams online session (Fee Modelling) Tuesday 6th October 1000-1200, Microsoft Teams online session (Future Contractual Arrangements) Tuesday 6th October 1400-1630, Microsoft Teams online session (Fee Modelling Future Contractual Arrangements) Wednesday 7th October 1400-1630, Microsoft Teams online session (Fee Modelling and Future Contractual Arrangements) Please let us know which session you would like to attend by emailing tffcommissioning@cornwall.gov.uk. In addition, earlier in the summer we sent out a survey to you all relating to this engagement work. If you are unable to attend a session in the coming month, we would really appreciate it you could complete this survey. All data will be used to inform our evidence base, and will impact the future contractual and fee design. Post-16 Inclusion Pathway Market Engagement | Let's Talk Cornwall If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch at tffcommissioning@cornwall.gov.uk.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06a7b4
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/093327-2026
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
£15,000,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
2 Oct 20264 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
18 Feb 20275 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Sep 2027 - 31 Aug 2030 3-4 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
Cornwall 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
TRURO
Postcode
TR1 3AY
Postcode Area
Truro
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK3 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK30 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
Delivery Location
TLK3 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
Local Authority
Cornwall
Electoral Ward
Truro Boscawen & Redannick
Westminster Constituency
Truro and Falmouth

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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