--- title: "Provision of 'Experts at Hand' Educational Psychologists, Speech and Language and Occupational Therapy Support - Market Engagement" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06e07b" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06e07b" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e07b.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e07b.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "MILTON KEYNES CITY COUNCIL" published: "2026-08-10" --- # Provision of 'Experts at Hand' Educational Psychologists, Speech and Language and Occupational Therapy Support - Market Engagement Buyer: MILTON KEYNES CITY COUNCIL Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06e07b [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06e07b) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e07b.json) ## Summary Milton Keynes City Council (MKCC) is planning a procurement process for the "Experts at Hand" programme, targeting health services under CPV code 85100000. The initiative, part of a Department for Education (DfE) reform, aims to integrate Educational Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists, and Occupational Therapists into mainstream education and early years settings within Milton Keynes, identified by the region code UKJ12. The procurement, scheduled to commence as a market engagement exercise, will help shape the future delivery model of this programme. Interested providers must respond to the engagement questions by 5 p.m. on 31st August 2026, via MKCC’s e-tendering portal. This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in health services, particularly those providing Educational Psychology, Speech and Language Therapy, and Occupational Therapy. Providers in these fields can potentially partner with MKCC to support mainstream schools and contribute to early identification and support of children's needs. The planned engagement is looking for insights from providers to design a commissioning approach, thus paving the way for small to medium enterprises in health services to play a crucial role in shaping educational support frameworks. ## Notice Milton Keynes City Council (MKCC) is seeking to engage with the provider market to inform the commissioning approach for Educational Psychologists (EPs), Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) and Occupational Therapy (OT), as part of the 'Experts at Hand' programme of SEND reform. "Experts at Hand" is a Department for Education (DfE) initiative launching in September 2026 to bring health and education specialists directly into mainstream education and early years settings. It is intended to provide support for mainstream schools to identify children's needs earlier and provide timely, time-limited support to develop inclusive practice. This market engagement exercise forms an important step in shaping the future delivery model for 'Experts at Hand' within Milton Keynes. We are keen to hear from providers on the questions published contained within the market engagement document on our e-tendering portal In-Tend . Please respond to the questions latest by 5pm on the 31st August via In-Tend Correspondence section/market engagement stage. The Market Engagement document can be accessed on our e-tendering portal: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/milton-keynes/aspx/Home ### Lot Information Lot 1 Milton Keynes City Council (MKCC) is seeking to engage with the provider market to inform the commissioning approach for Educational Psychologists (EPs), Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) and Occupational Therapy (OT), as part of the 'Experts at Hand' programme of SEND reform. "Experts at Hand" is a Department for Education (DfE) initiative launching in September 2026 to bring health and education specialists directly into mainstream education and early years settings. It is intended to provide support for mainstream schools to identify children's needs earlier and provide timely, time-limited support to develop inclusive practice. This market engagement exercise forms an important step in shaping the future delivery model for 'Experts at Hand' within Milton Keynes. We are keen to hear from providers on the questions published contained within the market engagement document on our e-tendering portal In-Tend . Please respond to the questions latest by 5pm on the 31st August via In-Tend Correspondence section/market engagement stage. The Market Engagement document can be accessed on our e-tendering portal: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/milton-keynes/aspx/Home Additional information: This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) Prior Information Notice for Market Engagement. The awarding of this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 or the Procurement Act 2023 do not apply to this procurement. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/075870-2026 | | Notice type | Planning Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | 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 | 10 Aug 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 12 Nov 2026 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | Not specified | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £4,500,000 | | 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 | MILTON KEYNES CITY COUNCIL | | Locality | MILTON KEYNES | | Post town | Milton Keynes | | Postcode | MK9 3EJ | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) | | ITL 2 | TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | | ITL 3 | TLJ12 Milton Keynes | | Local authority | Milton Keynes | | Electoral ward | Central Milton Keynes | | Westminster constituency | Milton Keynes Central | | Delivery location | TLJ12 Milton Keynes | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 85 - Health and social work services ### Codes - 85100000 - Health services - 85121270 - Psychiatrist or psychologist services - 85140000 - Miscellaneous health services ## Release History - 10 Aug 2026 at 14:56 - Planning - Planning Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/075870-2026 ## Notice URLs - https://in-tendhost.co.uk/milton-keynes/aspx/Home - https://www.milton-keynes.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-06e07b. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e07b.json.