Specialist Education Framework Phase 1 – Independent Non-Maintained Special Schools Round 3

Nottinghamshire County Council (the Council) is seeking to add further Independent non-maintained Special Schools (INMSS) to a new Framework Agreement under which the Council are looking to commission INMSS and Post-16 (where the provision is delivered in house by the school) provision of specialist school placements for pupils who are not attending mainstream or maintained special schools and who have an Education Health Care (EHC) Plan. This will replace the current Independent / non-maintained special schools Approved Provider List for Nottinghamshire (NAPL).

All Providers currently delivering or intending to deliver services detailed within the updated Specification (Part 4 – Specification) must apply to be on the new Framework Agreement as the current provider list (NAPL) will come to an end on the 31st of December 2024.

This initial phase of the framework will have two lots under which the Council can make specialist school placements (See paragraph 5 below for further details). In Lot 1 commissioners will put in place block contracts with providers and Lot 2 will see the establishment of an approved INMSS provider list

This process is the reopening of the framework for new providers to bid to join the new INMSS framework and is the third tender round. This tender round is only open to bid to join the INMSS Approved Provider List which is Lot 2 of the Framework Agreement. The Council are not re-opening Lot 1 Block Contract in this tender round. Any providers who were unsuccessful in the previous tender rounds (1 and 2) for Lot 2 can reapply in this tender round (3).

ANY PROVIDERS WHO HAVE ALREADY SUCCESSFULLY APPLIED IN PREVIOUS TENDER ROUNDS AND HAVE BEEN AWARDED A PLACE ON THE FRAMEWORK DO NOT NEED TO APPLY AGAIN IN THIS TENDER ROUND.

To register your interest in this tender and to view the tender documents, the tender is

published on https://www.eastmidstenders.org/

Reference DN756213

The closing date for all tenders is the 28th of January 2025 at 5.00pm.

Please note that a standstill period of 10 days will commence from the notification of the

contract award.