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Perceptions of Practice Placements on Social Work Courses

SOCIAL WORK ENGLAND

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

06 Aug 2026 at 15:22

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Tender

10 Apr 2026 at 11:16

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Social Work England commissioned independent research into perceptions and experiences of practice-based learning on qualifying social work courses in England. The service covers statutory and non-statutory placements, examining placement quality, sufficiency and regional variation across qualifying routes and workforce contexts. The work involves engaging education providers, employers, practice educators, placement providers and newly qualified social workers. Expected activity includes desk research and primary research through surveys, interviews, focus groups and/or case studies. Outputs comprise a midpoint findings presentation, a publication-ready final report and a final presentation. The requirement is for research and research consultancy services, with higher education expertise also relevant. Delivery covers England, including the North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London, South East and South West.

This below-threshold procurement used an open competition and is complete. Enquiries closed on 29 April 2026 and tenders closed on 6 May 2026. One lot was awarded to Edge Hill University; the contract was signed on 6 August 2026 and runs from 6 August 2026 to 31 March 2027. The contract value is £49,712.40 including VAT (£41,427 excluding VAT), against an estimated value of £50,000 including VAT (£41,666.67 excluding VAT). Evaluation used the Most Advantageous Tender model: 70% quality and 30% price. Quality covered methodology, project management, risk, team expertise, data collection, ethics, inclusivity, data protection and reporting, with a 50% minimum quality threshold. Price used the lowest-cost-to-bidder-cost formula.

This procurement indicates demand from a social work regulator for independent, mixed-method research that can inform education and training regulation, standards, guidance and quality assurance. Relevant competitors would need credible experience researching professional education, workforce development or practice-based learning, ideally with knowledge of statutory and non-statutory social care settings. Strong capability is needed in stakeholder engagement, desk research, surveys, interviews, focus groups and case studies, supported by robust project management and risk control. Suppliers should be able to design inclusive research, manage data securely under UK GDPR, apply appropriate ethical governance and produce accessible reports and presentations suitable for publication. Universities, research consultancies and social policy specialists with an experienced multidisciplinary team would be well placed.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Perceptions of Practice Placements on Social Work Courses

Notice Description

Social Work England is commissioning independent research to strengthen its understanding of practice-based learning across qualifying routes into social work in England. This work supports Social Work England's role as the regulator of social work education and training, and will inform future regulatory standards, guidance and quality assurance activity. The requirement is for the design and delivery of a mixed-methods research study exploring perceptions and experiences of practice-based learning, including statutory and non-statutory placements. The research will examine issues of placement quality, placement sufficiency and variation across regions, qualifying routes and workforce contexts. The supplier will be expected to engage with a range of stakeholders, which may include education providers, employers, practice educators, placement providers and newly qualified social workers. Research activity is likely to include a combination of desk-based review and primary research methods such as surveys, interviews, focus groups and/or case studies. Key outputs will include a midpoint findings presentation, a final written report suitable for publication, and a final presentation of findings. The supplier must ensure proportionate but robust research governance, inclusive methods, and compliance with ethical standards and UK GDPR.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-067fc7
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/074865-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - open competition
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

80 - Education and training services

CPV Codes

73110000 - Research services

73200000 - Research and development consultancy services

80300000 - Higher education services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£41,666 Under £100K
Lots Value
£41,666 Under £100K
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£41,427 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
6 Aug 20262 months ago
Submission Deadline
6 May 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
6 Aug 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

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
Postcode Area
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
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
Sheffield
Electoral Ward
City
Westminster Constituency
Sheffield Central

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Edge Hill University

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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