Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Inclusion Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Framework

What the buyer is asking for

The Department for Education (DfE) is procuring a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Inclusion Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Framework to support the Government's investment in workforce development and SEND reform across the education sector. The Framework will establish a route to market for the development and delivery of high-quality SEND and inclusion CPD services for education professionals and support future requirements during the Framework term. The Framework will be divided into the following Sub-Lots: • Sub-Lot 1.1 School Teachers and Leaders (£40m) • Sub-Lot 1.2 Further Education Teachers and Leaders (£23m) • Sub-Lot 1.3 Teaching Assistants (£35m) • Sub-Lot 1.4 Further Education Support Staff (£17m) • Sub-Lot 1.5 Combined Audiences (£235m) The Framework will support the procurement of a range of SEND and inclusion CPD services, including research, content development, quality assurance, stakeholder engagement, digital learning solutions, participant recruitment and training delivery. The Department may commission services through future competitions conducted in accordance with the Framework Agreement. DfE is also procuring up to seven standalone contracts, each with an initial term of two years and the option to extend for up to a further two years (1+1 years), covering the following audiences: • Lot 2: School and Further Education Teachers and Leaders – up to five contracts will be awarded under this Lot, with an estimated initial term value of £165,500,000 and an estimated maximum extension value of £346,000,000. • Lot 3: Teaching Assistants – one contract will be awarded under this Lot, with an estimated initial term value of £35,000,000 and an estimated maximum extension value of £70,000,000. • Lot 4: Further Education Support Staff – one contract will be awarded under this Lot, with an estimated initial term value of £6,950,000 and an estimated maximum extension value of £14,540,000. The estimated total Framework value is £781 million (inclusive of VAT) over the maximum Framework term and includes both the initial requirements (estimated at £430,540,000) and any future opportunities awarded under the Framework (£350,000,000). This value is an estimate only and does not constitute a commitment to spend. The contract dates in this notice relate to the Framework term. Individual contracts awarded under Lots 2-4 will be subject to their own contract terms.

How this is scored

Published by the buyer. A winning response is written to these weightings, not to the question.

• qualityTechnical Envelope

5 lots

You can usually bid for one lot without bidding for all of them.

• School Teachers and Leaders£32m

  Provision of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and inclusion continuing professional development (CPD) services for school teachers and leaders. Services may include research, design, development, quality assurance, recruitment, digital services and delivery of SEND and inclusion CPD, together with associated support services, in accordance with the Framework Specification.

• Further Education Teachers and Leaders£18m

  Provision of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and inclusion continuing professional development (CPD) services for further education teachers and leaders. Services may include research, design, development, quality assurance, recruitment, digital services and delivery of SEND and inclusion CPD, together with associated support services, in accordance with the Framework Specification.

• School Teaching Assistants£28m

  Provision of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and inclusion continuing professional development (CPD) services for school teaching assistants. Services may include research, design, development, quality assurance, recruitment, digital services and delivery of SEND and inclusion CPD, together with associated support services, in accordance with the Framework Specification.

• Further Education Support Staff£14m

  Provision of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and inclusion continuing professional development (CPD) services for further education support staff. Services may include research, design, development, quality assurance, recruitment, digital services and delivery of SEND and inclusion CPD, together with associated support services, in accordance with the Framework Specification.

• Combined Audiences£188m

  Enables a single call-off for requirements spanning multiple audience groups. All Framework Suppliers appointed to Sub-Lots 1.1 to 1.4 will also be appointed to Sub-Lot 1.5.

How contested is this?

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Timeline

4 published dates · Europe/London

1. Tender notice publishedyesterday

   1 Oct 2026, 13:45 BST
2. Clarification questions byin 14 days

   15 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST
3. Submission deadlinein 27 days

   29 Oct 2026, 12:00 GMT
4. Award decision expected byin 181 days

   31 Mar 2027, 23:59 BST

Commercial outcome and contract awards

Nothing awarded yet

Notice history

5 events · 5 releases on Find a Tender

1. Pipeline or early engagement notice3 Mar 2026, 16:34 GMT019184-2026
2. Notice published23 Apr 2026, 16:28 BST037266-2026
3. Pipeline or early engagement notice18 Aug 2026, 16:29 BST078693-2026
4. Tender notice1 Oct 2026, 11:27 BST092751-2026
5. Tender updated1 Oct 2026, 13:45 BST092861-2026

Payment terms

Payment terms as stated within the Tender documents.

Documents

• Tender notice on Find a Tender