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Social Media Screening Services

Essex County Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

16 Oct 2026 at 13:48

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Essex County Council is exploring social media screening services for its HR Shared Services team, which provides employment vetting to more than 900 schools across Essex and to local authorities and other public-sector organisations. The service is intended to support screening of candidates’ online presence, including searches across social media platforms and internet search engines, in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance. Suppliers are being asked about coverage of platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit and Threads, as well as screening methods and reporting. The service would support employment vetting across Essex; the engagement also seeks examples of delivery to comparable public-sector customers.

This is early market engagement at the planning stage, not a formal tender or invitation to quote. Essex County Council is gathering information to shape possible future service requirements and procurement. The council expects the service period to run from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2028. Suppliers interested in contributing to the market engagement are asked to send responses by 28 October 2026; this is an engagement response date, not a bid deadline. The council is seeking information on services, platform coverage, KCSIE compliance, capacity and turnaround, pricing models, reporting, information security and public-sector experience. Responses will inform future procurement activity; participation does not confer an advantage or disadvantage in any later procurement.

This engagement is relevant to providers of social media screening and online vetting services, particularly those able to demonstrate coverage across major social platforms and internet search engines, and an approach aligned with KCSIE requirements. Essex County Council is testing supplier capacity, annual volumes, turnaround times and pricing structures, so providers should be ready to explain delivery scale, per-check and volume pricing, and any implementation, licence or annual fees. Useful evidence includes experience with schools, multi-academy trusts, local authorities or other public bodies, including a customer operating at comparable scale. Suppliers should also be prepared to describe clear, auditable reporting, handling of protected characteristics, data protection and information security controls, and relevant credentials such as ICO registration, Cyber Essentials or ISO 27000. The council may seek demonstrations as part of engagement.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Social Media Screening Services

Notice Description

Essex County Council (ECC) is seeking information from suppliers of social media screening services as part of an early market engagement exercise. ECC's HR Shared Services team provides employment vetting services to over 900 schools across Essex, as well as a range of local authority and other public sector organisations. We are reviewing the market to better understand current service offerings, pricing models, capacity, technology, reporting capabilities and supplier experience. The information gathered will help inform our future service requirements and any potential procurement activity. Please note, this exercise does not form part of a formal procurement process and participation will not confer any advantage or disadvantage in any future procurement activity.

Planning Information

If you are interested in taking part in this preliminary market engagement, please complete the following questions and send to rachael.flynn@essex.gov.uk. Please provide responses to the following questions: Organisation Details • Organisation Name • Contact Name • Contact Email • Website 1. Service Overview Please provide a brief overview of your social media screening service, including screening approach and how long you have provided social media screening services for (maximum 250 words). 2. Platforms Included Requirement Yes / No Facebook Instagram X (Twitter) LinkedIn TikTok YouTube Reddit Threads Other 3. KCSIE Compliance ECC is seeking to understand how suppliers interpret and deliver against the online search requirements set out in Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) guidelines. Please answer the following, with a Yes/No, providing further detail where relevant. Does your service include searches of internet search engines (e.g. Google, Bing or equivalent)? Is this search automated or manually undertaken? If search engine checks are not currently included, are there plans to introduce this functionality? Please provide any additional information on how your organisation ensures compliance with the requirements of Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE). (This can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2) 4. Volumes & Capacity Please indicate annual volumes managed, maximum annual capacity and typical turnaround times. 5. Pricing Model Please provide an overview of your pricing structure, including: • Cost per check. • Volume discounts. • Any implementation, licence, or annual fees. 6. Public Sector Experience & Reference Please confirm experience of delivering social media screening services to other public sectors e.g. Schools, MAT’s, Local Authorities, NHS, Police or other public sector organisations. Please provide details of at least one current customer operating at a similar scale to ECC and briefly describe: • Customer organisation • Services provided • Screening volumes • Length of relationship • Contact name and email address 7. Reporting Please describe the reports produced as part of your social media screening service, including: • The format of the report provided to customers. • How findings are categorised and presented. • Whether screenshots or supporting evidence are included. • How audit trails and decision-making are recorded. • Any management information, dashboard or volume reporting available. • How protected characteristics are managed within reporting. Please provide a sample report where available. 8. Compliance and Information Security Please briefly describe how your organisation ensures compliance with relevant data protection and information security requirements when delivering social media screening services. Please include details of any relevant certifications such as ICO registration, Cyber Essentials, & ISO 27000. 9. Additional Information Please provide any information you believe would help us understand your solution, approach, and value proposition. 10. Supplier Demonstrations Please indicate whether you would be willing to participate in a short supplier demonstration and discussion as part of this market engagement exercise. Yes / No 11. Register your interest Should ECC proceed with a procurement exercise, would you like to receive the Request for Quotation (RFQ)? Yes / No

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-078993
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/097975-2026
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
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

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

CPV Codes

72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

79600000 - Recruitment services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
16 Oct 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Apr 2027 - 1 Apr 2028 1-2 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
Essex 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
CHELMSFORD
Postcode
CM1 1QH
Postcode Area
Chelmsford
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH3 Essex
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH36 Heart of Essex
Delivery Location
TLH3 Essex
Local Authority
Chelmsford
Electoral Ward
Moulsham and Central
Westminster Constituency
Chelmsford

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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