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Recruitment of up to 13 FTE Locum Social Workers

Suffolk County Council

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

10 Sep 2026 at 12:26

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

22 Jul 2026 at 11:30

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

22 Jul 2026 at 09:09

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Suffolk County Council procured recruitment services for up to 13 full-time-equivalent locum social workers. The workers are intended to provide interim staffing for the council’s Integrated Front Door and Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub, supporting referral and assessment activity while permanent recruitment is completed under the Family First model. This is a social care staffing requirement rather than a general recruitment exercise: the service concerns qualified locum social workers working within safeguarding and statutory children’s services functions. Delivery is for Suffolk County Council in Suffolk, England. The buying organisation is Suffolk County Council, a sub-central public authority. The requirement was structured as one completed lot and covered recruitment services, including the provision of temporary professional staff for the council’s operational vacancies.

The procurement has been awarded and the contract is active. Suffolk County Council made a direct award to Leaders in Care Recruitment Limited on 22 July 2026, following an urgency-based justification. The contract was signed on 27 July 2026 and runs from 1 August to 30 October 2026, with an option to extend by up to three months, to a maximum end date of 30 January 2027. The awarded and contracted value is £485,000 excluding VAT and £582,000 including VAT. The stated maximum budget covers the agreement, including the optional extension, and is not guaranteed spend. The direct award was justified by vacancies, statutory referral and assessment deadlines, difficulty recruiting sufficient staff through internal partners, and the risk that a competitive tender would cause delay.

This outcome indicates demand for specialist temporary social care recruitment supporting an Integrated Front Door and Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub. Suppliers best placed for a future requirement of this kind would be able to source and supply social workers at the required volume, maintain an appropriate quality of candidates, and respond quickly when statutory referral and assessment deadlines are at risk. Credibility would depend on demonstrating a dependable pool of locum social workers and the operational capacity to manage interim placements while permanent recruitment is under way. Recruitment businesses with a strong public-sector social care offer, effective candidate screening and placement management, and the ability to support safeguarding-related services would be relevant competitors when this requirement next reaches the market.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Recruitment of up to 13 FTE Locum Social Workers

Notice Description

Recruitment of up to 13 FTE Locum Social Workers as an interim measure to work within the Integrated Front Door (IFD) / Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) whilst permanent recruitment takes place. Please note, the contract value detailed in this notice represents the maximum budget for the life of this agreement (including the optional extension period), it does not represent a guaranteed level of spend.

Procurement Information

The IFD/MASH is holding a number of vacancies and is unable to meet its statutory deadlines for referral and assessment. The locum social workers are required as an interim arrangement whilst permanent recruitment for the positions is completed as part of the Family First model. It has not been possible to recruit the volume and quality of staff required through our internal recruitment partners, and running a competitive tender procedure would jeopardise our ability to perform at the statutory level required in a timely manner.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06d067
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085846-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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

CPV Codes

79600000 - Recruitment services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£582,000 £500K-£1M
Contracts Value
£485,000 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
10 Sep 20263 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
22 Jul 20262 months ago
Contract Period
1 Aug 2026 - 30 Oct 2026 1-6 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
Suffolk County Council
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
IPSWICH
Postcode
IP1 2BX
Postcode Area
Ipswich
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH6 Suffolk
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH62 Ipswich
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Ipswich
Electoral Ward
Gipping
Westminster Constituency
Ipswich

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Leaders in Care Recruitment 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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