---
title: "Section 19"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06d7b8"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06d7b8"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06d7b8.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06d7b8.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "BOLTON METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL"
published: "2026-07-30"
---

# Section 19

Buyer: BOLTON METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06d7b8

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## Summary

Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council is preparing a procurement process titled "Section 19," related to the educational services sector, specifically providing suitable education for students who are unable to access mainstream schooling. This includes students who are permanently excluded, ill, or otherwise unable to attend traditional schools. The procurement process is currently at the planning stage with an open procedure planned, aiming to award a 1-year contract for the academic year 2027 to 2028. The process follows the statutory duty under the UK Education Act 1996, requiring submission of necessary data to the Department for Education by December. This anticipatory approach is designed to secure core funding necessary for special educational provisions and expansions. The forthcoming notice for this tender is set for publication by 3rd August 2026. The estimated gross value is £4,000,000, and services will be located in the UKD3 region.

This tender presents a valuable opportunity for businesses specialising in education and training services to collaborate with a sub-central government authority. Companies adept in designing and delivering educational programmes tailored for high needs pupils will find this contract particularly relevant. The open tender procedure encourages competition, providing an equitable platform for qualified service providers to present their capabilities. Additionally, there is potential for long-term engagement, as plans for a subsequent longer contract from 2028 with extension options indicate ongoing demand for innovative educational solutions. This procurement process underscores the importance of forward-planning and the provision of specialised educational services, offering significant potential for companies looking to expand their service offerings in public sector education.

## Notice

Section 19 of the Education act 1996 is the statutory duty to provide suitable education for all children and young people of compulsory school age who cannot access mainstream school places. This includes, permanently excluded pupils, and pupils who, because of illness or other reasons, cannot attend mainstream. Bolton Council determine the number of high needs places required each year and submits the figures to the DfE by December 5th for the following academic year. These are finalised and published in February before September term starts. This process should reflect planned and predicted changes for the following academic year, so that schools and colleges receive an appropriate level of core funding, that enables them to make the special provision that is to be commissioned, particularly any expansion of that provision. The Authority intends to run an Open Tender Process for a 1-year contract for the Academic year 2027 to 2028 provision, as the Provider needs to be in place before November 2026 to be able to submit to the DfE on time. The Authority then intends to run a further process for the 2028 provision for a longer contract of 3 Years with the option to extend for up to 2 x 12 month periods.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/072225-2026 |
| Notice type | UK1 - Pipeline Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 30 Jul 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 3 Aug 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 31 Aug 2027 - 31 Aug 2028 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £4,000,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Planned |
| Lots status | Planned |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | BOLTON METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL |
| Locality | BOLTON |
| Post town | Bolton |
| Postcode | BL1 1RU |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLD3 Greater Manchester |
| ITL 3 | TLD36 Greater Manchester North West |
| Local authority | Bolton |
| Electoral ward | Queens Park & Central |
| Westminster constituency | Bolton North East |
| Delivery location | TLD3 Greater Manchester |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 80 - Education and training services

### Codes

- 80000000 - Education and training services

## Release History

- 30 Jul 2026 at 13:11 - Planning - UK1 - Pipeline Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/072225-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/072225-2026
  30th July 2026 - Pipeline notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.bolton.gov.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-06d7b8. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06d7b8.json.