Award

Fitness to Practise Partner Training Programme

SOCIAL WORK ENGLAND

This public procurement record has 5 releases in its history.

Award

25 Feb 2026 at 13:58

Award

20 Jan 2026 at 16:13

Tender

03 Dec 2025 at 12:43

Planning

30 Sep 2025 at 13:44

Planning

18 Aug 2025 at 12:10

Summary of the contracting process

Social Work England, located in Sheffield, has completed the award stage of the procurement process for the "Fitness to Practise Partner Training Programme" under an open procedure. The contract was awarded to FIELDFISHER LLP for the development and delivery of a comprehensive training programme aimed at enhancing the skills of decision-makers in fitness to practise proceedings. The initiative falls under the industry categories of legal advisory, information services, and training services with delivery expected in the UKE32 region of the United Kingdom. The contract is scheduled to run from 25 February 2026 to 25 February 2029, with an option to extend for an additional two years. The total contract value is £354,167 with optional services proposed for potential inclusion to meet operational needs.

The tender provides significant growth opportunities for businesses specialising in legal training and advisory services within the health and social care regulatory sectors. Companies with proven experience in delivering training to legal or regulatory entities, possessing a strong understanding of the statutory frameworks and adherence to principles of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion, would be well-suited for such contracts. The focus on interactive and practice-based learning offers valuable input for businesses aiming to refine and expand their service delivery models while aligning with Social Work England's commitment to quality assurance and ongoing improvement across the spectrum of fitness to practise decision-making processes.

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Notice Title

Fitness to Practise Partner Training Programme

Notice Description

Social Work England intends to procure a suitably qualified and experienced training provider to design, deliver and continuously improve a comprehensive training programme for Adjudicators, Legal Advisers (Partners) and Case Examiners involved in Fitness to Practise (FtP) decision-making. The programme will support newly appointed decision-makers through mandatory induction training and provide ongoing annual refresher training for existing cohorts, ensuring consistency, legal soundness and quality across all FtP decisions. The appointed provider will be required to develop, implement and deliver training covering the statutory and regulatory framework applicable to Social Work England's adjudication and case examination functions. This includes but is not limited to: the Fitness to Practise Rules 2019 (as amended), the Social Workers Regulations 2018 (as amended), relevant regulatory case law, approaches to impairment, preliminary issues, procedural fairness, managing unrepresented registrants, avoiding bias, the realistic prospect test, and drafting clear and reasoned decisions. The training must incorporate interactive and practice-based learning, with anonymised examples where appropriate. Training for FtP Partners will be delivered remotely. Training for Case Examiners will be delivered through a blend of remote, hybrid or in-person sessions, including an initial two-day programme. The contract includes the development of webinars, e-learning modules, virtual workshops, peer-led learning forums and reflective practice groups to broaden access through Social Work England's digital learning platform. All training must incorporate principles of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, including relevant legal duties, unconscious bias mitigation and cultural competence. The provider will collaborate closely with Social Work England's Fitness to Practise, Legal and ED&I teams in planning, reviewing and refining the training offer. They will also be responsible for supplying training materials, pre-reading, recordings and an annual programme of delivery. Ongoing evaluation and quarterly performance reporting will be required, alongside participation in continuous improvement activity informed by appeals, Professional Standards Authority learning and internal quality assurance. The initial contract term will be three years, with the option to extend for a further two years.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Options: The contract may include optional additional services proposed by the supplier, which the authority may take up at its discretion if deemed to meet organisational needs. These optional services are not guaranteed and will be subject to agreement following award.

Renewal: The authority may, at its sole discretion, exercise extension options of up to an additional two years (in one or more increments), contingent upon ongoing requirements and acceptable contractor performance.

Planning Information

Social Work England is seeking to engage with the market in preparation for a potential future procurement. As part of this early engagement, we invite interested organisations to complete the Market Engagement Questionnaire which is available on the Social Work England website here: https://www.socialworkengland.org.uk/media/xpbj1ld3/swe10553-expression-of-interest-questionnaire.docx Please return the completed questionnaire by 17:30 on 14 October 2025 by email to tenders@socialworkengland.org.uk This is not a call for competition or part of a formal procurement process, but a means of gathering information to help inform our approach.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0589bd
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/016914-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

80 - Education and training services


CPV Codes

79140000 - Legal advisory and information services

80500000 - Training services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£354,167 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
£354,167 £100K-£500K
Awards Value
£354,167 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
£354,167 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
25 Feb 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
19 Dec 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
7 Nov 2025Expired
Award Date
19 Jan 20263 months ago
Contract Period
25 Feb 2026 - 25 Feb 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
2030-11-01

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
SOCIAL WORK ENGLAND
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
SHEFFIELD
Postcode
S3 8JY
Post Town
Sheffield
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLE Yorkshire and The Humber
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLE3 South Yorkshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLE32 Sheffield
Delivery Location
TLE32 Sheffield

Local Authority
Sheffield
Electoral Ward
City
Westminster Constituency
Sheffield Central

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

FIELDFISHER

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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