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Published 9 Jun 2025, 14:26 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Award of Centre for Excellence in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) 2025

Official notice

Authority: The Education and Training Foundation (Public body)

ServicesBelow threshold - open competitionBelow thresholdLight touch regimeSME suitableVCSE suitable
Sectors: Education & Training (80) Delivery: UK
Published estimate£138,848£173,560 inc. VAT · 1 value update0.7% below published estimate
Submissions closed 11 Jul 2025awarded 6 Aug 2025
Awarded to City of Sunderland College
Contract term 8 moends 31 Mar 2026 · up to 31 Mar 2027 with extensions · starts 13 Aug 2025

What is being bought

Published requirement description

The Education and Training Foundation (ETF) is awarding a contract for a Centre for Excellence in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) - Theme of 'People' following a competitive tender process.

The Centre of Excellence will design and deliver CPD based on the theme for leaders, managers and practitioners who wish to put learners with SEND at the centre of their organisation, resulting in learners achieving the outcomes they aspire to. The Centre will have national reach across England.

Working closely with ETF and SEND Employer Spokes, this Centre for Excellence will design and deliver live online events, Communities of Practice sessions and complete Peer Reviews focused on developing a whole organisational approach to SEND. This will result in learners achieving the outcomes they aspire to. Preparation for Adulthood is a key priority for the Centre. It will offer a specialism in the theme of 'People' and will have equal parity, providing peer to peer support and sharing effective practice to the existing Centres of Excellence, Employer Spokes and the FE sector.

The ETF took a sector led approach to recruit FE providers who have been graded 'Good' or 'Outstanding' from Ofsted and/ or Care Quality Commission (CQC) for SEND provision.

Following a thorough evaluation process, it was decided to award a contract for the theme of 'People' only. The theme of 'Careers' will not be awarded as originally anticipated.

In the interest of transparency and fairness, ETF are observing a voluntary standstill period ending on the 15th August 2025. During this period, ETF will not enter into the contract, allowing time for any potential concerns to be raised.

The award decision remains subject to the conclusion of this standstill period and no legal proceedings being initiated.

ETF may consider a direct award contract for the theme of 'Careers' following the standstill period, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Procurement Act 2023, including any applicable direct award justifications under Schedule 5.

CPV: Education and training services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1AwardedRenewal 8 moSMEVCSEPublished value£138,848
Contract period: 13 Aug 2025 – 31 Mar 2026 (8 mo) · up to 31 Mar 2027 with extensionsValue: £138,848 exc. VAT · £173,560 inc. VAT
Delivery: UKEligibility: SME eligibleVCSE eligible
Extensions: The value of the contract for each Centre is circa 86,780 GBP inclusive of VAT. Duration of the contract is 13 August 2025 - 31 March 2026 with a possible extension of one year subject to funding.
80000000 Education and training services
Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)1
  • Condition of participation

    The Education and Training Foundation (ETF) seeks wherever possible to take a sector led approach to recruit FE providers who have been graded ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ from Ofsted and/or Care Quality Commission (CQC) for SEND provision.

    There are two themes available for tenderers to bid for. Tenderers can choose to bid for one or both themes. However, if they are bidding for both themes, they will only be awarded a contract for one theme.

What it takes to win
i

How this buyer will score bids.

The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).

Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add more
How bids were scored
Quality: 85%Price: 15%
Published sub-criteria (7)
  • Project Impact and Outcomes: 10%
  • Approach and Methodology: 25%
  • Capability, Capacity and Skills: 15%
  • Communications, Recruitment and Dissemination: 10%
  • Equality and Diversity: 15%
  • Added Value: 10%
  • Price and Total Contract Value: 15%
Published award criteria (7)
  • Project Impact and Outcomes
  • Approach and Methodology
  • Capability, Capacity and Skills
  • Communications, Recruitment and Dissemination
  • Equality and Diversity
  • Added Value
  • Price and Total Contract Value
Conditions of participation1
  • Condition of participation

    The Education and Training Foundation (ETF) seeks wherever possible to take a sector led approach to recruit FE providers who have been graded ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ from Ofsted and/or Care Quality Commission (CQC) for SEND provision.

    There are two themes available for tenderers to bid for. Tenderers can choose to bid for one or both themes. However, if they are bidding for both themes, they will only be awarded a contract for one theme.

What this means for your bid
  • Price carries 15 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 1.5 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.

Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Procedure method
Below threshold - open competition
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Services
Notice status
Awarded
Procurement threshold
Below threshold
Regulatory regime
Light touch regime
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
Unspecified in notice
First published
9 Jun 2025, 14:26 BST
Last source update
7 Aug 2025, 16:59 BST
Authority reference
25-26.SEND-65
FTS notice number
2025/S 000-033497
Latest notice
Contract award notice (UK6)
Classification (CPV)
Education and training services
Delivery area
UK
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-054559 Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice
Submission deadline
11 Jul 2025, 17:00 BST
Clarification deadline
4 Jul 2025, 17:00 BST
Electronic submission
Allowed
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

Tenderer should upload their response to the mytenders website www.mytenders.co.uk ↗ by the stated deadline.

Timeline

9 Jun 2025 → 13 Aug 2025 · 8 dates
  1. Planning notice published
    9 Jun 2025, 14:26 BST
  2. Market engagement
    13 Jun 2025, 23:59 BST

    The Education and Training Foundation (ETF) are asking tenderers to provide written feedback to the attached invitation to tender.

    The feedback should:

    • identify points of clarification
    • identify any risks that may not have been considered
    • identify if the deliverables are achievable

    Any feedback on this tender should be emailed to [email protected]

  3. Tender notice published
    18 Jun 2025, 18:02 BST
  4. Next notice expected
    18 Jun 2025, 23:59 BST
  5. Clarification questions by
    4 Jul 2025, 17:00 BST
  6. Submission deadline
    11 Jul 2025, 17:00 BST
  7. Latest notice published
    7 Aug 2025, 16:59 BST
  8. Contract starts
    13 Aug 2025, 00:00 BST

Notice history

10 events · 4 releases on Find a Tender · since 9 Jun 2025
  1. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    9 Jun 2025, 14:26 BST
    UK2
  2. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    9 Jun 2025, 14:59 BST
    UK2
  3. Tender notice published
    18 Jun 2025, 18:02 BST
    UK4
  4. Published value published: £138,848
    18 Jun 2025, 18:02 BST
  5. Status changed to active
    18 Jun 2025, 18:02 BST
  6. Procurement method changed
    18 Jun 2025, 18:02 BST
  7. Deadline published: 11 Jul 2025, 17:00 BST
    18 Jun 2025, 18:02 BST
  8. Contract award notice published
    7 Aug 2025, 16:59 BST
    UK6
  9. Status changed to complete
    7 Aug 2025, 16:59 BST
  10. Contract signature expected
    18 Aug 2025, 23:59 BST
    scheduled
Published amendments (1)

Please note, we have been unable to add attachments to this market engagement notice. To receive a copy of the draft invitation to tender document mentioned, please email [email protected]

Routine re-releases (4)
  • 2025-06: 1 release · 9 Jun 2025

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast
Awards 1
Awarded value £137,9521 award exc. VAT
Bids received 1
Awarded toValueDateStatus
City of Sunderland CollegeCentre for Excellence in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) 202519 Aug 2025 – 7 Mar 2026 · up to 31 Mar 2027Extensions: The value of the contract for each Centre was circa 86,780 GBP inclusive of VAT. The duration of the contract is until 31st March 2026 with a possible extension of one year subject to the availability of funding.£137,9526 Aug 2025Awarded

Bid statistics published by the authority

BidsSMEVCSEValid bid range
1final-stage tenders00—

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

The Education and Training Foundation

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PTPV-9936-RPRN 157 - 197 Buckingham Palace Road, London, London, SW1W 9SPContact name, email, phone

Bidders & participating suppliers

1 commercial party on the notice
  • City of Sunderland CollegeAwarded supplierGB-UKPRN: 10001475 Bede Campus, Durham Road, Sunderland, North East, SR3 4AHContact email

Official documents & specifications (10)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

Notices published for this procedure