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Kinship Delivery Partner

Department for Education

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

28 Sep 2026 at 15:39

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Education is exploring a national kinship carer support service in England. The planned service is expected to offer free support to kinship carers, potentially including peer support, information, advice, training and related activities. It is also intended to help local authorities build the capability and capacity to take a greater role in providing support through their Kinship Local Offer. Delivery is expected across England. The work combines direct support for carers with support for local authority service development, so it may be relevant to providers of family support, advice, peer networks, training or services for children and young people.

This is at planning and market-engagement stage: there is no invitation to tender, and the Department has made no commitment to procure. The expected approach is an open procedure, but the scope, specification, procurement approach and funding remain subject to development. The Department expects to hold a supplier event on 5 October 2026, with registration closing at 17:00 on 4 October; individual supplier meetings are planned for 6 October. A subsequent notice is expected on 9 November 2026. The indicative estimated value is £2.16 million excluding VAT (£2.7 million including VAT). The planned contract period is 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2029, with a possible extension to 31 March 2030. The process is arranged as one lot.

The engagement is aimed at suppliers able to share relevant experience, expertise or views on delivering free-to-access support for kinship carers. Providers with practical capabilities in peer support, information and advice, training, or related support for carers may have relevant perspectives. Experience helping local authorities develop the capacity and capability to provide more support over time is particularly pertinent. The Department is seeking market views on delivery models, capacity, innovation and procurement approaches, so organisations with insight into national services and local delivery could help shape the future requirements. Small and medium-sized businesses and voluntary, community and social enterprises are identified as suitable participants. No specific accreditation or minimum capacity requirement is set out at this stage.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Kinship Delivery Partner

Notice Description

The Department for Education is undertaking a market engagement exercise to inform the future procurement of kinship support services in England. The services are expected to provide free to access support for kinship carers and may include peer support, information, advice, training and related support activities. We are seeking views from the market on how a national offer of support to kinship carers could be delivered, while also supporting local authorities to develop the capability and capacity needed to play a greater role in the provision of support in the future, including through their Kinship Local Offer. The engagement will help the Department understand market capacity, service delivery models, innovation opportunities and potential procurement approaches. Feedback received through this engagement will help inform the Department's requirements and proposed specification, ensuring that any future service reflects the needs of children and young people, the sector and potential providers. Supplier engagement event The Department will hold an initial supplier engagement event on Monday 5th October 2026 11am-11:30am. The deadline for registering for this event is 17:00 on Sunday 4th October 2026 via Jaggaer. The event can be accessed through the "View Opportunities" section of the Jaggaer e-Tendering portal. Select the opportunity notice titled "Kinship Support Service for Kinship Carers in England- SSQ_848" to access the registration page. The event is open to all potential suppliers, regardless of any previous engagement with the Department. The session will provide an overview of the proposed National Kinship Carer Support Service and outline the subsequent market engagement activities. Market Engagement - Supplier 121s Following the engagement event, suppliers will be invited to attend individual 1:1s at the following dates and times which will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Please only request a 1:1 meeting if you are able to share relevant experience, expertise or views on delivering a free-to-access support service for kinship carers, including approaches that support local authorities to build the capability and capacity to play a greater role in the provision of support over time. Tuesday 6th October 2026 10:30-11:00 11:00-11.30 11:30-12:00 13:00-13:30 13:30-14:00 14:00-14:30 All correspondence relating to this market engagement exercise will be issued through Jaggaer. Important notice This notice: * does not signify the commencement of a competitive procurement process; * does not constitute any commitment by the Department for Education to procure services; and * does not create any obligation for the Department. Any funding estimates referred to during this market engagement are indicative only and may be subject to change. The Department makes no commitment at this stage regarding the final scope, value or funding envelope of any future procurement activity.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-077bc3
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/091540-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services

CPV Codes

80510000 - Specialist training services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£2,160,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
28 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
9 Nov 20262 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Apr 2027 - 31 Mar 2029 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planned
Lots Status
Planned
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
TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England)
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

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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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