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Specialist Furniture and Equipment for Pupils with Special Educational Needs

the Education Authority

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

13 Aug 2026 at 15:06

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Education Authority Northern Ireland is exploring a contract for specialist furniture and equipment for pupils with special educational needs. The requirement is for goods supporting pupils in education settings, combining specialist furniture with equipment and related products. The stated classifications cover furniture, furnishings, domestic appliances and cleaning products, as well as medical equipment, pharmaceuticals and personal care products. Delivery is associated with the Education Authority’s work in Northern Ireland, with the buyer based in Belfast. The authority is seeking market views on establishing a robust, value-for-money arrangement, potentially through a framework agreement. This is relevant to manufacturers, distributors and specialist suppliers of adapted classroom, therapeutic, medical-support or accessibility equipment for children and young people with special educational needs.

This procurement is at the planning and market-engagement stage, not a formal invitation to tender. The authority expects to develop a framework agreement covering one lot. The planned contract period is 24 April 2027 to 23 April 2031. The authority’s expected date for a subsequent notice is 2 October 2026. Suppliers wishing to contribute to the consultation are expected to complete, sign and return the pre-market engagement questionnaire by 3pm on 1 September 2026, following the stated instructions. The consultation will inform internal business planning and any later procurement, but responses will not be scored in a future tender. The recorded estimated value is £0 gross, with the procurement marked below threshold. No tender documents are currently required beyond the questionnaire.

The consultation will suit suppliers that can provide specialist furniture and equipment for pupils with special educational needs, particularly businesses combining product supply with knowledge of educational, therapeutic, medical-support or accessibility requirements. Manufacturers, authorised distributors, installers and specialist resellers may find the early engagement useful for explaining suitable products, delivery models and practical contract arrangements. The authority has indicated that it wants a robust and value-for-money contract, so suppliers should be ready to describe product quality, durability, adaptability, supply capacity and support arrangements. The planned framework is marked as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community and social enterprises. Interested businesses should prepare evidence of relevant range, experience and delivery capability before any future procurement is launched.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Specialist Furniture and Equipment for Pupils with Special Educational Needs

Notice Description

The Education Authority Northern Ireland (EANI) wishes to engage with the market to seek their views on establishing a robust, value for money contract for the provision of Specialist Furniture and Equipment for Pupils with Special Educational Needs. Any information gathered through this market consultation exercise will inform internal business planning and any possible subsequent procurement process and will NOT be appraised in any future tender evaluation exercise. Please note that participation or non-participation in this preliminary market consultation exercise shall not prevent any supplier from participating in any potential procurement process, nor is it intended that any information supplied shall place any supplier at an advantage or disadvantage in any forthcoming procurement process. For the avoidance of doubt, this is the scoping phase of the project and is not part of a formal procurement process. Suppliers who wish to participate in the market engagement exercise should complete the pre-market engagement questionnaire. Further information including the questionnaire can be downloaded from CfT documents. The Questionnaire must be completed and PME Document signed and returned via the Messaging function of eTendersNI by no later than 3pm on Tuesday 1st September 2026 (deadline) in accordance with the instructions detailed in the PME Questionnaire" document. There are no formal tender documents to be completed other than the questionnaire.

Planning Information

Suppliers should also complete the pre-market engagement questionnaire which can be downloaded from the CfT documents section. The questionnaire must be completed, signed and returned via the messaging function of this CfT by no later than 3pm on Tuesday 1st September 2026 (deadline) in accordance with the instructions detailed in the PME Questionnaire document. Further information on this pre-market engagement exercise can be found within the PME Questionnaire document.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06e3c4
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/077319-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

33 - Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products

39 - Furniture (incl. office furniture), furnishings, domestic appliances (excl. lighting) and cleaning products

CPV Codes

33000000 - Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products

39000000 - Furniture (incl. office furniture), furnishings, domestic appliances (excl. lighting) and cleaning products

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
13 Aug 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
2 Oct 20262 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
24 Apr 2027 - 23 Apr 2031 4-5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
the Education Authority
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
BELFAST
Postcode
BT1 2NQ
Postcode Area
Northern Ireland
Country
Northern Ireland
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLN Northern Ireland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLN0 Northern Ireland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLN06 Belfast
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Belfast
Electoral Ward
Duncairn
Westminster Constituency
Belfast North

Further Information

Notice Documents

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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