--- title: "Soft Market Test for School Admissions Choice Advice Service (CAS)" ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-8a2b6867-a1c3-4790-8df1-96a94e451158" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-8a2b6867-a1c3-4790-8df1-96a94e451158" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-8a2b6867-a1c3-4790-8df1-96a94e451158.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-8a2b6867-a1c3-4790-8df1-96a94e451158.json" source: "Contracts Finder" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "LEICESTER CITY COUNCIL" published: "2024-12-24" --- # Soft Market Test for School Admissions Choice Advice Service (CAS) Buyer: LEICESTER CITY COUNCIL Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-b5fd17-8a2b6867-a1c3-4790-8df1-96a94e451158 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-8a2b6867-a1c3-4790-8df1-96a94e451158) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-8a2b6867-a1c3-4790-8df1-96a94e451158.json) ## Summary Leicester City Council is planning a procurement process for the School Admissions Choice Advice Service (CAS), classified under health and social work services. This service aims to provide information and advice to families and carers regarding mainstream school admissions. The process is currently at the planning stage, with an engagement end date set for 24 March 2025. The tender's total value is estimated at £257,500, and it targets services delivered within England, United Kingdom. The council is conducting a soft market test to gauge interest and gather feedback from potential providers before finalising the service model and specification. This tender presents an excellent opportunity for businesses, particularly SMEs and VCSEs, specialising in educational support services or family advisory roles. Engaging in this process allows businesses to influence the future shape of the service and position themselves as potential providers when the formal tender is released. The service seeks to assist vulnerable families, making it suitable for organisations with a strong community focus and experience in handling school admissions and appeals processes. Participation in this planning stage can help businesses gain valuable insights and prepare for a more competitive bid when the procurement process advances. ## Notice THIS IS NOT A CALL FOR COMPETITION Leicester City Council is considering commissioning a School Admissions Choice Advice Service (CAS). This will be to provide information and advice to families and carers. Historically this service has been commissioned alongside our Special Educational Needs & Disability Information Advice Support Service SENDIASS, and the contract is now due for retender. The CAS service is a non-statutory area which will now be looked at independently. There will be a decision to either bring this service in house, maintain the service, or end this service. The key aim of this service is for vulnerable families to be supported with making an informed application for a place at a mainstream school and / or with being represented at an admission appeal. Commissioners are keen to understand the market interest in providing a service that will be able to make an application for a mainstream school on the parents / carers behalf along with providing families with easy-to-understand information on schools in the area, the likelihood of gaining a place, the admission process and their right of appeal. As part of the decision-making process, the authority is undertaking a soft market test. This gives potential providers and other stakeholders the opportunity to express their interests and feed in their views about the potential service model and specification principles. The commissioners will use the information to appraise options and further develop the potential specification. This process does not constitute a formal tender or other competitive bidding process and will not result in the letting of a Contract. The authority is using this process solely to test the market to gather information and ascertain the level of interest in this particular service. There are therefore no formal criteria which we will use to judge your responses, and it is not our intention to provide any feedback. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Contracts Finder | | Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/75d6d6db-ff6d-4e6a-abca-9af4a9986fbb | | Notice type | Market Engagement Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Not specified | | Procurement method | Not Specified | | Procurement method details | Not specified | | Tender suitability | SME, VCSE | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 24 Dec 2024 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 24 Mar 2025 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | Not specified | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £257,500 | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Planning | | Lots status | Not specified | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | LEICESTER CITY COUNCIL | | Locality | LEICESTER | | Post town | Leicester | | Postcode | LE1 1FZ | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLF East Midlands (England) | | ITL 2 | TLF2 Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | | ITL 3 | TLF21 Leicester | | Local authority | Leicester | | Electoral ward | Castle | | Westminster constituency | Leicester South | | Delivery location | TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England) | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 85 - Health and social work services ### Codes - 85000000 - Health and social work services ## Release History - 24 Dec 2024 at 10:36 - Planning - Market Engagement Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/75d6d6db-ff6d-4e6a-abca-9af4a9986fbb ## Documents - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/75d6d6db-ff6d-4e6a-abca-9af4a9986fbb 24th December 2024 - Early engagement notice on Contracts Finder - https://procontract.due-north.com/Advert?advertId=67be895c-e1c1-ef11-8133-005056b64545 Early Engagement - Soft Market Test ## Notice URLs - http://www.leicester.gov.uk ## Provenance This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-8a2b6867-a1c3-4790-8df1-96a94e451158. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-8a2b6867-a1c3-4790-8df1-96a94e451158.json.