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For the provision of a Higher Education Institution to deliver the Step Up to Social Work Programme for the East Midlands Regional Partnership (Cohorts 10 and 11)

Derby City Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

24 Sep 2026 at 13:41

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Derby City Council is seeking one higher education institution to deliver the Step Up to Social Work training programme for the East Midlands Regional Partnership, covering up to two cohorts, Cohorts 10 and 11. The programme trains graduates with a 2:2 degree and experience working with vulnerable children, young people or adults to become social workers. It is funded by the Department for Education and aims to raise standards among social workers in children’s statutory services. The partnership currently includes Derby, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicester, Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Rutland authorities. Delivery is for the East Midlands partnership; the procurement record identifies the delivery country as the United Kingdom.

The buyer invited offers through an open tender under the Procurement Act 2023, using the light-touch regime. The clarification deadline was 12 noon on 13 October 2026. Suppliers had to register interest and obtain the tender documents by 11.30pm on 22 October 2026; bids were due by 10am on 23 October 2026, submitted through the e-tendering system. The estimated contract value is £3.6 million. The contract is scheduled to run from 1 March 2027 to 31 July 2029, with one optional 12-month extension, potentially taking it to 31 July 2031. There is one lot. Quality is the stated award criterion, and the planned award decision date is 15 December 2026.

This opportunity is specifically suited to a higher education institution able to deliver professional social work training for the regional partnership. The programme must already be validated by Social Work England and enable and support students to meet the Professional Capabilities Framework and the post-qualifying standard for social workers, including its knowledge and skills statements. The buyer is seeking a single institution to serve multiple local authorities and deliver up to two cohorts, so providers need capacity to support training across the partnership and experience working with students preparing for children’s statutory social work. The service is intended to develop graduates who already have relevant experience with vulnerable children, young people or adults. Quality is the stated basis for evaluating offers.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

For the provision of a Higher Education Institution to deliver the Step Up to Social Work Programme for the East Midlands Regional Partnership (Cohorts 10 and 11)

Notice Description

Derby City Council (the Council) is undertaking this procurement to establish a contract for the provision of a single Higher Education Institution to deliver the Step Up to Social Work Programme for the East Midlands Regional Partnership (EMRP) for up to two cohorts (Cohorts 10 and 11) beginning March 2027. We will be procuring this contract for all Authorities/Bodies in the EMPR, which currently consists of: * Derby City Council - Lead Authority * Northamptonshire Children's Trust * Nottinghamshire County Council * Nottingham City Council * Leicester City Council * Leicestershire County Council * Derbyshire County Council * Lincolnshire County Council * Rutland County Council The Step up to Social Work programme is funded by the Department for Education (DfE) with the intention of raising the standard of social workers who work in children's statutory services. The programme recruits high calibre candidates who have a 2:2 degree and who already have experience of working with vulnerable children, young people or adults who want to train as social workers. The procurement process adopted by the Council is based on the 'Open' tendering procedure as detailed in the Procurement Act 2023 (the "Act") and the Procurement Regulations 2024 (the "Regulations") but with the added flexibility offered by Light Touch Regime (Section 9 and Schedule 1 of the Procurement Regulations 2024) and any subsequent amendment or re-enactment thereof. Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) is underway in several areas across the country, including the East Midlands, and this may result in changes to council structures, service delivery and responsibilities, and geographical coverage during the life of the contract. For this contract it is anticipated that the effects of LGR will not lead to an increased service demand or the need to extend provision to new areas or client groups. However, it may be necessary to novate the contract to a new entity (that may replace Derby City Council) in future. The Council did not undertake any preliminary market engagement in advance of this procurement. This decision was taken following an internal assessment of the market, which concluded that the Council has sufficient knowledge of supplier capability, service delivery models, and pricing structures based on recent procurements of a similar nature. The Council has procured similar services twice within the last ten years, and officers have engaged with market intelligence, benchmarking data, and lessons learned from contract management to inform the service specification and procurement strategy. Insight gained through ongoing supplier performance monitoring and user feedback has enabled the Council to refine its approach without the need for further engagement at the pre-procurement stage. To ensure a fair and competitive process, the Council has taken care to avoid including bespoke or overly prescriptive requirements that could favour incumbents or any particular delivery model. All potential suppliers are encouraged to raise questions via the clarification process during the tender period should they require further detail or context regarding any aspect of the specification or commercial arrangements. The Council is committed to ensuring a transparent and level playing field and has taken steps to ensure that no supplier is unfairly advantaged or disadvantaged by the decision not to conduct formal market engagement. Please note suppliers wishing to express interest and obtain the documentation must do so by 11.30pm on Thursday 22nd October 2026. It is recommended that you express interest and obtain the documentation well before this time to allow sufficient time to prepare and submit a bid. The deadline for returns is 10.00am on Friday 23rd October 2026. Documents are available at www.eastmidstenders.org Please search for TD2420 Please note: we will only accept expressions of interest through the e-tendering system.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-077985
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/090581-2026
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
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services

CPV Codes

80300000 - Higher education services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£3,600,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£3,600,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
24 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
23 Oct 20263 weeks to go
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Mar 2027 - 31 Jul 2029 2-3 years
Recurrence
2030-11-01

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Derby City 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
DERBY
Postcode
DE1 2FS
Postcode Area
Derby
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLF East Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLF1 Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLF11 Derby
Delivery Location
TLF11 Derby
Local Authority
Derby
Electoral Ward
Darley
Westminster Constituency
Derby South

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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