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Assessment of Needs Tool and Digital Platform for Children at Risk of Deprivation of Liberty

Department for Education

This public procurement record has 7 releases in its history.

Award

14 Sep 2026 at 14:36

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

17 Aug 2026 at 14:39

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
TenderUpdate

29 Jun 2026 at 14:22

UK4 - Tender Notice
TenderUpdate

09 Jun 2026 at 10:28

UK4 - Tender Notice
TenderUpdate

09 Jun 2026 at 10:24

UK4 - Tender Notice
Tender

08 Jun 2026 at 16:01

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

02 Mar 2026 at 13:16

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Education commissioned a validated Assessment of Needs Tool and integrated digital platform for Home Again, supporting children and young people at risk of, or subject to, deprivation of liberty. The service is designed for use across children’s social care, health, youth justice, education and related partner organisations, through Regional Care Cooperatives. It provides holistic assessment of needs, risks, strengths and support requirements; multidisciplinary planning; secure assessment completion; controlled multi-agency information sharing; local activity and outcomes reporting; and anonymised aggregated data for national analysis. The work also generates learning about adoption, usability, sustainability and impact across different local systems. It combines information technology, specialist software development, data analysis, data standardisation and social services. Delivery covers the United Kingdom.

This procurement is complete and has been awarded following an open procedure. One lot was evaluated entirely on technical quality using a price-per-quality methodology, with quality weighted at 100%. Three bids were received, all from SMEs. The contract was awarded to Thalamos Limited on 13 August 2026 for £1,128,943.41 excluding VAT (£1,354,732.09 including VAT). It was signed on 9 September 2026 and runs from 1 September 2026 to 31 March 2029, with an optional 12-month extension to 31 March 2030. The recorded contract value is £1,128,943 excluding VAT (£1,354,731 including VAT). A scheduled signature milestone was set for 28 August 2026. The Department for Education is the buying organisation.

This requirement indicates demand for suppliers able to combine validated assessment design with secure, interoperable digital platforms and practical delivery in complex public-service environments. A credible future competitor would need expertise in holistic needs, risk and strengths assessment for children and young people, alongside software development, information security, data governance, UK GDPR compliance and data protection impact assessments. Capability in multi-agency information sharing, predictive or analytical functions, anonymised data, reporting and data standardisation is relevant. The service also calls for stakeholder engagement, training, readiness assessment and implementation across social care, health, youth justice, education, commissioning and provider organisations. Suppliers should be able to demonstrate effective local adoption, usability, sustainability, risk management and measurable outcomes, with capacity to support delivery across multiple areas and build local ownership.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Assessment of Needs Tool and Digital Platform for Children at Risk of Deprivation of Liberty

Notice Description

The Department for Education (DfE) has awarded a contract for the provision of a validated Assessment of Needs Tool and an integrated digital platform to support the delivery of Home Again via Regional Care Cooperatives (RCCs). Home Again brings together children's social care, health, youth justice, education and other relevant partners to provide earlier, coordinated and evidence-based responses for children and young people (CYP) who are at risk of, or subject to, deprivation of liberty. The contracted solution provides a validated assessment of need tool designed to deliver a holistic view of each child's needs, risks, strengths and required support. The tool supports the development of multidisciplinary plans through the Home Again service and enables proactive and timely interventions. The integrated digital platform supports secure assessment completion, appropriate multi-agency information sharing, local reporting on activity and outcomes, and the generation of anonymised aggregated data for national analysis. The solution is intended to improve system-wide understanding of this cohort, support commissioning and planning decisions, and provide insights to inform practice approaches that help keep children and young people safe while avoiding unnecessary deprivation of liberty. The contract also supports the generation of learning regarding the implementation of a validated assessment of need tool across different local systems, including organisational, cultural, technical and commercial factors that influence adoption, usability, sustainability and impact within children's social care, health and youth justice settings. Contract awarded to: Thalamos Limited.

Planning Information

Market Engagement event will take place Tuesday 17 March at 10:00. To register interest please send an email by close of business on Monday 16 March at 5pm to - HelpingHands.PILOT@education.gov.uk - and we will provide meeting details. Market Engagement Activities DfE plans to hold virtual briefings, one‑to‑one discussions, and may issue a request for information. Suppliers will be invited to share capabilities, innovations, risks, and delivery considerations. Participation will not give any advantage in future procurement. The Department for Education (DfE) is seeking early market engagement to inform a potential procurement for a Needs Assessment Tool and integrated e‑platform. This work aims to support children and young people (CYP) aged 8–18 with multiple and complex needs who are at risk of, or subject to, Deprivation of Liberty Orders (DoLO). Background Increasing numbers of CYP with complex needs require multi‑agency support across social care, health, and youth justice. Current processes are fragmented, resulting in inconsistent assessment practices, delayed interventions, and rising use of unregistered or high‑cost placements. A unified, evidence‑based assessment tool is needed to improve early identification, planning, and outcomes. Purpose of the Project The proposed project will design, develop, and implement: - A validated, holistic assessment tool capturing needs, risks, and strengths. - A secure, interoperable e‑platform with analytical capabilities. - A training and implementation model for use across five pilot areas. - Aggregate data and insights to support strategic planning and commissioning. What DfE Is Seeking from the Market DfE seeks supplier expertise in: - Assessment tool design (including modular and rapid‑assessment formats). - Digital platform development, interoperability, security, and predictive analytics. - Training delivery, engagement, and large‑scale implementation. - Data governance, UK GDPR compliance, and DPIA processes. - Aggregate data analysis, profiling, and reporting. Indicative Timescales The potential project will run for up to 30 months, covering development, rollout, assessment delivery, data analysis, and final reporting.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-065f95
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/086936-2026
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, VCSE
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

72212100 - Industry specific software development services

72222300 - Information technology services

72316000 - Data analysis services

72330000 - Content or data standardization and classification services

85300000 - Social work and related services

85320000 - Social services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£1,400,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£1,400,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£1,128,943 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
£1,128,943 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
14 Sep 2026Yesterday
Submission Deadline
3 Jul 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
13 Aug 20261 months ago
Contract Period
9 Sep 2026 - 31 Mar 2029 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

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
Not specified
Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

THALAMOS LIMITED

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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