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Education Support Outreach Service for Visual and Multi-Sensory Impairment

London Borough of Barking and Dagenham

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

25 Sep 2026 at 12:07

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham is exploring a future education support outreach service for children and young people with visual impairment, including access to support for multi-sensory impairment (MSI). The service is intended to provide specialist outreach, assessment, advice and intervention, alongside training for schools and early years settings and support for families, carers and relevant professionals. It is expected to work with wider special educational needs and disabilities services and partner agencies. Support would cover educational settings in and outside the borough where appropriate, including independent settings for children and young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan. The current service supports about 170 local children and young people.

This is preliminary market engagement at the planning stage, not a competition or invitation to tender. The council is seeking provider feedback to inform its options appraisal, service design and commissioning decisions; taking part or not taking part will not affect a supplier’s position in any later procurement. Interested organisations are asked to submit a questionnaire through the council’s procurement portal by noon on 12 October 2026, after registering there. The council expects to publish a future notice on 1 March 2027. The anticipated contract period is 1 September 2027 to 31 August 2031, with an extension option to 31 August 2032. The stated estimated total contract value is £702,906 over four years; the current estimated maximum annual budget is £168,000, subject to inflationary rises.

This service is suited to providers with specialist expertise in visual impairment and multi-sensory impairment, and the ability to employ appropriately qualified and experienced staff. The council is seeking providers able to assess and respond to diverse and changing needs, deliver outreach and advice, train education workforces, and support children, families and settings. Strong candidates will be able to work across different educational settings and coordinate effectively with families, schools, SEND services and partner agencies. Providers should be prepared to demonstrate inclusive practice, delivery within available resources, responsiveness to changing demand and evidence of positive outcomes. The intended results include better access to learning, greater independence and participation, improved confidence in education settings, positive family experiences and compliance with statutory duties. Small and medium-sized businesses and voluntary, community and social enterprises are considered suitable.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Education Support Outreach Service for Visual and Multi-Sensory Impairment

Notice Description

The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham is undertaking a preliminary market engagement to gather market intelligence and seek feedback from providers regarding the future delivery of an Education Support Outreach Service for Visual Impairment and access to Multi-Sensory Impairment (MSI) support for schools and settings across the borough. As part of this engagement, the Council invites interested organisations to complete the market engagement questionnaire on our procurement portal. Completed questionnaires should be submitted via the messaging function on the Council's procurement portal by 12 noon, Monday 12th October 2026. Organisations wishing to participate must be registered on the procurement portal. The registration link can be accessed here: https://lbbd.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.shtml The purpose of this exercise is to inform the Council's future options appraisal, service design, and commissioning decisions. For the avoidance of doubt, this notice is solely for information gathering purposes and does not constitute a call for competition, a pre-qualification process, or the commencement of a procurement procedure. Participation or non-participation in this engagement will neither advantage nor disadvantage any organisation in any future procurement exercise. Participants are responsible for all costs associated with responding to this engagement. The Council shall not be liable for any costs incurred by organisations as a result of participating in this exercise. The existing service currently supports approximately 170 children and young people resident in Barking and Dagenham. It provides specialist assessment, advice, intervention, training, and support to children and young people, their families, educational settings, and relevant professionals. Any future contract is expected to maintain high-quality, accessible support that promotes inclusion, independence, and educational achievement. The Council anticipates that future provision will include: Specialist outreach support; Assessment and advisory services; Training and workforce development for schools and early years settings; Support for families and carers; and Effective integration with wider SEND services and partner agencies. The service must be capable of supporting children and young people attending educational establishments both within and outside the borough where appropriate. This includes independent educational settings where a child or young person has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). The future service will need to demonstrate its ability to: Meet the diverse and changing needs of children and young people with visual impairment and MSI; Deliver high-quality support within available resources; Respond effectively to demographic and demand changes; Support inclusive practice across educational settings; and Evidence positive outcomes for children, young people, and families. The Council is committed to improving outcomes for children and young people while ensuring value for money and compliance with statutory duties. The current estimated maximum annual budget for the service is PS168,000 plus inflationary rises per year, with an estimated total contract value of PS702,906 over four years. Any future provider will be expected to employ appropriately qualified and experienced staff with specialist expertise in visual impairment and MSI support. The future service is expected to contribute to the council's strategic aims of: Promoting inclusion and participation; Improving educational outcomes and attainment; Supporting independence and preparation for adulthood; and Empowering families to support their children and young people effectively. The Council expects the future service to contribute to: Improved access to education and learning opportunities; Increased independence and participation for children and young people; Positive experiences and high satisfaction levels among families and settings; Improved confidence and capability within educational settings; and Full compliance with statutory responsibilities.

Planning Information

Organisations wishing to participate must be registered on the procurement portal. The registration link can be accessed here: https://lbbd.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.shtml The questionnaire can be accessed here: https://lbbd.bravosolution.co.uk/go/5992336901A0D819C625

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-077a6d
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/090947-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

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

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

85000000 - Health and social work services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£702,906 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
25 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
1 Mar 20275 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Sep 2027 - 31 Aug 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
London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
BARKING
Postcode
IG11 7LU
Postcode Area
Ilford
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI5 Outer London - East and North East
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI52 Barking & Dagenham and Havering
Delivery Location
TLI London
Local Authority
Barking and Dagenham
Electoral Ward
Abbey
Westminster Constituency
Barking

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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