Special educational needs and disabilities therapy and support

This is a Preliminary Market Engagement Notice (PMEN). It is not a formal invitation to tender. You will need to respond to the tender notice ( when it is issued) in order to be considered for these contracts.

The purpose of this PMEN is to maximise transparency and competition for the upcoming tender notice and to advertise a market engagement event. All details in this PMEN are subject to being updated or changed in the tender notice. We are publishing this notice to ensure as wider audience as possible are aware and informed of Norfolk County Council's intentions.

The PMEN fulfils the requirement for a Preliminary Market Engagement Notice to be issued under the Procurement Act 2023. There are no tender documents at this stage.

Norfolk County Council intends to procure a new framework for Educational Psychology, Occupational Therapy and Speech, Language and Communication services for children and young people. The framework will support statutory responsibilities, early intervention, inclusion and improved outcomes through evidence-based, person-centred and outcome-focused provision.

Scope of the Future Procurement

The forthcoming framework will cover the following service areas:

• Educational Psychology: evidence-based psychological services for children and young people aged 0-25, including psychological advice for Education, Health and Care needs assessments, contributions to Education, Health and Care Plans, tribunal-related activity where required, and support to Specialist Resource Bases.

• Occupational Therapy: evidenced based occupational therapy services within our educational settings including advice for Education, Health and Care needs assessments, contributions to Education, Health and Care Plans, tribunal-related activity including assessment, reports and attendance at court where required, support to Specialist Resource Bases and moving and handling training to staff at educational settings.

• Speech, Language and Communication: specifically relating to tribunal activity including assessment, reports and attendance at court when required.

The detailed requirements, eligibility criteria, referral routes, delivery standards and performance expectations for each service area will be set out in the tender documents and relevant service specifications.

Market Engagement

The Council intends to hold a market engagement event for prospective providers. The date and joining arrangements will be confirmed through the Council's e-procurement system. The expected date for the event is 30th September 2026.

Prospective providers wishing to participate should register on In-tend, express an interest in the project and use the correspondence facility to provide the email addresses of proposed attendees when requested.

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. Full instructions for registration and use of the system can be found at https://intendhost.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 support@in-tend.co.uk.