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Tenders

Open Framework for Alternative Provision

Open
Deadline
7 days left
April 04, 2026
Contract Details
Category
Open Procedure
Reference
021461-2026
Value
£11,500,000
Location
Cumbria, United Kingdom
Published
March 20, 2026
CPV Code
Project Timeline

Tender Published

March 10, 2026

Deadline for Questions

March 28, 2026

Submission Deadline

April 04, 2026

Contract Start Date

May 31, 2026

Budget
£11,500,000
Duration
32 months
Location
Cumbria
Type
Open Procedure
75
Quality Score/100
Good

Original Tender Description

Service Description The vision for the service is to ensure that all children, regardless of circumstance or setting, receive a good education. The service therefore is committed to ensuring all alternative provision commissioned for a child or young person in Westmorland and Furness is of good quality, registered where appropriate, and delivered by high quality staff with suitable training, experience and safeguarding checks. All alternative provision that is commissioned must be suitable to a child or young person's age, ability and aptitude and any special educational needs (SEN) they may have. All children and young people will make good progress against outcomes, identified prior to the start of a placement with a Provider and will have access to meaningful qualifications. This will mean they are equipped to progress onto the next stage in their educational career and are enabled to participate and contribute positively to society in the future. Placements into alternative provision will always be made with the child or young person's reintegration back into mainstream education or move onto a sustained post-16 destination in mind. The placement of a child or young person with a Provider is consistent with the efficient use of resources. The following Services are in scope of this specification: Lot 1: Alternative Provision where the provider is registered with Ofsted (or an equivalent body). This may include providers who are registered with Ofsted, but the category of their registration does not include learners to whom they are offering alternative provision. Lot 2: Alternative Provision where the provider is not registered with Ofsted (or an equivalent body) Lot 3: Alternative Provision for pupils with medical conditions that prevent their attendance at school. The Framework will be managed with providers being placed on either Provider List A or B. The criteria for being on each list is as follows: List A is for Registered Providers and therefore those applying to Lot 1 would be placed on this list. It is also possible those applying for Lot 3 could also be a registered provider and be placed on List A. List B is for Providers who are unregistered whether applying for Lot 2 and or Lot 3.

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Requirements & Qualifications

13 requirements across 5 categories

Submission (1)
Mandatory (1)
Compliance (7)
Technical (3)
Financial (1)
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS1
--Not specified in the provided text.
MANDATORY EXCLUSION GROUNDS1
--Bidders must not be subject to any mandatory exclusion grounds as defined by applicable law.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS7
--Providers must be able to deliver alternative provision suitable to a child or young person's age, ability, aptitude, and any special educational needs (SEN).
--Providers must ensure children and young people make good progress against identified outcomes and have access to meaningful qualifications.
--Providers must consider the child or young person's reintegration into mainstream education or move to a sustained post-16 destination.
TECHNICAL CAPABILITY REQUIREMENTS3
--Providers must ensure all alternative provision commissioned is of good quality.
--Providers must ensure all alternative provision commissioned is registered where appropriate.
--Providers must ensure alternative provision is delivered by high-quality staff with suitable training, experience, and safeguarding checks.
FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS1
--Not specified in the provided text.

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Documents

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75
Good

Tender Quality Score

This open framework tender for alternative provision is generally well-structured, with clear service descriptions and eligibility criteria. However, it lacks specific evaluation criteria and details on submission requirements, impacting completeness and practicality.

Score Breakdown

Legal Compliance75/100

The tender adheres to open procedure and provides a clear CPV code. Deadlines appear reasonable given the nature of an open framework. No immediate legal disputes or regulatory non-compliance are evident from the provided information.

Clarity80/100

The service description is comprehensive, outlining the vision, objectives, and scope of services clearly. The division into lots and provider lists is well-defined. However, the absence of specified evaluation criteria leaves some ambiguity regarding how bids will be assessed.

Missing evaluation criteria
Completeness70/100

Basic information such as title, reference, organization, and estimated value is present. Contract duration and start dates are specified. However, crucial details regarding submission requirements and financial specifics are missing, reducing overall completeness.

Missing submission requirements
Missing financial requirements
Fairness85/100

The tender is open to all eligible providers and the division into lots based on registration status is objective. The estimated value is disclosed, and the procedure is open. There is no indication of requirements tailored to specific companies.

Practicality65/100

The tender specifies a contract start date and duration. However, the lack of information on e-submission and the availability of document content (only URLs are mentioned, not content summaries) hinders practical application for potential bidders.

No e-submission specified
No document content available
Data Consistency90/100

Key fields such as title, reference, organization, value, and dates are populated logically. There are no indications of suspension or disputes. The contract start date is after the submission deadline.

Sustainability50/100

The tender does not explicitly mention green procurement, social aspects, innovation, or EU funding, which are areas for potential enhancement to align with modern procurement practices.

Not green procurement
No social criteria

Strengths

Clear service description and objectives
Well-defined lots and provider lists
Open procedure with disclosed value
Appropriate CPV code

Concerns

Missing evaluation criteria
Lack of specified submission requirements
No information on e-submission
No document content available

Recommendations

1. Specify clear evaluation criteria for bids.
2. Provide detailed submission requirements and guidance on document submission.
3. Clarify if e-submission is mandatory and provide instructions.

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