Tenders

Soft Market Test - Education Systems

Open
Deadline
28 days left
March 31, 2026
Contract Details
Category
Other
Reference
016731-2026
Value
£12
Location
North West England, United Kingdom
Published
February 23, 2026
CPV Code
Project Timeline

Tender Published

February 25, 2026

Deadline for Questions

March 24, 2026

Submission Deadline

March 31, 2026

Contract Start Date

March 30, 2026

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Budget
£12
Duration
1 months
Location
North West England
Type
Other
75
Quality Score/100
Good

Original Tender Description

Published via the CHEST Portal Ref DN806303 Stockport Council's Education Service has relied on the Synergy system for case management since September 2015. While Synergy has supported our core processes, the education landscape and technology have evolved considerably since its implementation. As our contract approaches expiry in March 2028, we want to ensure our systems continue to meet the needs of children, families, schools, and the wider community. We are therefore undertaking a soft market testing exercise to: • Understand the current capabilities, innovations, and cost models available in the market for education case management systems. • Assess whether alternative solutions could better support our strategic objectives, improve service delivery, and offer better value for money. • Inform the development of a robust specification for any future procurement, ensuring it reflects both our operational requirements and the latest market offerings. • Engage with suppliers early to gauge interest, gather feedback, and identify potential delivery partners who can help us achieve our ambitions. This exercise is not a call for competition, but an opportunity for the Council to gather intelligence and shape our approach to market engagement and procurement

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Requirements & Qualifications

14 requirements across 5 categories

Submission (4)
Mandatory (1)
Compliance (3)
Technical (5)
Financial (1)
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS4
--This is a soft market testing exercise, not a call for competition.
--Suppliers are invited to engage early to gauge interest and gather feedback.
--Suppliers may be asked to provide information on their capabilities, innovations, and cost models.
MANDATORY EXCLUSION GROUNDS1
--No specific mandatory exclusion grounds are detailed in the provided text.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS3
--Suppliers must be able to provide educational software packages (CPV: 48190000).
--Suppliers must be able to engage in a soft market testing exercise.
--Suppliers should be potential delivery partners for future procurement.
TECHNICAL CAPABILITY REQUIREMENTS5
--Suppliers must demonstrate current capabilities in education case management systems.
--Suppliers must showcase innovations in education case management systems.
--Suppliers must present cost models for education case management systems.
FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS1
--No specific financial requirements are detailed in the provided text, beyond the general mention of cost models.

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Documents

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75
Good

Tender Quality Score

This is a soft market testing exercise for education systems, not a formal tender. While it provides a clear objective and context, it lacks detailed procedural information and evaluation criteria, impacting its completeness and legal compliance scores.

Score Breakdown

Legal Compliance75/100

The tender is in a planning stage and is a soft market test, not a formal procurement. This means formal legal compliance aspects like specific CPV codes for a tender, clear procedures, and dispute resolution are not yet applicable. The deadline is relatively short for a market engagement, but acceptable for a soft market test. No disputes are reported.

Clarity80/100

The description clearly outlines the purpose of the soft market test, the current system's limitations, and the desired outcomes. The AI-extracted requirements are well-defined based on the provided text. However, the absence of specific evaluation criteria for the market test itself is a minor clarity issue.

No evaluation criteria specified
Completeness70/100

Basic information such as title, reference, organization, and a description are present. The estimated value and contract duration are disclosed. However, the lack of available tender documents with content and the absence of detailed procedural information for the soft market test limit its completeness.

No document content available
Fairness85/100

As a soft market test, the exercise is designed for early engagement and information gathering, which promotes fairness by allowing potential suppliers to understand the council's needs. Access to the full document is implied through the CHEST Portal reference. The criteria for engagement are objective, focusing on market capabilities.

Practicality65/100

The tender is published via the CHEST Portal, suggesting a digital platform. However, the lack of explicit mention of e-submission for this soft market test and the very short contract duration (1 month) for the market test itself are noted. Financing information is not detailed, which is typical for a soft market test.

No e-submission
Data Consistency90/100

Key fields like title, reference, organization, and CPV code are populated. The dates provided are logical, with the submission deadline preceding the contract start date. There are no reported disputes or suspensions. The estimated value is extremely low, which might be an error but is consistent within the provided data.

Sustainability50/100

There is no explicit mention of green procurement, social aspects, innovation focus, or EU funding in the provided tender information. This indicates a lack of emphasis on sustainability criteria within this planning stage.

Not green procurement
No social criteria

Strengths

Clear objective and context for soft market testing
Well-defined description of needs and goals
Published via a recognized portal (CHEST)
Early engagement with suppliers

Concerns

Lack of detailed procedural information for the soft market test
Absence of evaluation criteria for the market engagement
No tender documents with content available
Extremely low estimated value (potentially an error)

Recommendations

1. Provide clear guidelines on how suppliers should engage and what information is expected for the soft market test.
2. Specify how feedback from the soft market test will be used and if there are any follow-up steps.
3. Clarify the extremely low estimated value to avoid confusion.

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