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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

Mediation and Disagreement Resolution Service (MDRS)

Cheshire East Council · Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 30 Sept 2026, 07:09.

Opportunity overview

Mediation service to support children, young people and their parent/carers with mediation and dispute resolution in relation to special education needs (SEN) issues, including where Education, Health and Care Plans assessed by the Council and its key partners are contested by the young person and their parent/carer. Cheshire East Council is conducting a soft market testing survey to gauge interest from providers in delivering our Mediation and Disagreement Resolution Service (MDRS), a statutory requirement under the Children and Families Act 2014. Cheshire East Council has successfully commissioned a Mediation and Dispute Resolution Service (MDRS) since 2015. We are now exploring options for potential recommissioning and invite feedback from the market through this soft market testing survey. While no final decision has been made regarding the timing or progression of the procurement, your input will be valuable in shaping our approach. Please note that participation in this survey does not imply any commitment from either party, and the procurement may be delayed or terminated depending on future developments. However, gathering insights now will provide a strong foundation should we proceed at a later stage. This questionnaire aims to gather the thoughts and experiences of providers who may be interested in our proposed recommissioning. The deadline for questionnaire responses is: Friday 22nd August 2025. Please upload your response to the Chest by the specified deadline. Chest Ref: DN785358 You can access and provide your feedback using the link below https://procontract.due-north.com/RFx/RFxSummary?rfxId=b3532762-3e71-f011-813a-005056b64545&projectId=fa125d7c-3d71-f011-813a-005056b64545

Classification

  • CPV85300000 — Social work and related services

Lots

  • Lot 1Value not stated

Documents and notices

Published notice details

Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.

Scope, procedure and submissions

Id
C4368
Status
planning
Above Threshold
No
Main Procurement Category
services

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Communication

Future Notice Date
1 Oct 2025, 23:59

Special regime

lightTouch

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Status
planning
Has Renewal
Yes

Suitability

Sme
Yes
Vcse
Yes

Contract period

Ends
31 Mar 2029, 23:59
Starts
1 Apr 2026, 00:00
Max Extent Date
31 Mar 2031, 23:59

Items and delivery

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
UKD6
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Id
85300000
Scheme
CPV
Description
Social work and related services

Planning and budget

Documents

Entry 1
Id
045729-2025
Format
text/html
Notice Type
UK2
Description
Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
Document Type
marketEngagementNotice
Published
4 Aug 2025, 15:43

Milestones

Entry 1
Id
engagement
Type
engagement
Status
scheduled
Due
22 Aug 2025, 23:59
Description
Cheshire East Council is conducting a soft market testing survey to gauge interest from providers in delivering our Mediation and Disagreement Resolution Service (MDRS), a statutory requirement under the Children and Families Act 2014. Cheshire East Council has successfully commissioned a Mediation and Dispute Resolution Service (MDRS) since 2015. We are now exploring options for potential recommissioning and invite feedback from the market through this soft market testing survey. While no final decision has been made regarding the timing or progression of the procurement, your input will be valuable in shaping our approach. Please note that participation in this survey does not imply any commitment from either party, and the procurement may be delayed or terminated depending on future developments. However, gathering insights now will provide a strong foundation should we proceed at a later stage. This questionnaire aims to gather the thoughts and experiences of providers who may be interested in our proposed recommissioning. The deadline for questionnaire responses is: Friday 22nd August 2025. Please upload your response to the Chest by the specified deadline. https://procontract.due-north.com/ Chest Ref: DN785358

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Id
GB-PPON-PTWR-7124-XZXQ
Name
Cheshire East Council

Roles

buyer

Address

Region
UKD62
Country
GB
Locality
Crewe
Postal Code
CW12JZ
Country Name
United Kingdom
Street Address
Delamere House, Delamere Street

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Id
publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Description
Public authority - sub-central government

Identifier

Id
PTWR-7124-XZXQ
Scheme
GB-PPON

Contact

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · Crewe · UKD62 · CW12JZ · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UKD6 · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

1 published notice version reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

1 VERSION
  1. ocds-h6vhtk-058083-2025-08-04T15:43:26+01:00Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·