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SEND Mediation and Disagreement Resolution Service (MDRS)

Cheshire East Borough Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

26 Oct 2026 at 09:33

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Cheshire East Council is seeking a provider for a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Mediation and Disagreement Resolution Service. The service will support parents, children and young people to resolve disputes about education, health and care needs assessments and education, health and care plans, as well as other issues relating to special educational needs. Mediation is intended as an alternative to a tribunal hearing, helping parties communicate and rebuild relationships. Parents and young people must consider mediation before registering an appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability); mediation can also address health and social care elements of an education, health and care plan. The service will be delivered in Cheshire East, within the North West of England.

The Council invited tenders through an open competition. Bids were due by 20 November 2026 at 12:00 noon. The contract is scheduled to run from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2030, with two possible 12-month extensions. The estimated value is £440,000 excluding VAT (£528,000 including VAT). The procurement is divided into one lot. Evaluation has two stages: a mandatory procurement-specific questionnaire first, followed for qualifying bids by financial and qualitative assessment. The Council may accept all or part of a quotation and is not bound to accept the lowest-priced bid. The procurement is under the light-touch regime.

This opportunity suits providers experienced in SEND mediation and disagreement resolution, particularly those able to work with parents, children and young people, and professionals across education, health and social care. Suppliers will need to handle disputes concerning needs assessments and education, health and care plans, support communication between parties, and help address disagreements before or instead of tribunal proceedings. The service also needs to cover wider special educational needs issues and health and social care elements of plans. The single-lot requirement is identified as suitable for small and medium-sized businesses and voluntary, community and social enterprises. Bidders should be prepared to meet the Council’s qualifying requirements in the procurement-specific questionnaire and demonstrate both financial and qualitative strength in their response.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

SEND Mediation and Disagreement Resolution Service (MDRS)

Notice Description

The MDRS contract is specifically linked to decisions about education, health, and care needs assessments and education, health, and care plans (EHCP), while disagreement resolution services can be used to try to resolve other issues in relation to your child's special educational needs (SEN). The Children and Families Act 2014 and the related Special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0-25 years (SEND code of practice) (DfE, 2015) place an emphasis on the avoidance of disagreements through a person-centred approach to decision-making and open communication between professionals and parents and young people. It is an alternative to a Tribunal hearing and is much quicker and less formal. Mediation enables people to communicate better with each other, and it can help re-build relationships that have broken down. Parents and young people need to consider mediation before they can register an appeal with the first-tier tribunal (special educational needs and disability). Parents and young people will also be able to go to mediation about the health and social care elements of an education, health, and care (EHC) plan.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: 2 x 12 month possible extensions available if needed

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-078fc8
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/100831-2026
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
Below threshold - open competition
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services

CPV Codes

80340000 - Special education services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£440,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
£440,000 £100K-£500K
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
26 Oct 2026Yesterday
Submission Deadline
20 Nov 20264 weeks to go
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Apr 2027 - 31 Mar 2030 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Cheshire East Borough 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
CREWE
Postcode
CW1 2JZ
Postcode Area
Crewe
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLD North West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLD6 Cheshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLD62 Cheshire East
Delivery Location
TLD62 Cheshire East
Local Authority
Cheshire East
Electoral Ward
Crewe Central
Westminster Constituency
Crewe and Nantwich

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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