---
title: "Specialist Education Framework Phase 1 - Independent Non-Maintained Special Schools Lots 1 and 2"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-f2aa9fd1-b650-4eca-9d4c-7fc2d55d79c1"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-f2aa9fd1-b650-4eca-9d4c-7fc2d55d79c1"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-f2aa9fd1-b650-4eca-9d4c-7fc2d55d79c1.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-f2aa9fd1-b650-4eca-9d4c-7fc2d55d79c1.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL"
published: "2025-01-10"
---

# Specialist Education Framework Phase 1 - Independent Non-Maintained Special Schools Lots 1 and 2

Buyer: NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-f2aa9fd1-b650-4eca-9d4c-7fc2d55d79c1

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## Summary

Nottinghamshire County Council has awarded a contract for the "Specialist Education Framework Phase 1 - Independent Non-Maintained Special Schools Lots 1 and 2," focusing on education and training services. The framework targets specialist school placements for pupils not attending mainstream or maintained schools. The initial framework agreement will start from 1st April 2024 for approved provider lists (Lot 2), and from 1st September 2024 for block contracts (Lot 1). The tender process used was an open procedure, and the deadline for submission was 20th December 2023. The framework will potentially extend until 31st March 2029 in the East Midlands, UK, with a total value of £250 million. Key suppliers include Acorn Education and Care Services Ltd, Dove Adolescent Services Ltd, and several others.

This tender offers significant growth opportunities for businesses specialising in educational services, particularly those experienced with special education needs and independent special schools. Companies fitting this profile, including SMEs, can benefit from the long-term contracts and substantial funding provided by the council. By becoming part of this framework, businesses can secure a stable client base and expand their service offerings within the public sector in the East Midlands. The structured nature of the framework, with both block contracts and an approved provider list, ensures diverse opportunities for a range of service providers.

## Notice

Nottinghamshire County Council ('the Council') are running an open tender process to establish a new framework under which the Council are looking to commission Independent non-maintained special schools (INMSS) and Post-16 (where the provision is delivered in house by the school) for the provision of specialist school placements for pupils who are not attending mainstream or maintained schools and who have an Education Health Care (EHC) Plan. The establishment of a framework agreement for INMSS is the first phase of the recommissioning of the Specialist Education provision for the Council as set out in the Vision document. Ultimately the framework will be extended to include Alternative Education Provision and Post-16 institutions (e.g., further education colleges that are not part of the INMSS), that will be the second/third phases of the recommissioning project and new procurement processes will be run at later dates which are yet to be decided. A Framework Agreement is an agreement between the contracting authority and one or more Service Providers, the purpose of which is to establish the terms governing contracts to be awarded during a given period. This initial phase of the framework will have two lots under which the Council can make specialist school placements. In Lot 1 commissioners will put in place block contracts with providers and Lot 2 will see the establishment of an approved provider list. The Framework Agreement will commence from the 1st of April 2024, "call-off" contracts under Lot 2 may commence from the 1st of April 2024, however the earliest date "call-off" contracts can commence under Lot 1 is the 1st of September 2024. There is potential to extend this Framework Agreement for up to a further 6 years in increments of 24 months. Please read all the tender documents. If you have any questions, please submit them through the procurement portal using the messaging facility. To register your interest in this tender and to view the tender documents, the tender is published on https://www.eastmidstenders.org/ Reference DN694393 The closing date for all tenders is the 20th of December 2023 at 16:30. Please note that a standstill period of 10 days will commence from the notification of the contract award.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/527afc93-b87f-4c49-9cdb-d723e11abb03 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Framework |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | Large, SME |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 10 Jan 2025 |
| Submission deadline | 20 Dec 2023 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 23 Feb 2024 |
| Contract period | 1 Jan 2025 - 31 Dec 2029 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £250,000,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £134,500,000 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL |
| Locality | NOTTINGHAMSHIRE |
| Post town | Nottingham |
| Postcode | NG2 7QP |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLF East Midlands (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLF1 Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire |
| ITL 3 | TLF16 South Nottinghamshire |
| Local authority | Rushcliffe |
| Electoral ward | Trent Bridge |
| Westminster constituency | Rushcliffe |
| Delivery location | TLF East Midlands (England) |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 6 |
| Supplier names | ACORN EDUCATION AND CARE SERVICES; DOVE ADOLESCENT SERVICES; EDISON YOUNG PEOPLE; OPTIONS AUTISM SERVICES; POLLYTEACH; R.E.A.L. EDUCATION |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 80 - Education and training services

### Codes

- 80000000 - Education and training services

## Release History

- 10 Jan 2025 at 16:03 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/527afc93-b87f-4c49-9cdb-d723e11abb03
- 16 Nov 2023 at 11:03 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/f308e936-8e28-4efd-82e7-69412ccfca2b

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/527afc93-b87f-4c49-9cdb-d723e11abb03
  10th January 2025 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/f308e936-8e28-4efd-82e7-69412ccfca2b
  16th November 2023 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder

## Notice URLs

- http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk
- https://www.eastmidstenders.org/

## 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-f2aa9fd1-b650-4eca-9d4c-7fc2d55d79c1. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-f2aa9fd1-b650-4eca-9d4c-7fc2d55d79c1.json.