Published date: 1 September 2021

Closed opportunity - This means that the contract is currently closed. The buying department may be considering suppliers that have already applied, or no suitable offers were made.


Closing: 1 November 2021, 12pm

Contract summary

Industry

  • Administrative educational services - 75121000

  • Education and training services - 80000000

  • Special education services - 80340000

Location of contract

Any region

Value of contract

£518,000

Procurement reference

tender_266989/993479

Published date

1 September 2021

Closing date

1 November 2021

Closing time

12pm

Contract start date

1 January 2022

Contract end date

31 March 2023

Contract type

Service contract

Procedure type

Open procedure (above threshold)

Any interested supplier may submit a tender in response to an opportunity notice.

This procedure can be used for procurements above the relevant contract value threshold.

Contract is suitable for SMEs?

Yes

Contract is suitable for VCSEs?

Yes

Description

Our vision for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) is the same as for all children and young people - that they achieve well in their early years, at school and beyond; they find employment where that's appropriate; and lead happy, healthy and fulfilled lives, in which they have choices and control over the support provided to them.

Supporting local areas, delivery partners and providers to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND continues to be a high priority for government, with a clear line of sight to key government commitments on the levelling up agenda, economic growth and employment, and the recently published national disability strategy.

However, increasing demands on SEND services have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 Pandemic, which has disproportionately impacted children and young people with SEND and their families, and key challenges remain in delivering SEND services that are in line with our vision.

Sector-led improvement (SLI) is about local authorities (LAs) helping one another to improve their services by working collaboratively, sharing good practice and providing constructive challenge. Since 2016, under the Partners in Practice (PIP) Programme, the strongest performing LAs in the country have provided SLI support to other authorities to improve practice and outcomes for children and families across the children's social care (CSC) system. In July 2021, the Department launched a new programme for SLI Partners wishing to deliver holistic packages of improvement support across both CSC and SEND.

The Department now wants to build on the success of the previous SLI programme by funding a small number of SLI Partners to deliver packages of support focused solely on improving the quality and impact of local area SEND services. This may include, but is not limited to, support for strategic planning and leadership, effective financial management, SEN place planning, workforce development, joint working and commissioning, EHC needs assessments and reviews, and co-production with parent carers, children and young people.  

The SEND SLI Partners programme will run for 15 months in the first instance, with the option to extend funding and activities for up to one further year, subject to budgetary approvals and successful delivery of measured objectives.

More information

Links

Additional text

To access the application form and submit a completed version, applicants must first register with Jaggaer (the Department's e-procurement system) at https://education.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html.

Any queries regarding the application process should be emailed to the Department via Jaggaer at https://education.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html, quoting the Jaggaer reference, 'project_5369 - Sector Led Improvement Partners 2022'.

Applications should be returned via Jaggaer using the template provided by midday on 1 November 2021.

This notice does not constitute a call for competition to procure any services for the Department. The procurement of any services will be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. The purpose of this PIN is to stimulate market interest.

About the buyer

Contact name

Angela Overington

Address

1st Floor Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street
London
SW1P 3BT
England

Email

angela.overington@education.gov.uk