---
title: "CN250157 - Speech, Language and Communication Needs - Delivering Inclusion within the Curriculum for Education (DICE) Service"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-04cecd"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-04cecd"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04cecd.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04cecd.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "KENT COUNTY COUNCIL"
published: "2025-09-03"
---

# CN250157 - Speech, Language and Communication Needs - Delivering Inclusion within the Curriculum for Education (DICE) Service

Buyer: KENT COUNTY COUNCIL  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-04cecd

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## Summary

Kent County Council has proceeded with the award stage of their procurement for the Speech, Language, and Communication Needs - Delivering Inclusion within the Curriculum for Education (DICE) Service. This process, under the Provider Selection Regime (PSR) as per Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023, does not follow the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. The intended start date for the commissioned service is 27 October 2025, with service provision extending across schools and community settings in Kent, UKJ4 region. The tender, classified under community health services (CPV code 85323000), concluded its planning and tendering stages earlier in 2025. Key contractual arrangements include collaboration with NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board, and the service budget totals £13,020,000 GBP. The Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust has been awarded the contract, signed on the 1st of September, 2025, following a competitive open procedure.

This procurement presents significant opportunities for businesses in the healthcare sector, particularly those specialising in children's speech and language therapy services. Organisations with expertise in innovative education-based health services, community integration, and reducing health inequalities could greatly benefit from participating. These companies can leverage partnerships with regional stakeholders, including district and borough councils, to support education inclusivity programmes. Providers that can offer high-quality, integrated services aligned with frameworks like the Balanced System® could enhance their market positioning and expand their service offerings within the Kent region. The focus on seamless service provision in both mainstream and alternative education settings may prompt collaborative ventures and innovative service models.

## Notice

Speech, Language and Communication Needs - Delivering Inclusion within the Curriculum for Education (DICE) Service : Tender Notice Kent County Council is seeking to commission a Speech, Language and Communication Needs - Delivering Inclusion within the Curriculum for Education (DICE) Service, that supports children and young people in mainstream schools and across community settings, such as Family Hubs, during both term time and school holiday periods. The service will hold a key role in supporting those children and young people who are either in mainstream schools and those who for various reasons are not attending school regularly (e.g. such as those home educated, non/low-school attendance, living in Refuges, etc) and have Speech and Language needs. This will be referred to as place-based settings. This service will initially sit alongside the wider Community Services provided by the NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB) with an ambition for the services to be seamless provision to those accessing the Services. The Balanced System(r) Framework is a framework for commissioning Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) for children and young people. The aim is to use the framework to understand, plan and evaluate services to support children and young people with SLCN within place-based settings across Kent. The Framework has been developed in line with both national policy and legislation, as well as professional guidance for Speech and Language Therapists, to deliver integrated services for children and young people. Subject to acquiring approval, it is Kent County Council's intention to commission a Speech, Language and Communication Needs - Delivering Inclusion within the Curriculum for Education (DICE) Service, commencing 27 October 2025. Service delivery will be in partnership and working with the wider stakeholders, including, but not limited to NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB), 12 District and Borough Councils, Medway Council. This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intention to award notice. The awarding of this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this award.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Speech, Language and Communication Needs - Delivering Inclusion within the Curriculum for Education (DICE) Service : Tender Notice Kent County Council is seeking to commission a Speech, Language and Communication Needs - Delivering Inclusion within the Curriculum for Education (DICE) Service, that supports children and young people in mainstream schools and across community settings, such as Family Hubs, during both term time and school holiday periods. The service will hold a key role in supporting those children and young people who are either in mainstream schools and those who for various reasons are not attending school regularly (e.g. such as those home educated, non/low-school attendance, living in Refuges, etc) and have Speech and Language needs. This will be referred to as place-based settings. This service will initially sit alongside the wider Community Services provided by the NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB) with an ambition for the services to be seamless provision to those accessing the Services. The Balanced System(r) Framework is a framework for commissioning Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) for children and young people. The aim is to use the framework to understand, plan and evaluate services to support children and young people with SLCN within place-based settings across Kent. The Framework has been developed in line with both national policy and legislation, as well as professional guidance for Speech and Language Therapists, to deliver integrated services for children and young people. Subject to acquiring approval, it is Kent County Council's intention to commission a Speech, Language and Communication Needs - Delivering Inclusion within the Curriculum for Education (DICE) Service, commencing 27 October 2025. Service delivery will be in partnership and working with the wider stakeholders, including, but not limited to NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB), 12 District and Borough Councils, Medway Council. This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intention to award notice. The awarding of this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this award. Additional information: To ensure that the successful bid meets an acceptable standard, the quality score must be at least 50%. The Council will award the contract using the Value per Other Key Criteria Point evaluation method. This method involves dividing the total price of the bid by the score achieved against the key criteria. The formula used is: Value per Other Key Criteria Point = Price (PS) / Key Criteria Score Only bids that meet the minimum quality threshold will be considered. Among those, the bid with the lowest Value per Other Key Criteria Point will be ranked highest. This bidder will be selected as the Council's Preferred Supplier.

Renewal: Available extension up to 24 months

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053658-2025 |
| Notice type | Planning Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Planning, Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 3 Sep 2025 |
| Submission deadline | 4 Jul 2025 |
| Future notice date | 3 Feb 2025 |
| Award date | 31 Aug 2025 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £13,020,000 |
| Lots value | £13,020,000 |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £13,020,000 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Cancelled |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | KENT COUNTY COUNCIL |
| Locality | MAIDSTONE |
| Post town | Rochester |
| Postcode | ME14 1XQ |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ4 Kent |
| ITL 3 | TLJ45 Mid Kent |
| Local authority | Maidstone |
| Electoral ward | Penenden Heath |
| Westminster constituency | Maidstone and Malling |
| Delivery location | TLJ4 Kent |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | KENT COMMUNITY HEALTH NHS FOUNDATION TRUST |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 85323000 - Community health services

## Release History

- 3 Sep 2025 at 15:13 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053658-2025
- 1 Sep 2025 at 15:29 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/052928-2025
- 6 Jun 2025 at 16:11 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030734-2025
- 9 Jan 2025 at 17:29 - Planning - Planning Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/000743-2025

## Notice URLs

- http://www.kent.gov.uk
- https://procontract.due-north.com/Advert/Index?advertId=2eb5aecc-5ce5-ef11-8134-005056b64545

## 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-h6vhtk-04cecd. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04cecd.json.