Scope
Reference
NCCT43111
Description
This is a Preliminary Market Engagement Notice(PMEN) for information purposes only. It is not a formal invitation to tender. Norfolk County council is looking to award a contract for the provision of SEND Mediation and Disagreement Resolution. The Children and Families Act 2014 requires Mediation and Disagreement Resolution (MDR) services to be put in place by Local Authorities and health commissioners.
Total value (estimated)
- £1,200,000 excluding VAT
- £1,440,000 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2028
- Possible extension to 31 July 2031
- 6 years
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 85000000 - Health and social work services
Contract locations
- UKH15 - Norwich and East Norfolk
- UKH16 - North and West Norfolk
- UKH17 - Breckland and South Norfolk
Engagement
Engagement deadline
25 February 2025
The engagement was carried out before this notice was published.
Engagement process description
This is a Preliminary Market Engagement Notice(PMEN) for information purposes only. It is not a formal invitation to tender. You will need to respond to the tender notice in order to be considered for these contracts. The purpose of this PMEN is to maximise transparency and competition for the upcoming tender notice. All details in this PMEN are subject to being updated or changed in the tender notice. We are publishing this notice to share engagement outputs and to ensure as wider audience as possible are aware and informed of Norfolk County Council's intentions. Market engagement has taken place. The engagement was advertised under a prior information notice (PIN)published under the Public Contract 2015 regulations 2025/S 000-002473. This engagement was carried out by commissioners. The opportunity was advertised via PINs under the Public Contract Regulations 2015.
Initial Market engagement for adoption support was held on Monday 10th February 2025 via Teams webinar. We
used the engagement to discuss our requirements, the tender process we are proposing and expectations of all parties.
Information provided at the engagement in the form of slides and notes are available to be viewed via the clarification tab. These documents can be viewed by registering on the Norfolk County Council in-tend portal, expressing an interest in this tender. A tender notice will be published to advertise this opportunity .
This procurement will be managed electronically via the Council`s e-procurement system. To participate in this procurement and gain access to documents when they are available, applicants must first be registered on the system at
https://in-tendhost.co.uk/norfolkcc (https://intendhost.
co.uk/norfolkcc). Full instructions for registration and use of the system can be found at
https://in-tendhost.co.uk/norfolkcc/aspx/BuyerProfiles
(https://in-tendhost.co.uk/norfolkcc/aspx/BuyerProfiles)
.Once registered you will be able to see the procurement project under the `tenders` section and `express an interest` in this tender. If you encounter any difficulties whilst using the system you can contact the In-tend support team by phoning +44 8442728810 or e-mailing
We then had further market engagement in the form of 1 to 1's via teams with interested parties on the 20th and 25th February 2025, to share their views on a few topic areas to help shape the service specification and our performance management framework. Our areas of interest were:• Participation in mediation and disagreement resolution of school-age children and for young people post-16 years.• Pricing mechanisms for the service• Meeting the volume of demand for the service• Key performance indicators for this type of service. The engagement was advertised under a prior information notice (PIN)published under the Public Contract 2015 regulations 2025/S 000-004982. This engagement was carried out by commissioners. The opportunity was advertised via PINs under the Public Contract Regulations 2015.
Participation
Particular suitability
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
- Voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE)
Procedure
Special regime
Light touch
Contracting authority
Norfolk County Council
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PDYH-3246-XWTR
County Hall, Martineau Lane
Norwich
NR1 2DH
United Kingdom
Email: sourcingteam@norfolk.gov.uk
Region: UKH15 - Norwich and East Norfolk
Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government