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UK6 - Step Up to Social Work Cohort 10 Contractor

Department for Education

This public procurement record has 6 releases in its history.

AwardUpdate

09 Sep 2026 at 15:44

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
AwardUpdate

09 Sep 2026 at 15:42

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

09 Sep 2026 at 14:50

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

09 Jul 2026 at 15:12

UK4 - Tender Notice
PlanningUpdate

19 May 2026 at 14:55

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

19 May 2026 at 14:11

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Education is procuring services to market and recruit candidates for Step Up to Social Work Cohort 10, a 14-month fast-track child and family social work programme in England. The contractor supports the Department and Regional Partnerships to fill 700 funded places. The scope covers designing and hosting an information, registration and application portal; developing web content; targeted marketing, including attracting diverse and male applicants; a candidate helpline; qualification, non-UK equivalency and right-to-work checks; applicant tracking; timed written exercises; assessment-centre bookings and staffing; candidate engagement; a National Reserve List; candidate data analytics; and an end-of-year report on satisfaction and process improvements. This is a services requirement covering social work-related and recruitment services across England, with delivery also recorded in Bulgaria.

The procurement is complete and was awarded on 3 September 2026 following an open procedure. One lot was evaluated entirely on quality using a price-per-quality-point approach: attraction and inclusive recruitment 15%, recruitment and assessment 10%, digital development and partnerships 20%, work with Regional Partnerships and the Department 25%, candidate support 20%, and social value 10%; price carried 0%. Five bids reached the final stage, all from SMEs. Sopra Steria Limited was awarded the contract for £545,382 gross (£454,485 excluding VAT). The contract is scheduled to run from 1 October 2026 to 29 February 2028, with options for two further cohorts on a +1+1 basis, potentially extending to 29 February 2032. A signature milestone is due on 1 October 2026.

This award shows demand for a supplier able to combine large-scale public-sector recruitment with digital delivery and candidate support. A credible competitor for a future requirement would need to design and operate a secure candidate portal, application and tracking systems, timed online assessments, booking workflows and data analytics. It would also need recruitment marketing expertise, particularly inclusive campaigns aimed at diverse and male applicants, alongside robust qualification, overseas-equivalency and right-to-work checking. Operational capacity matters: the requirement involves supporting Regional Partnerships, staffing assessment centres, maintaining candidate engagement and managing a national reserve list. Strong programme management, helpline provision, reporting and evidence of social value would be important, as would the ability to coordinate delivery across England and work effectively with the Department for Education and higher education and local-authority partners.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

UK6 - Step Up to Social Work Cohort 10 Contractor

Notice Description

The Department for Education (DfE) is responsible for children's services including children's social care in England. Children's Social Care (CSC) reform is a major priority for the government and backed by PS2.5bn investment in this SR period. Government aims to transform children's services to deliver better outcomes for children and families, as set out in the CSC National Framework. Social Work Workforce is a key enabler of reform: ensuring we have a sufficient and capable workforce to enable better outcomes and contribute to cross-government priorities on tackling Child Sexual Abuse, Domestic Abuse and Violence Against Women and Girls. To ensure we have sufficient social workers for vulnerable children and their families, the DfE funds the Step Up to Social Work (SUSW) programme. SUSW is a specialist, fast track 14-month programme in child and family social work. The programme is a mixture of academic learning and work placements. Local Authorities form Regional Partnerships with a Higher Education Institution to deliver the academic element of the programme. The department is awarding a contract for marketing and attraction, recruitment and supporting the application process, working with Regional Partnerships to ensure all 700 funded places are filled. The remit of the contractor is to: a. Design, manage and host a web portal enabling potential candidates to register an interest, access programme information and submit applications. b. Work with the DfE and Regional Partnerships (RPs) to develop web content. c. Programme marketing with a focus on attracting candidates from diverse backgrounds and targeting male applicants. d. Provide a candidate helpline. e. Conduct eligibility check on qualifications, non-UK equivalency qualifications and eligibility to live and work in the UK. f. Develop an applicant tracking system. g. Host a timed 'written exercise' on the recruitment platform. h. Host a booking process for applicants to select a date/time for attendance at an assessment centre. f. Provide personnel to support RPs during assessment centres. g. Keep candidates engaged throughout the process. h. Develop and manage a National Reserve List. i. Manage candidate information and data analytics. j. Produce an End of Year report detailing RP and candidate satisfaction data and recommend areas of the recruitment process that could be improved.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: The Department may extend the Contract for up to two additional cohorts (on a +1+1 basis) by giving not less than 90 Working Days' written notice to the Supplier prior to the Expiry Date. The extension options may be exercised separately or together, resulting in an extension of up to two cohorts. The Supplier acknowledges that, whilst the Contract includes provisions for extension for up to two additional cohorts, there may be periods during which no Services are required to be delivered, as illustrated in Document 1, 4a and 5. Suppliers should take account of any such periods when preparing and submitting their Tender. The Department makes no representation or commitment regarding the future scope, timing, commencement dates, duration, or delivery requirements of any subsequent cohorts. There may be a period between the expiry of the initial Contract Term and the commencement of any extension period. During any such period, no services shall be required to be delivered by the Supplier, and the Department shall have no obligation to make any payment or provide any funding. Any information provided in relation to future cohorts is indicative only and may be subject to change as a result of policy, funding, governance, operational requirements, or other factors. The details of any extension period and associated requirements will be discussed and agreed with the Supplier at the relevant time.

Planning Information

The Department will be holding an initial supplier engagement event on 28 May 2026 from 13:00 to 14:00 hosted virtually via MS Teams. Deadline for registering for the event on 28 May 2026 is 27 May 17:00 (BST) via Jaggaer. The event will be accessible via the ‘View Opportunities’ link on the Jaggaer e-Tendering portal Homepage. Select the Opportunity Notice for ‘Step Up to Social Work Cohort 10 Emergine Talent Recuitment- SSQ_777 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 Step up to Social work Cohort 10 and outline and upcoming market engagement activities scheduled shortly afterwards. After the event, suppliers will be invited to complete a questionnaire to register for the 1‑2‑1 sessions, which will take place between 1 June 2026 and 5 June 2026. Deadlines for registration for other events will be noted via the jaggaer messaging system or via the event on 28 May 2026. All correspondence will be shared via Jaggaer.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-069bf1
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085491-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award 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

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

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

79600000 - Recruitment services

85300000 - Social work and related services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£458,333 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
£458,333 £100K-£500K
Awards Value
£454,485 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
9 Sep 20266 days ago
Submission Deadline
6 Aug 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
29 Jun 2026Expired
Award Date
3 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Contract Period
1 Oct 2026 - 29 Feb 2028 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
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
1
Supplier Name

Sopra Steria 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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