Bury Metropolitan Borough Council ("the Council") intends to establish a new commissioning arrangement for the delivery of Alternative Provision (AP) to children and young people, with a particular focus on those with SEND, those at risk of exclusion, and those unable to access mainstream or specialist education. The service will deliver a graduated continuum of support from mainstream in-reach and early intervention through to full-time AP, specialist bespoke provision, vocational and employability pathways, Post-16 preparation for adulthood, and tutoring with the primary aim of supporting reintegration into mainstream education or transition to the most appropriate longer-term provision. The arrangement is proposed to operate a two-tier directory (Core Providers and Approved Providers). This Preliminary Market Engagement Notice is published to inform the market of the Council's intentions and to invite providers, partners and stakeholders to participate in a live PME event and post-event questionnaire. The outputs of PME will inform the final service specification and procurement strategy.

Procurement Act 2023

The Council is undertaking PME to: test the proposed service model, lotting structure and market management approach; assess market capacity, appetite and capability (including SMEs and VCSE organisations); identify gaps in specialist and therapeutic provision; and inform the final service specification, pricing mechanism and procurement route. • Live PME event on 19 October 2026 at 16:30 (UK time). • Post-event feedback questionnaire hosted on Microsoft Forms, circulated to all registered attendees and interested parties. • Bilateral follow-up meetings may be arranged with individual providers on request, subject to equal-treatment safeguards. Please use register for the live event using the following link: Link: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/f644851a-ebb1-4cbf-a370-b79a0d479943@b3b731d0-98c0-440b-8765-8d6464a8ed82?source=copyLinkLegacyShareLinkDialog