Official UK procurement notice
Early Learning and Childcare - South Lanarkshire Council Procured Service Arrangement
Authority: South Lanarkshire Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe choice of the provider will be selected by the parent/guardian of the child therefore the council is utilising an innovative Procured Service Arrangement (PSA) under the Light Touch Rules contained in Regulations 74-76 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.
Providers of ELC are invited to join the PSA by submitting a tender to the Council. They will be appointed to the PSA if they can successfully demonstrate that they meet the National Standard, the Law, applicable guidance, and the Council’s procedural requirements and accept the Rates which have been set by the Council in relation to the delivery of funded hours.
The PSA will allow providers to be added over its 10 year term.
- Recurrence: PSA term will be just over 10 years, bidders can apply at any time to join the PSA. Evaluations will take place from the 1st of March and the 1st of September each year.
CPV: Pre-school education services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1South Lanarkshire Council (“the Council”) is seeking to establish a Procured Service…
South Lanarkshire Council (“the Council”) is seeking to establish a Procured Service Arrangement (PSA) to ensure the delivery of funded ELC placements within the Council’s geographic area. Additional information: The duration is from 01/03/2020 to 31/07/2030.
.
This notice is alerting the market that Phase 16 of this PSA is now open for application within a new project in PCS-T. The previous PCS-T project was 22253, from today all applications should be made to Project 22253 in PCS-T.
What it takes to wini
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 morei
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).
Published sub-criteria (2)
- National Standards Criteria: 95%
- price: 5%
Published award criteria (2)
- National Standards Criteria: 95
- Price: 5
- Suitability
SPD 2C1 If the bidder relies on the capacities of other entities in order to meet the selection criteria they must complete a full SPD.
SPD 2D1 If the bidder intends to subcontract any share of the contract to third parties who are not being relied upon to meet the selection criteria the bidder is required to complete a shortened version of the SPD.
Exclusion Criteria
SPD Questions 3A – 3C have been identified as mandatory exclusion grounds and SPD Questions 3D have been identified as discretionary exclusion grounds. All the exclusion grounds will be assessed on a PASS/FAIL basis. For the mandatory exclusion grounds your bid will be excluded where you fail to provide either a positive response or to provide details to the satisfaction of the Council of the self cleansing measures you have undertaken. For the discretionary exclusion grounds your bid may be excluded where you fail to provide either a positive response or if the Council is not satisfied as to the self cleansing measures undertaken.
SPD 4A - "It is a requirement of this tender that if the bidder is UK based they must hold a valid registration with Companies House. Where the bidder is UK based but not registered at Companies House they must be able to verify to the Councils satisfaction that they are trading from the address provided in the tender and under the company name given.
If the bidder is based out-with the UK they must be enrolled in the relevant professional or trade register appropriate to their countr…
- Economic & financial standing
SPD 4B - The bidder confirms they already have or can commit to obtain, prior to the commencement of the
contract, the levels of insurance cover indicated below:
4B5.1 Employer's (Compulsory) Liability: 10M GBP
4B5.2 Other Insurance - Public Liability 5M GBP
- Technical & professional ability
It is a minimum requirement of the tender that the Bidder holds the following qualifications. The bidder must be able to produce evidence of this upon request within 2 working days.
SPD 4C6 - Food Safety and Hygiene Certificate
Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act Declaration.
All Settings (Excluding Childminders)
Bidder to confirm that All support workers, practitioners and lead practitioners/managers working in the setting and included in the adult: child ratios have either obtained the benchmark qualification for
their role or, if they are still within their first 5 years of registering with the SSSC, have started to work towards this.
or
Childminders Only - Bidder to confirm that From the implementation of the full roll-out of 1140 hours, childminders delivering the funded entitlement must have either obtained the benchmark qualification for ELC practitioners or, if they are still within their first 5 years of delivering the funded hours be working towards this.
- Price carries 5 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 0.5 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
- Turnover usually expected at this size: about £287,000,000 (twice the annual value).
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula. Turnover is an indicative market norm (≈2× annual value), not a published condition.
Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid
How South Lanarkshire Council buys Pre-school education services (CPV 8011), and who usually turns up
South Lanarkshire Council’s own published record, next to the published market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Pre-school education services (CPV 8011) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
i
How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
Here, local means the winner is registered in the region where that contract was delivered.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners are registered in Scotland.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards were announced within 35 days of the bid deadline.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
The market share is a minimum: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Direct awards or one recorded bid are common here. Check the route before spending time on a bid.
How many bids did past lots attract?
i
How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid33% / 42%
2–333% / 25%
4–633% / 17%
7+0% / 17%
How did awards compare with estimates?
i
Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Below estimate0%
Within ±2%100%
Above estimate0%
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list
Our matching links this notice to “Phase 3 Early Learning and Childcare - South Lanarkshire Council Procured Service Arrangement” of this authority, but none of the 3 panel members sit in a category matching this notice.
Lot #1South Lanarkshire Council (“the Council”) is seeking to establish a Procured Service…CPV 8011Published estimate£144m
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid5%
2–339%
4–639%
7+17%
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
Based on 2 comparable awards. Each lot reflects its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Middle 50%£144m–£144m
Estimate£144m
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
| Supplier | This buyer’s earlier contract | Lot | Award value | Why listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brightwave GroupWorked for this buyer | E-Learning and Development Systemnotice published Jul 2021 | — | — | Similar wording and category |
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
| Supplier | Won in this category | Live contracts | Award vs estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
Triple P UK LtdLarge | £834k10 awards in 36m · last 3 months ago | 5 live · £247k iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | no comparable pairs |
| £3.2m7 awards in 36m · last 3 months ago | 6 live · £4.8m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=1 | |
| £342k1 awards in 36m · last 4 months ago | None on file | no comparable pairs | |
| £198k2 awards in 36m · last 12 months ago | 1 live · £3.0m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=3 | |
| £545k4 awards in 36m · last 7 months ago | None on file | at estimate n=1 |
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record · publisher note attached- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Open for tender
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
Yes · PSA term will be just over 10 years, bidders can apply at any time to join the PSA. Evaluations will take place from the 1st of March and the 1st of September each year.
- First published
- 23 Jul 2021, 15:45 BST
- Last source update
- 9 Sept 2026, 12:29 BST
- Award evaluation window
- 10 Mar 2027 – …
- Authority reference
SLC/PS/EDUC/19/019- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-085353- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-02cbe7Find a Tender
- Electronic trading
- e-invoicing allowed · electronic payment
- Performance terms
See Attachment 4 and the Procured Service Arrangement Terms and Conditions Attachment 16 within the tender documents.
- Review procedure
In Scotland, the alternative review body is:
Court of Session
Parliament House
Parliament Square
Edinburgh
EH1 1RQ
Publisher note: When requested by the Council bidders must complete and submit the following declarations to evidence their compliance with the relevant questions in the Qualification and Technical envelopes. Declarations and Certificates SPD Question 2D.1 Prompt Payment Certificate SPD Questions 3A.1 to 3A.8 Serious and Organised Crime Declaration Serious and Organised Crime – Information Sharing Protocol with Police Scotland Form SPD Question 3A.6 Modern Slavery Act Declaration SPD Question 3D.3 Human Rights Act Declaration SPD Question 3D.11 Non-Collusion Certificate Declaration Section Form of Tender SPD Question 4B.5.1 Insurance Certificates SPD Question 4C.6 Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act Declaration Food Safety and Hygiene Certificate SSSC registration numbers and Qualifications held SPD Question 4D.1 Health and Safety Evidence of the statements Failure to provide this information or in the event that the information provided does not support or evidence the statements made within the SPD will invalidate the bid. The buyer is using PCS-Tender to conduct this ITT exercise. The Project code is 22253. For more information see: http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/info/InfoCentre.aspx?ID=2343 The Contracting Authority does not intend to include a sub-contract clause as part of community benefits (as per Section 25 of the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014) in this contract for the following reason: The award of a funded placement is dictated by parental choice therefore no work is guaranteed. The Contracting Authority does not intend to include any community benefit requirements in this contract for the following reason: Due to the PSA not providing a guarantee of work, Community Benefits are not being made mandatory within the tender. Community Benefits have been encouraged and bidders have been asked to commit to one of the community examples in Attachment 7 of the Tender Documents. Any Community Benefits offered will form part of their contractual obligation and be subject to performance monitoring. (SC Ref:842554)
How to participate & submission route
Official notice Submit via Public Contracts Scotland- Requests to participate (first stage)
- —
- Tender submission deadline
- 10 Mar 2027, 12:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- —
- Submission channel
- {"electronicSubmission"}
- Accepted languages
- en
- Bid validity
- 180 days from the deadline
- Bids opened
- 10 Mar 2027, 12:00 GMT
Timeline
9 Sept 2026 → 10 Mar 2027 · 3 dates- Notice published41 days ago9 Sept 2026, 12:29 BST
- Today20 Oct 2026
- Submission deadlinein 141 days10 Mar 2027, 12:00 GMT
- Bids openedin 141 days10 Mar 2027, 12:00 GMT
Notice history
13 events · 13 releases on Find a Tender · since 24 Jan 2022- Status changed to complete24 Jan 2022, 09:05 GMT
- Status changed to active27 Jan 2022, 15:45 GMT
- Deadline moved to 31 Mar 2022, 12:00 BST27 Jan 2022, 15:45 GMT+211 days · was 1 Sept 2021, 12:00 BST
- Deadline moved to 31 Aug 2022, 12:00 BST1 Apr 2022, 09:28 BST+153 days · was 31 Mar 2022, 12:00 BST
- Deadline moved to 28 Feb 2023, 12:00 GMT1 Sept 2022, 13:50 BST+181 days · was 31 Aug 2022, 12:00 BST
- Deadline moved to 31 Aug 2023, 12:00 BST28 Feb 2023, 14:03 GMT+184 days · was 28 Feb 2023, 12:00 GMT
- Deadline moved to 29 Feb 2024, 12:00 GMT31 Aug 2023, 08:51 BST+182 days · was 31 Aug 2023, 12:00 BST
- Deadline moved to 30 Aug 2024, 12:00 BST29 Feb 2024, 11:39 GMT+183 days · was 29 Feb 2024, 12:00 GMT
- Deadline moved to 27 Feb 2025, 12:00 GMT10 Sept 2024, 14:04 BST+181 days · was 30 Aug 2024, 12:00 BST
- Deadline moved to 28 Aug 2025, 12:00 BST1 Apr 2025, 11:19 BST+182 days · was 27 Feb 2025, 12:00 GMT
- Deadline moved to 12 Mar 2026, 12:00 GMT11 Sept 2025, 16:14 BST+196 days · was 28 Aug 2025, 12:00 BST
- Deadline moved to 9 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST12 Mar 2026, 09:29 GMT+181 days · was 12 Mar 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Deadline moved to 10 Mar 2027, 12:00 GMT9 Sept 2026, 12:29 BST+182 days · was 9 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
Routine re-releases (13)
- 2025-04: 1 release · 1 Apr 2025
- 2024-09: 1 release · 10 Sept 2024
- 2024-02: 1 release · 29 Feb 2024
- 2023-08: 1 release · 31 Aug 2023
- 2023-02: 1 release · 28 Feb 2023
- 2022-09: 1 release · 1 Sept 2022
- 2022-04: 1 release · 1 Apr 2022
- 2022-01: 2 releases · 24 Jan 2022, 27 Jan 2022
- 2021-07: 1 release · 23 Jul 2021
Commercial outcome & contract awardsAwards so far
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACE Place LtdSME | £143,500,000 † | — | Awarded |
Contracts
Contract 001954-2022-SLC/PS/EDUC/19/019-1 · ACE Place LtdSME
- Signed
- 21 Jan 2022
- Value
- £143,500,000
- Status
- active
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2bids · 2 electronic · 2 from abroad | 2 | — | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Dispute resolution & review bodies
- Hamilton Sheriff CourtReview body
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- ACE Place LtdAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications
Official links; attachments are not copiedNo document links were published on the notice; the tender pack is on the portal.