Find a TenderPlanned procurementPreliminary market engagement notice
Published 27 Jan 2026, 15:39 GMT

Official UK procurement notice

West Northamptonshire Council - Non-School Alternative Provision Framework

Authority: West Northamptonshire Council (Local council)

Framework agreementServicesAbove thresholdSME suitableVCSE suitable
Planned pipeline valueValue not publishedpipeline notice, not a live tender
Tender notice expected Date not publishedfrom the planned procurement notice
Framework period 4 yrsends 31 Aug 2030 · starts 1 Sept 2026

What is being bought

Published requirement description

West Northamptonshire Council would like to invite non school alternative provision providers to a Market Engagement Event as part of preparations for the upcoming procurement of the Non School Alternative Provision Framework.

CPV: Education and training services · Other community, social and personal services

How this framework works

From the published notice
Framework period
4 yrs from 1 Sept 2026

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · no lot value published
Lot #1Planned 4 yrsSMEVCSE
Contract period: 1 Sept 2026 – 31 Aug 2030 (4 yrs)
Delivery: East MidlandsEligibility: SME eligibleVCSE eligible

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

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
What this means for your bid
  • “West Northamptonshire Council - Non-School Alternative Provision…” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract.

Pipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published

How West Northamptonshire Council buys Other community, social and personal services (CPV 98), and who usually turns up

West Northamptonshire Council’s own published record, next to the published market for the same work. This notice is a framework or DPS, so only frameworks and DPS are compared. Whole-market view: Other community, social and personal services (CPV 98) →

1

How the contest usually goes

Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.

Question for the bid
This buyerWest Northamptonshire Council · all categories
What to do with it
How often do SMEs win?
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.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 15 of 21 known-size awards · market: division 98 · East Midlands, n=16
71%44%

Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.

How often do local suppliers win?
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 registered in East Midlands.

A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 9 of 30 known-location awards · market: division 98 · East Midlands, n=21
30%10%

Most of this buyer’s recorded winners are registered outside East Midlands.

How long to a decision?
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.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 3 decided notices · market: division 98 · UK-wide, n=22
34 days67 days

Half of these awards were announced within 34 days of the bid deadline.

How often single-bid or direct?
i

How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.

Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.

Both shares are minimums: some awards have no bid count.

Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: at least 1 of 10 procurements with awards had no recorded rival · market: division 98 · East Midlands, n=10
10%20%

Missing bid counts may hide more single-bid awards. This share is a minimum.

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.

Last 36 months.

This buyer24 lots with bid counts · all categories
0% had one bid
The market18 lots with bid counts · division 98 · East Midlands
39% had one bid
Buyer / market · select a colour for counts
1 bid0% / 39%
Buyer: 0 of 24 lots with published bid counts. Market: 7 of 18 lots with published bid counts.
2–38% / 33%
Buyer: 2 of 24 lots with published bid counts. Market: 6 of 18 lots with published bid counts.
4–613% / 6%
Buyer: 3 of 24 lots with published bid counts. Market: 1 of 18 lots with published bid counts.
7+79% / 22%
Buyer: 19 of 24 lots with published bid counts. Market: 4 of 18 lots with published bid counts.

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.

On a framework or DPS, prices are agreed when work is called off.

Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.

Last 36 months.

Not comparable on a framework or DPS. The notice sets up a supplier panel and a ceiling value; what the work actually costs is agreed later, on each call-off or mini-competition, and those publish as contract notices of their own. The award-vs-estimate record of this market therefore sits on the call-offs; this page shows it on the contracts, not on the panel that frames them.

2

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.

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 “West Northamptonshire Council Asbestos Framework” of this authority, but none of the 12 panel members sit in a category matching this notice.

Lot #148 monthsSME suitableEstimate not published
Expected competition
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. The bar shows 18 past lots.

A forecast, not a list of bidders.

—No model forecast yet39% single-bid risk
Past bids on 18 similar lots
1 bid39%
7 of 18 similar past lots received 1 bid (39%).
2–333%
6 of 18 similar past lots received 2–3 (33%).
4–66%
1 of 18 similar past lots received 4–6 (6%).
7+22%
4 of 18 similar past lots received 7+ (22%).
Comparable past lots usually drew 2 bids.
Commercial price forecast
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.

No comparable awards for this lot yet.

A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.

—Priced at call-off
On a framework or DPS the price is agreed on each call-off, so there is no award price to forecast here: the published figure is a ceiling.

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.

SupplierThis buyer’s earlier contractLotAward valueWhy listed
Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS TrustLive contractWest Northamptonshire Council (WNC) - Oral Health Promotion Serviceruns to Mar 2028—£336kMatched as the earlier contract

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.

Candidate suppliers for this notice have not been worked out yet, so this is not a verdict that nobody fits.

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.

What this replaces
i

Who has done similar work for this buyer.

Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.

53% title match.

A past supplier may not bid again.

The prior contract this notice most likely re-tenders · matched by title and category (53% title match), the holder is not guaranteed to re-bid

West Northamptonshire Council Asbestos Framework, winner not published; no contract end date published.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Services
Notice status
Planned procurement
Procurement threshold
Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Framework agreement
Who may use this agreement
Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
Unspecified in notice
First published
27 Jan 2026, 15:39 GMT
Last source update
24 Feb 2026, 10:18 GMT
Authority reference
WNC00000602
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-016356
Latest notice
Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
Classification (CPV)
Education and training servicesOther community, social and personal services
Delivery area
East Midlands (UKF24)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-060ff9 Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice
Appointment period ends
—

Timeline

27 Jan 2026 → 1 Sept 2026 · 4 dates
  1. Planning notice published266 days ago
    27 Jan 2026, 15:39 GMT
  2. Latest notice published238 days ago
    24 Feb 2026, 10:18 GMT
  3. Market engagement210 days ago
    23 Mar 2026, 23:59 GMT

    Event Details

    • Date: Monday 23rd March 2026
    • Time: 4:00pm - 5:00pm
    • Location: Moulton Community Centre, Reedings, Moulton, Northampton NN3 7AX

    This session will provide:

    • An overview of the forthcoming framework
    • An opportunity to understand commissioning intentions and procurement processes within West Northants.
    • Guidance on expectations and requirements for providers
    • A chance for providers to ask questions and share feedback before procurement begins

    The event has a maximum capacity of 50 attendees, and places will be allocated on a first‑come, first‑served basis. Please reserve your place using the Eventbrite link below:

    www.eventbrite.com/e/wnc-non-school-alt… ↗

    To ensure fair access for all providers, we kindly ask that no more than two representatives attend from each organisation.

    If the in‑person event becomes fully booked and there is sufficient interest, we will look to offer an additional online engagement session on Tuesday 24th March. Should you find the event at capacity when attempting to register, please email [email protected] to express your interest in attending the online session.

  4. Contract starts50 days ago
    1 Sept 2026, 00:00 BST

Notice history

2 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 27 Jan 2026
  1. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    27 Jan 2026, 15:39 GMT
    UK2
  2. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    24 Feb 2026, 10:18 GMT
    UK2

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

West Northamptonshire Council

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PGDV-8944-CMBP Angel Street, Northampton, East Midlands, NN1 1EDContact email

Official documents & specifications (2)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure