--- title: "GB-London: To consider how effective the Special Educational Needs Inclusion Fund (SENIF) and the Disability Access Fund (DAF) have been in supporting children w" ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-a6a01c67-acb5-4911-a620-e8dea2cd65c4" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-a6a01c67-acb5-4911-a620-e8dea2cd65c4" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-a6a01c67-acb5-4911-a620-e8dea2cd65c4.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-a6a01c67-acb5-4911-a620-e8dea2cd65c4.json" source: "Contracts Finder" current_stage: "Tender" buyer: "THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION" published: "2019-11-28" --- # GB-London: To consider how effective the Special Educational Needs Inclusion Fund (SENIF) and the Disability Access Fund (DAF) have been in supporting children w Buyer: THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION Current stage: Tender OCID: ocds-b5fd17-a6a01c67-acb5-4911-a620-e8dea2cd65c4 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-a6a01c67-acb5-4911-a620-e8dea2cd65c4) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-a6a01c67-acb5-4911-a620-e8dea2cd65c4.json) ## Summary The procurement process is being conducted by The Local Government Association based in London, focusing on the evaluation of the Special Educational Needs Inclusion Fund (SENIF) and the Disability Access Fund (DAF). This open tender, titled "GB-London: To consider how effective the Special Educational Needs Inclusion Fund (SENIF) and the Disability Access Fund (DAF) have been in supporting children," falls under the research and development services category. The tender period concludes on 12th December 2019, with the contract expected to commence on 2nd January 2020 and run until 31st March 2020. The budget for this project is estimated at £25,000, with a minimum value of £10,000. This tender presents a significant opportunity for businesses specialising in educational research, particularly those with experience in special educational needs and disability services. Small to medium enterprises (SMEs) are particularly encouraged to participate, as the contracting authority is actively seeking contributions from such operators. This initiative could benefit companies that provide consultancy services or develop strategies to improve the accessibility of early education for children with special educational needs, thereby expanding their market reach and reinforcing their expertise in this critical area of public service. ## Notice SENIF Local authorities are required to set up an inclusion fund within their local funding systems for three- and four-year-olds with SEND taking up childcare entitlements. This funding should be targeted at the lower level of the SEND spectrum rather than young people with Education, Health and Care Plans who are likely to receive funding from the High Needs block of the Dedicated Schools Grant. The funding can be drawn from DSG funds either from the early-years block or high-needs block. The value of the fund must take into account the number of SEN children in a local area, their level of needs and the overall capacity of the local childcare market. LA's must consult with providers to set the value of their SENIF, and consult with early-years providers, parents and SEN specialists on the allocation of the fund. The aim of the SENIF is to support local authorities to work with providers to better support children with additional needs to access early education. It also supports them to fulfil their responsibilities under the Children and Families Act 2014 to strategically commission SEND Services. DAF Three- and four-year-old children with disabilities accessing early education entitlements can access DAF if they are also in receipt of Child Disability Living Allowance. A one-off payment of PS615 per year can be given to the provider to support them in making reasonable adjustments to their settings or helping with buildings capacity. Early-years providers are responsible for identifying eligible children and encouraging parents to make an application via a central government portal by filling in a parent declaration template. Local authorities are responsible for checking the eligibility criteria are met and if satisfied, allocating the lump-sum funding on an annual basis. They are encouraged to make this funding available as soon as possible after a child has been identified as being eligible for DAF. There has been limited research on the experience of children with SEND in early education, however accessible data on the take up of SENIF and DAF is unavailable. Local authorities have been raising concerns with the LGA over access to early education for children with SEND, while industry bodies have highlighted funding shortfalls as a barrier to providing full support to children with SEND. We are keen to understand how effective the SENIF and the DAF have been in supporting children with SEND to access early years provision. There are a range of sub-questions, such as *Whether these are the right mechanisms to offer support to this cohort *Whether the criteria for the funds is an enabler or a barrier to children getting the support they need * How high is take-up from eligible families and how this can be improved Additional information: The contracting authority considers that this contract may be suitable for economic operators that are small or medium enterprises (SMEs). However, any selection of tenderers will be based solely on the criteria set out for the procurement. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Contracts Finder | | Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/919b87a0-1059-48e5-a21f-d74e0edf19c9 | | Notice type | Tender Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Open | | Procurement method details | Open procedure | | Tender suitability | SME | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Tender | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 28 Nov 2019 | | Submission deadline | 12 Dec 2019 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 2 Jan 2020 - 31 Mar 2020 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £25,000 | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Active | | Lots status | Not specified | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION | | Locality | LONDON | | Post town | South West London | | Postcode | SW1P 3HZ | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLI London | | ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West | | ITL 3 | TLI35 Westminster and City of London | | Local authority | Westminster | | Electoral ward | St James's | | Westminster constituency | Cities of London and Westminster | | Delivery location | TLI London | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services ### Codes - 73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services ## Release History - 28 Nov 2019 at 20:00 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/919b87a0-1059-48e5-a21f-d74e0edf19c9 ## Documents - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/919b87a0-1059-48e5-a21f-d74e0edf19c9 28th November 2019 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder - https://www.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-GB-London:-To-consider-how-effective-the-Special-Educational-Needs-Inclusion-Fund-%28SENIF%29-and-the-Disability-Access-Fund-%28DAF%29-have-been-in-supporting-children-w/767285XA6F Please follow this link to view the notice. ## Provenance This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. 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