Official UK procurement notice
Mediation and Disagreement Resolution Service (MDRS)
Authority: Cheshire East Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionMediation service to support children, young people and their parent/carers with mediation and dispute resolution in relation to special education needs (SEN) issues, including where Education, Health and Care Plans assessed by the Council and its key partners are contested by the young person and their parent/carer.
Cheshire East Council is conducting a soft market testing survey to gauge interest from providers in delivering our Mediation and Disagreement Resolution Service (MDRS), a statutory requirement under the Children and Families Act 2014.
Cheshire East Council has successfully commissioned a Mediation and Dispute Resolution Service (MDRS) since 2015. We are now exploring options for potential recommissioning and invite feedback from the market through this soft market testing survey. While no final decision has been made regarding the timing or progression of the procurement, your input will be valuable in shaping our approach.
Please note that participation in this survey does not imply any commitment from either party, and the procurement may be delayed or terminated depending on future developments. However, gathering insights now will provide a strong foundation should we proceed at a later stage.
This questionnaire aims to gather the thoughts and experiences of providers who may be interested in our proposed recommissioning.
The deadline for questionnaire responses is: Friday 22nd August 2025. Please upload your response to the Chest by the specified deadline.
Chest Ref: DN785358
You can access and provide your feedback using the link below
CPV: Social work and related services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1PlannedRenewal
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Past planning notice
- 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
- 4 Aug 2025, 15:43 BST
- Last source update
- 4 Aug 2025, 15:43 BST
- Authority reference
C4368- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-045729- Latest notice
- Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-058083Find a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
4 Aug 2025 → 1 Apr 2026 · 4 dates- Planning notice published4 Aug 2025, 15:43 BST
- Market engagement22 Aug 2025, 23:59 BST
Cheshire East Council is conducting a soft market testing survey to gauge interest from providers in delivering our Mediation and Disagreement Resolution Service (MDRS), a statutory requirement under the Children and Families Act 2014.
Cheshire East Council has successfully commissioned a Mediation and Dispute Resolution Service (MDRS) since 2015. We are now exploring options for potential recommissioning and invite feedback from the market through this soft market testing survey. While no final decision has been made regarding the timing or progression of the procurement, your input will be valuable in shaping our approach.
Please note that participation in this survey does not imply any commitment from either party, and the procurement may be delayed or terminated depending on future developments. However, gathering insights now will provide a strong foundation should we proceed at a later stage.
This questionnaire aims to gather the thoughts and experiences of providers who may be interested in our proposed recommissioning.
The deadline for questionnaire responses is: Friday 22nd August 2025. Please upload your response to the Chest by the specified deadline.
Chest Ref: DN785358
- Tender notice expected393 days ago1 Oct 2025, 23:59 BST
- Contract starts212 days ago1 Apr 2026, 00:00 BST
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Preliminary market engagement notice published4 Aug 2025, 15:43 BSTUK2
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Pipeline notice- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (1)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender