Award

Ask AI about this notice

Summarise, research or assess it with AI

View Markdown

Share this notice

Send this contract to a colleague

Social Work National Professional Development Offer

Department for Education

This public procurement record has 8 releases in its history.

Award

20 Oct 2026 at 13:49

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
TenderUpdate

23 Jun 2026 at 16:32

UK4 - Tender Notice
Tender

23 Jun 2026 at 16:21

UK4 - Tender Notice
PlanningUpdate

10 Mar 2026 at 17:18

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
PlanningUpdate

10 Mar 2026 at 17:07

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

10 Mar 2026 at 16:41

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
PlanningUpdate

29 Jan 2026 at 12:19

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

28 Jan 2026 at 15:20

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Education has established a national learning and development offer for child and family social workers in England. The work covers designing programmes, developing learning content, delivering training, providing digital hosting and user experience, and supplying supporting resources and materials. Lot 1 covers early-career development, family help team managers and lead child protection practitioners. Lot 2 covers leadership and the Director of Children’s Services leadership programme. Delivery is supported by a digital platform intended to provide flexible access and consistent provision across the workforce. The services are for participants across England, with volumes varying by programme and demand. This is specialist education and training intended to strengthen practice, management and leadership capability, and support structured career pathways for the social work workforce.

The procurement has been awarded through an open procedure and a closed framework, with call-off contracts made under the framework agreement. The Department for Education appointed The Frontline Organisation to Lot 1, for £21,445,935 excluding VAT. Lot 2 was awarded separately to VSC Plus Ltd for £7,364,921 and The Frontline Organisation for £9,057,552, each excluding VAT. The award date was 23 September 2026; the contract period for all three awards runs from 30 October 2026 to 31 August 2032. The framework permits additional purchases and changes to service volumes or scale. Evaluation used pass/fail selection questions, then quality criteria covering programme content and delivery, recruitment and delivery approach, project and risk management, digital learning design and delivery, and social value. Price was assessed as price per quality point.

This award demonstrates demand for end-to-end professional development services for social workers, from programme design and learning-content development through training delivery, digital platform hosting and learner resources. A credible competitor would need to combine expertise in child and family social work with the ability to develop and deliver programmes for early-career practitioners, managers and senior leaders. The scale calls for capacity to recruit participants, operate several programmes and cohorts, and provide consistent digital learning across a national workforce. Strong evidence of programme quality, delivery planning, project governance, data and risk management, and effective digital learning materials would be important. The evaluation also included social value, while pricing was judged against quality points. Suppliers may have bid for one or both lots, and small and medium-sized businesses and voluntary, community and social enterprises were considered suitable.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Social Work National Professional Development Offer

Notice Description

The Department for Education (DfE) has established a closed framework for the design, development and delivery of a national learning and development offer for Child and Family Social Workers in England. The Social Work National Professional Development Offer Framework is intended to strengthen the development of qualified child and family social workers and support clearer, structured career pathways aligned to the specialist knowledge and skills required to better support children and families. Delivery will be supported through a digital platform to enable flexible access, consistency of provision and scalability across the workforce. The framework is divided into two lots: Lot 1: Early Career Development Programme (ECDP), Family Help Team Manager Programme (FHTMP) and Lead Child Protection Practitioner Programme (LCPPP). These programmes focus on developing practice and management capability across key workforce roles. Lot 2: Leadership Programme (LP) and Director of Children's Services Leadership Programme (DCSLP). These programmes focus on strengthening leadership capability at senior levels. The estimated annual participant volumes are approximately: * 2,800 participants for ECDP; * up to 500 participants across four cohorts for FHTMP; * up to 500 participants for LCPPP; * up to 130 participants for LP (65 in post and 65 aspirant); and * all new and interim Directors of Children's Services, plus a minimum of 20 aspirants, for DCSLP. Participant volumes are indicative only, subject to demand and will be confirmed through individual Call-Off competitions. The estimated maximum value of the framework is PS108,490,000 (excluding VAT). This represents the potential aggregate value of contracts awarded over the full duration of the framework and does not constitute a commitment to spend. The Department has attributed the following indicative values to each lot: Lot 1 Value: PS92,067,527 Lot 2 Value: PS16,422,473 The indicative values attributed to individual lots are not intended to represent fixed financial allocations. The Department may adjust the value attributed to any lot during the operation of the framework to reflect changes in demand, service requirements or procurement strategy, provided that the aggregate value of all contracts awarded under the framework does not exceed the overall maximum framework value of PS108,490,000 (excluding VAT). Appointed suppliers are responsible for the end-to-end delivery of the services, including programme design, development of learning content, delivery of training, digital hosting, user experience, and the provision of supporting resources and materials. Suppliers were permitted to bid for one or both lots. The framework allowed for the appointment of up to three suppliers to Lot 1 and up to two suppliers to Lot 2. Following completion of the procurement process, The Frontline Organisation has been appointed to Lot 1 (ECDP, FHTMP and LCPPP), while VSC Plus Ltd and The Frontline Organisation have been appointed to Lot 2 (LP and DCSLP). Call-Off Contracts will be awarded in accordance with the Framework Agreement throughout the framework term. The framework will operate for a maximum term of five years and eleven months. Without prejudice to any other rights of termination set out in the Framework Agreement the Department reserves the right to terminate the Framework Agreement from 31 August 2029 in accordance with the terms of the agreement. The Department may make Changes to reflect variations in its requirements for the Services, including but not limited to where demand for the Services is greater than anticipated. Such Changes may include: (a) amendments to the volume or scale of the Services [and proportionate increases to the maximum value of this Framework Agreement and/or any Call-Off Contracts]; and (b) the introduction of an additional Lot or Lots into this Framework Agreement during its term, provided that any such Change does not materially alter the overall nature of this Framework Agreement. All communication relating to this procurement must be submitted via the Jaggaer portal.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Options: The Department may make Changes to reflect variations in its requirements for the Services, including but not limited to where demand for the Services is greater than anticipated. Such Changes may include: (a) amendments to the volume or scale of the Services [and proportionate increases to the maximum value of this Framework Agreement and/or any Call-Off Contracts]; and (b) the introduction of an additional Lot or Lots into this Framework Agreement during its term, provided that any such Change does not materially alter the overall nature of this Framework Agreement.

Lot 2

Options: The Department may make Changes to reflect variations in its requirements for the Services, including but not limited to where demand for the Services is greater than anticipated. Such Changes may include: (a) amendments to the volume or scale of the Services [and proportionate increases to the maximum value of this Framework Agreement and/or any Call-Off Contracts]; and (b) the introduction of an additional Lot or Lots into this Framework Agreement during its term, provided that any such Change does not materially alter the overall nature of this Framework Agreement.

Planning Information

The Department will be holding an initial supplier engagement event on 09 February 2026 from 11:00am to 12:15pm. Deadline for registering for the event on 09 February 2026 is 06 February 2026 12:00pm (GMT) via Jaggaer. The event will be accessible via the ‘View Opportunities’ link on the Jaggaer e-Tendering portal Homepage. Select the Opportunity Notice for ‘Social Work National Professional Development Offer Engagement Event- itt_3856' and this will take you directly to the registration page. This event is open to all potential suppliers, regardless of previous engagement with the Department. The event will provide an overview of the Social Work National Professional Development Offer (SWNPDO) outline and upcoming market engagement activities scheduled shortly afterwards. Following the event, suppliers will be invited to complete a questionnaire to register for the 1-2-1 sessions which will be held between 13th and 19th February 2026. Additional 1-2-1 sessions may be held in March 2026 and will provide final opportunity to clarify any outstanding queries. Deadlines for registration for other events will be noted via the jaggaer messaging system or via the event on 06 February 2026. All correspondence will be shared via Jaggaer.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-061118
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/099026-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services

CPV Codes

80000000 - Education and training services

80400000 - Adult and other education services

80510000 - Specialist training services

80530000 - Vocational training services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£108,000,000 £100M-£1B
Lots Value
£18,340,000 £10M-£100M
Awards Value
£37,868,408 £10M-£100M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
20 Oct 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
5 Aug 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
22 Jun 2026Expired
Award Date
23 Sep 20261 months ago
Contract Period
30 Oct 2026 - 31 Aug 2032 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Pending
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Department for Education
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1P 3BT
Postcode Area
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
TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England)
Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
2
Supplier Names

The Frontline Organisation

VSC Plus Ltd

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

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.

Loading OCDS record...