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The Practice Education Facilitator role in Return to Practice

NHS England

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

22 Jul 2026 at 12:28

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

NHS England is commissioning a national research service on the Practice Education Facilitator (PEF) role within Return to Practice. The work will examine how PEFs support healthcare professionals returning to practice after a period away, identify their learning and development needs, and produce recommendations to improve the consistency, quality and outcomes of return-to-practice experiences across England. The requirement is classed as a service, with the relevant classification being research services. Delivery is national, covering England, so suppliers will need to engage with return-to-practice arrangements and stakeholders across the country rather than working at a single local site. The opportunity is relevant to organisations with expertise in healthcare workforce research, professional education, return-to-practice programmes, evaluation, and improving education and support for healthcare professionals.

The procurement has reached tender: NHS England invited offers through a below-threshold open competition. Enquiries had to be submitted by 29 July 2026 at 12:00 noon, and tenders had to be submitted by 5 August 2026 at 12:00 noon. Electronic submission was allowed through the Atamis tendering portal. The single contract is scheduled to run from 1 September 2026 to 31 March 2027. Its estimated value is £20,000 excluding VAT, or £25,000 including VAT. The tender uses a 60% technical, 30% commercial and 10% social value evaluation split. The requirement is suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community or social enterprises. The published selection criteria are recorded as N/A, so suppliers should rely on the tender documents for the detailed response requirements.

This opportunity suits a specialist research or consultancy organisation able to investigate workforce education and support in a healthcare setting and turn evidence into practical recommendations. Relevant strengths include experience of working with the NHS or other healthcare bodies, understanding of healthcare professional regulation and return-to-practice pathways, and the ability to assess learning needs and differences in delivery across England. Suppliers should be able to engage a national range of stakeholders, gather and analyse qualitative or quantitative evidence, and communicate findings clearly to commissioners and education providers. Capability in programme evaluation, service improvement, professional education and implementation planning would be useful. The opportunity is explicitly suitable for SMEs and VCSEs, making it potentially accessible to smaller research practices, specialist education organisations, social enterprises and collaborative teams with relevant sector knowledge.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

The Practice Education Facilitator role in Return to Practice

Notice Description

A national commission to understand and strengthen the Practice Education Facilitator (PEF) role in supporting HCPC returners, identifying learning needs and delivering recommendations to improve consistency, quality, and outcomes of return-to-practice experiences across England.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06d0c8
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/069129-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - open competition
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

CPV Codes

73110000 - Research services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£20,000 Under £100K
Lots Value
£20,000 Under £100K
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
22 Jul 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
5 Aug 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Sep 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Active
Lots Status
Active
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
NHS 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
LONDON
Postcode
SE1 8UG
Postcode Area
South East London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI4 Inner London - East
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI45 Lambeth
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Lambeth
Electoral Ward
Waterloo & South Bank
Westminster Constituency
Vauxhall and Camberwell Green

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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