---
title: "Independent Mediation Service for Education Health and Care Assessments and Reviews and Disagreement Resolution Service for SEND."
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-059447"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-059447"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-059447.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-059447.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL"
published: "2025-10-21"
---

# Independent Mediation Service for Education Health and Care Assessments and Reviews and Disagreement Resolution Service for SEND.

Buyer: DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-059447

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-059447)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-059447.json)

## Summary

Durham County Council has completed an open tender process for an Independent Mediation Service related to Education, Health and Care Assessments and Reviews, along with a Disagreement Resolution Service for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Designated to enhance mediation services as mandated by the SEND Code of Practice, this initiative aimed to resolve issues prior to families lodging appeals with the Tribunal. The service provider, WHY MEDIATE LIMITED, was awarded the contract, effective from 20 October 2025 to 19 October 2027, with options for extension due to potential demand and legislative changes. This contract, valued at up to £300,000, falls within the education, training, health, and social work services categories, serving the UKC14 region.

This tender provides significant growth opportunities for SMEs specialising in mediation and advisory services within the education and health sectors. Businesses with expertise in handling disagreement resolutions in educational settings or those with capabilities to adapt to policy changes, such as the upcoming White paper, will find this contract particularly valuable. The open competition procurement method indicates a competitive environment yet assures impartiality, thus encouraging participation from small to medium-sized enterprises that can meet the essential criteria and price requirements set forth by Durham County Council.

## Notice

This contract is for Independent Mediation Service for Education, Health and Care Assessments and Reviews and Disagreement Resolution Service for Special Education Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND). Durham County Council is looking for a single provider to deliver this service. It is a requirement of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years that all local authorities must have in place a mediation information and advice service which is independent of the local authority. This service will offer independent mediation to families and will provide an opportunity to resolve issues linked to requests for an Education, Health and Care Assessment and the outcome of Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan Assessments / Reviews prior to families lodging an appeal with a Tribunal.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Options: Permitted changes that may occur: The contract has a potential to be increased due to demand. Any consequences of the White paper that is due to be released in Autumn 2025 that may have impact.

Renewal: The Contract period is two years with the options to extend for up to three periods of up to twelve months each from the contract end date.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/066948-2025 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - open competition |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 21 Oct 2025 |
| Submission deadline | 29 Sep 2025 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 16 Oct 2025 |
| Contract period | 19 Oct 2025 - 19 Oct 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

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

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL |
| Locality | DURHAM |
| Post town | Durham |
| Postcode | DH1 5WB |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLC North East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear |
| ITL 3 | TLC41 Durham |
| Local authority | County Durham |
| Electoral ward | Framwellgate and Newton Hall |
| Westminster constituency | City of Durham |
| Delivery location | TLC14 Durham |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | WHY MEDIATE |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 80 - Education and training services
- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 80000000 - Education and training services
- 85000000 - Health and social work services

## Release History

- 21 Oct 2025 at 08:09 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/066948-2025
- 4 Sep 2025 at 14:06 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053984-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/066948-2025
  21st October 2025 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053984-2025
  4th September 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.durham.gov.uk/
- http://www.mediatelegal.co.uk
- 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-059447. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-059447.json.