---
title: "Independent Complaints Adjudication Service for OFSTED (ICASO)"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-058a9f"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-058a9f"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-058a9f.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-058a9f.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION"
published: "2025-10-24"
---

# Independent Complaints Adjudication Service for OFSTED (ICASO)

Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-058a9f

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## Summary

The Department for Education has recently completed the procurement process for the "Independent Complaints Adjudication Service for OFSTED (ICASO)" under the reference number "068259-2025". The procurement was conducted using the open procedure, a method aimed at ensuring transparency and accessibility. The tender was aimed at finding a provider for services in the arbitration and conciliation industry category. Based in London, the project's scope involves supplying an independent adjudication service related to Ofsted's complaint management, including report generation and advice provision. The contract was awarded to CEDR Services Limited, with a total contract value of £149,400 and covers the period from 1st November 2025 to 31st October 2028, with an option for a 12-month extension.

This opportunity provides significant potential for business growth, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that specialise in arbitration and conciliation services. The tender process was inclusive, encouraging participation from diverse business types, including consortia and collaborative groups. With a strong emphasis on quality and performance evaluation through detailed reporting requirements, businesses with expertise in delivering high-quality adjudication services, particularly those already engaged in public sector projects, are well-suited to compete. The structured procurement process with a focus on technical and commercial criteria, alongside the option for contract renewal, offers sustainable business growth prospects.

## Notice

The Department for Education (DfE) requires a supplier to provide an independent adjudication service in relation to Ofsted's handling of complaints about its work including: handling individual complaints, the provision of advice, regular reporting regarding the volume and nature of the complaint, and publication of an annual report. The adjudication service is independent of Ofsted. Conclusions and recommendations are independent of both Ofsted and DfE. The supplier will refer to the service as the Independent Complaints Adjudication Service for Ofsted (ICASO) and is required to identify themselves as the supplier of this service and provide information regarding the service with a webpage that can be referred to on Ofsted's webpage. The DfE is keen to maximise opportunities to participate in procurement for Small to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs). Consideration will also be given to consortia and collaborative bids from all forms of organisations.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: The contract shall run from the effective date for an initial period of 3 years (the contract period) with an option to extend for up to 12 months reviewed at the end of the 3 year period if required.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/068259-2025 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 24 Oct 2025 |
| Submission deadline | 17 Sep 2025 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 25 Sep 2025 |
| Contract period | 1 Nov 2025 - 31 Oct 2028 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £125,000 |
| Lots value | £125,000 |
| Awards value | £124,500 |
| Contracts value | £124,500 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Post town | South West London |
| Postcode | SW1P 3BT |
| 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 | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | CEDR SERVICES |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

### Codes

- 79422000 - Arbitration and conciliation services

## Release History

- 24 Oct 2025 at 13:59 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/068259-2025
- 2 Oct 2025 at 11:49 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/061681-2025
- 19 Aug 2025 at 13:50 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/049873-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/068259-2025
  24th October 2025 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/061681-2025
  2nd October 2025 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/049873-2025
  19th August 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://education.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html
- https://education.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.htmlTendererswillneedtoregisterviatheaddressabove
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## 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-058a9f. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-058a9f.json.