How to win: Independent Scrutineer SEND

About this contract

Northumberland County Council wishes to commission a suitably experienced provider to undertake the role of Independent Scrutineer of the Northumberland Strategic SEND Partnership. The provider must be able to offer independent scrutiny, rigorous constructive challenge, independent chair role and objective assurance to support the SEND Partnership to fulfil its responsibilities for improving outcomes, experiences and inclusion for children and young people with SEND and their families. The role includes: • Providing assurance regarding the effectiveness of local multiagency SEND arrangements, with a particular focus on practice, co production, lived experience, and impact. • Supporting the inclusion of the voice of children, young people and families in decision-making and quality assurance. • Providing an independent view of the effectiveness, pace and impact of SEND improvement activity, including progress against inspection findings and the Local Area SEND Reform Plan. The SEND Partnership Board, workstreams and subgroups meet on a quarterly schedule. The Independent Scrutineer will be required to provide scrutiny and challenge across the Partnership, hold partners to account, a

How to win contracts like this

• ✓Answer against the marking scheme, not the question text — Northumberland County Council scores each response, so map your evidence to the published criteria and weightings.
• ✓Lead with evidenced capability and social value — for services work these usually outweigh price.
• ✓Show recent, comparable delivery: name similar services contracts you've delivered for public bodies, with measurable outcomes.
• ✓Start early: it closes 20 July 2026 and a strong bid takes iteration.

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