Planning

Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund Preliminary Market Engagement Notice

DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

15 Sep 2025 at 07:24

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Education is in the planning stage of a procurement process seeking a Delivery Partner for the continuation of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund. This initiative, aimed at supporting adoptive and special guardianship order children, is categorised under education and training services and is set to take place in London, United Kingdom. The upcoming milestone is a virtual market engagement event scheduled for 23 September 2025, from 3 pm to 4:15 pm. Businesses interested in participating should contact the provided email for an invitation. The procurement strategy is expected to follow the DPS RM6322 Fund Administration and Disbursement Services (FAADS), with a potential start date for the contract on 1 April 2026 and a possible end date by 31 March 2029.

This procurement presents significant growth opportunities for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs) specialising in fund management, digital solutions, and service delivery within the educational sector. The chosen Delivery Partner will be responsible for liaising with Local Authorities and Regional Adoption Agencies to manage the fund, process applications, and oversee grant funding distribution. This opportunity is ideal for organisations capable of managing complex fund administration projects and engaging with diverse stakeholders to enhance the support provided to children in adoptive and special guardianship settings.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund Preliminary Market Engagement Notice

Notice Description

The Adoption Support Fund (ASF) was launched in 2015 and expanded to include Special Guardianship in 2016, becoming the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) in 2023. The ASGSF aims to support adoptive and special guardianship order children to receive the therapeutic services they have been assessed as needing. This is so they can recover from their early childhood experiences, ultimately to improve their short- and long-term outcomes. We are seeking a Delivery Partner (DP) to liaise with Local Authorities (LAs) and Regional Adoption Agencies (RAAs) to deliver the ASGSF service. All applications come through a portal and the DP will have to process and approve these applications as per the terms and conditions of the contract and the current scope and eligibility for the ASGSF. The DP is responsible for: Fund Management, Management Reporting and Data Requests, Managing Digital Solutions, and payment of grant funding for approved applications to LA/RAAs. Grant funding The DP will administer grant funding on behalf of the DfE. After applications are approved, service providers will invoice the relevant LA or RAA once the service starts. The LA/RAA will in turn invoice the DP. To cover the costs, a profiled amount will be transferred to the DP in advance based on a pre-agreed grant funding agreement between the DfE and DP. Please note, all information in this notice will be subject to ministerial agreement and internal approval.

Planning Information

The purpose of this preliminary market engagement notice is to inform the market of the progress towards the procurement for a delivery partner for the continuation of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund. It is not being used as a call for competition. Market engagement will consist of a virtual event via MS Teams. We aim for the MS Teams event to take place 23 September 2025 from 3pm to 4:15pm. If you are interested, please contact emilie.wilkinson@education.gov.uk to arrange an invitation to the event. We will circulate any Q&As raised during the event with all suppliers who registered an interest in attending in due course. Please note, at this time it is our intention to award this contract via the DPS RM6322 Fund Administration and Disbursement Services (FAADS).

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0599dc
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/056398-2025
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services

CPV Codes

80000000 - Education and training services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
15 Sep 20255 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
31 Oct 2025Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Mar 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
emilie.wilkinson@education.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1P 3BT
Post Town
South West London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts. 

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