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Independent Review Mechanism (IRM)_ Market Engagement Event

Department for Education

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

25 Sep 2026 at 09:52

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Education is exploring future delivery of the Independent Review Mechanism, a statutory independent review service for prospective and existing foster parents, adopters and adult adoptees. It allows applicants to challenge certain decisions by fostering and adoption services, including decisions about approval status and access to records. Cases are considered by independent panels of experienced children’s social care professionals, supporting impartial review. The service is intended to support transparency, fairness and confidence in fostering and adoption decisions across England. The procurement is for social work and related services, covering the review service and its delivery model.

This is at planning and is market engagement, not an invitation to tender or a commitment to procure. The Department expects to hold an online market engagement session on 15 October 2026, from 2pm to 3pm, to explain requirements and gather supplier feedback; expressions of interest and questions are to be submitted through Jaggaer. The engagement will inform the future service model, delivery approach and commercial strategy, and a consolidated Q&A is planned afterwards. The indicative estimated value is £800,000. The anticipated contract period is 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2029, with a possible extension to 31 March 2030. Requirements and value may change after engagement.

The service is likely to suit providers with experience in children’s social care, fostering and adoption, and the handling of sensitive, independent reviews. Relevant expertise may include assembling and supporting independent panels, assessing decisions made by fostering and adoption services, and providing fair, objective routes for applicants to seek review. The Department is seeking market feedback on how the service should be delivered and commercially structured, so organisations able to contribute practical delivery models and service insight may be well placed to engage. Small and medium-sized businesses and voluntary, community and social enterprises are identified as suitable participants for the planned procurement. Suppliers can use the engagement to help shape the future requirements; no bid can be made through this planning process.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Independent Review Mechanism (IRM)_ Market Engagement Event

Notice Description

The Department for Education is exploring options for the future delivery of the Independent Review Mechanism (IRM), a statutory service that provides an independent review route for prospective and existing foster parents, adopters, and adult adoptees. The IRM enables applicants to request an independent review of certain decisions made by fostering and adoption services, including decisions relating to approval status and access to records. Cases are considered by independent panels comprising experienced children's social care professionals, ensuring an impartial and objective review process. The Department is seeking market feedback to inform the future service model, delivery approach, and commercial strategy. The service plays a key role in supporting transparency, fairness, and confidence in fostering and adoption decision-making processes across England. Please note: This notice relates to pre-procurement market engagement only and does not constitute the commencement of a procurement process. Any future procurement opportunity will be advertised separately. The scope, requirements, and estimated contract value may be subject to change following market engagement.

Planning Information

Market Engagement Event - Independent Review Mechanism (IRM) The Department for Education is undertaking market engagement in relation to the future delivery of the Independent Review Mechanism (IRM), a statutory service that provides an independent review route for prospective and existing foster parents, adopters and adult adoptees. An initial market engagement session will be held on 15 October 2026, 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm, via Microsoft Teams, to present the service requirements and gather feedback from the market. Interested organisations should submit an expression of interest via Jaggaer (ssq_855). Any questions should be raised through the Jaggaer messaging system. Follow this link to access Jaggaer e-procurement portal - https://education.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html Teams joining instructions will be issued on 14 October 2026 to all organisations that have registered their interest. A consolidated Q&A log will be shared via Jaggaer following the event. Important: This notice is for market engagement purposes only and does not constitute the start of a procurement process or any commitment by the Department for Education. Should a procurement proceed, a separate notice will be published in due course. Requirements and estimated values may be subject to change.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-077a23
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/090828-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

85000000 - Health and social work services

85300000 - Social work and related services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£800,000 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
25 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Apr 2027 - 31 Mar 2029 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
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
Not specified
Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

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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