--- title: "Preliminary Market engagement for interest in developing a DfE registered AP Free School in Worksop, Nottinghamshire" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05ebf9" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05ebf9" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05ebf9.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05ebf9.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL" published: "2025-12-01" --- # Preliminary Market engagement for interest in developing a DfE registered AP Free School in Worksop, Nottinghamshire Buyer: NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05ebf9 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05ebf9) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05ebf9.json) ## Summary Nottinghamshire County Council is currently in the planning stage of a procurement process under the Open Contracting Data Standard, involving the engagement for the development of a Department for Education (DfE) registered Alternative Provision (AP) Free School in Worksop, Nottinghamshire. This tender falls under the works category with additional services in education and construction. A significant milestone in this process includes the publicisation of a soft market testing questionnaire, with responses due by 19th December 2025. The anticipated contract period starts on 1st April 2027, ending on 31st March 2052. The preliminary market engagement notice was published on 1st December 2025, with further engagement potentially scheduled until 31st March 2026, to better understand market interest and development feasibility. This tender presents an excellent opportunity for businesses involved in educational services and construction, particularly those specialising in the development of educational institutions. By participating in the soft market testing phase and subsequent engagements, companies can position themselves favourably for future opportunities under this procurement process. Nottinghamshire County Council encourages all interested providers to register through the Pro Contract e-tendering portal to access complete documentation and maintain awareness of all communication developments. This could be particularly beneficial for suppliers prepared to engage in long-term projects with public authorities and contribute to regional educational infrastructure. ## Notice Nottinghamshire County Council is undertaking a soft market testing exercise and is seeking an understanding of the market interest in a potential opportunity for a Provider to develop a DfE registered AP Free School on Council owned land in Worksop in Nottinghamshire. More details of the potential opportunity and the pre market engagement process can be accessed through Nottinghamshire County Council e-tendering portal Pro Contract via www.eastmidstenders.org and all interested parties must register an interest within the Pro Contract e-tendering portal to access the pre market engagement documents. This will ensure all parties are privy to any communications and developments from Nottinghamshire County Council in relation to this pre market engagement exercise. We have included some questions that can be accessed via www.eastmidstenders.org and should be completed on the response form and returned to us by 12 noon on Friday 19th December 2025. Neither the intentions nor the purpose of this soft market testing exercise is to confer any advantage upon its participants in any future procurement process. ### Planning Information Publicization of soft market testing questionnaire which the response date is the 19th December 2025. Further engagement with the market may be carried out once the responses from the soft market testing have been reviewed. The engagement period has been set as such to allow further engagement if needed. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078500-2025 | | Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Works | | Procurement method | Not Specified | | Procurement method details | Not specified | | Tender suitability | Not specified | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 1 Dec 2025 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 31 Mar 2026 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 31 Mar 2027 - 31 Mar 2052 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | Not specified | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Planning | | Lots status | Planning | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL | | Locality | NOTTINGHAM | | 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 | TLF15 North Nottinghamshire | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 45 - Construction work - 80 - Education and training services ### Codes - 45214000 - Construction work for buildings relating to education and research - 80000000 - Education and training services ## Release History - 1 Dec 2025 at 13:54 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078500-2025 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078500-2025 1st December 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents - https://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk ## 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-05ebf9. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05ebf9.json.