--- title: "SEND Mediation and Disagreement Resolution Service" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06bc87" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06bc87" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06bc87.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06bc87.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "ROTHERHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL" published: "2026-06-24" --- # SEND Mediation and Disagreement Resolution Service Buyer: ROTHERHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06bc87 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06bc87) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06bc87.json) ## Summary Rotherham Borough Council is in the planning stage of a public procurement process for their SEND Mediation and Disagreement Resolution Service. This upcoming tender is primarily focused on services within the education and health sectors, specifically targeting special education needs and health and social work services within the UKE31 region of the United Kingdom. The council is organising a market engagement event via Microsoft Teams on 6th July 2026 to discuss the service model and gauge interest among potential providers, with a follow-up deadline for engagement by 17th July 2026. The contract, valued at £300,000 and running from April 2027 until March 2032, operates under a light-touch regime and is categorised as service procurement, designed to provide impartial mediation in special educational needs disputes as required by the SEND Code of Practice. This tender presents significant opportunities for companies specialising in education and health services, particularly those with experience in special education needs mediation and resolution services. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs) are especially encouraged to participate due to the tender's suitability criteria. Engaging with this contract could facilitate business growth by allowing successful bidders to expand their service portfolio through collaboration with Rotherham Borough Council, enabling a trusted platform to support families and local authorities in resolving SEND-related disputes effectively. Interested businesses have an excellent opportunity to influence the service model by participating in the initial engagement phase and potentially securing a key contract that aligns with statutory requirements under the Children and Families Act 2014. ## Notice The SEND Mediation and Disagreement Resolution Service is a statutory requirement under the Children and Families Act 2014 and the SEND Code of Practice 2015. The service provides impartial disagreement resolution and mediation services to support the resolution of disagreements between parents or young people and education providers, local authorities, or health commissioners around elements of an Education. Health and Care Plan. The SEND Code of Practice states that mediation must be conducted by an independent service provider. In scope * Delivery of independent, impartial mediation covering disputes for children and young people aged 0 - 25 where families have a right to mediation under Chapter 11 of the SEND Code of Practice. * Provision of Disagreement Resolution for issues outside statutory mediation but still part of SEND processes (e.g., disagreements with schools or providers about SEN provision), as required by the SEND Code of Practice. * Providing legally required mediation information and advice to parents/young people prior to any potential mediation request. * Production of a quarterly monitoring report to include thematic analysis and trends alongside specific KPIs Out of scope * Any sharing of opinion or involvement in decision-making (mediation services facilitate discussions) * Any legal or tribunal advocacy * Any casework, key-working or ongoing support * Any dispute outside of that governed by the Children and Families Act or SEND Code of Practice ### Planning Information The Council would like to engage with the market for the purpose of the recommissioning of the SEND Mediation and Disagreement Resolution Service. The Council will be hosting a market engagement event on Monday 6th July 2026 at 10.00am via Microsoft Teams. If you are interested in attending the event you can do so by registering at YORtender (https://yortender.eu-supply.com/login.asp?B=YORTENDER) and searching for YORtender ID 100111801. Once registered you will be able to download the service specification. Please send a message via YORtender if you wish to attend the event, a Teams invite will then be issued. The presentation at the event sets out the Local Authority's intentions ahead of a future procurement for SEND Mediation and Disagreement Resolution services. The purpose is to engage openly with potential providers, share strategic context, and shape a service model that delivers high-quality, independent, and trusted resolution for children, young people, and their families. This engagement is an opportunity to understand market capacity and test our specification before formal tendering begins. Ultimately, the Local Authority's aim is to commission a service that families trust, professionals value, and which supports better outcomes for children and young people with SEND while making effective use of public resources. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/059588-2026 | | Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Not Specified | | Procurement method details | Not specified | | Tender suitability | SME, VCSE | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 24 Jun 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 17 Jul 2026 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 31 Mar 2027 - 31 Mar 2032 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £300,000 | | 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 | ROTHERHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL | | Locality | ROTHERHAM | | Post town | Sheffield | | Postcode | S60 1AE | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLE Yorkshire and The Humber | | ITL 2 | TLE3 South Yorkshire | | ITL 3 | TLE34 Rotherham | | Local authority | Rotherham | | Electoral ward | Boston Castle | | Westminster constituency | Rotherham | | Delivery location | TLE31 Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 80 - Education and training services - 85 - Health and social work services ### Codes - 80340000 - Special education services - 85000000 - Health and social work services ## Release History - 24 Jun 2026 at 15:33 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/059588-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/059588-2026 24th June 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents - https://www.rotherham.gov.uk/ - https://yortender.eu-supply.com/login.asp?B=YORTENDER ## 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-06bc87. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06bc87.json.