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Request for Information relating to Social Worker (Integrated) Degree Apprenticeships for Herefordshire

Herefordshire Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

29 Oct 2026 at 13:39

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Herefordshire Council is exploring the future provision of integrated degree apprenticeships in social work. The service would combine higher education with apprenticeship learning and practice, including arrangements for practice placements and ongoing practice education support. The Council is especially interested in face-to-face delivery that can be provided within reasonable travelling distance of Hereford. The work is intended to support social worker training for Herefordshire. This is an early market-planning exercise to understand available delivery models and inform a later procurement, rather than a request for suppliers to deliver training under a current contract.

The process is at the planning stage: the Council is gathering market information through a written questionnaire, with no invitation to tender at this stage. The Council expects to use responses to shape a future procurement. The questionnaire is due by 12 November 2026. The indicative contract period for the planned service is 1 April 2027 to 31 July 2031. The information sought concerns possible programme models, practice placements, practice education support and contractual arrangements where apprentice numbers may change or remain uncertain. The planned procurement is described as a service and is marked for planning; no award basis or tender procedure is set out here.

This exercise is relevant to universities and other education providers able to deliver integrated social work degree apprenticeships, particularly those with capacity to provide face-to-face teaching within reasonable travelling distance of Hereford. Providers with established practice-placement networks and the ability to offer sustained practice education support are well placed to contribute useful detail. The Council is also looking to understand how commercial and contractual arrangements can accommodate apprentice numbers that are uncertain or may change over time, so flexible delivery and pricing models are relevant. Small and medium-sized businesses and voluntary, community and social enterprises are identified as suitable participants. Suppliers can use the market engagement to explain their delivery models and inform the Council’s plans.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Request for Information relating to Social Worker (Integrated) Degree Apprenticeships for Herefordshire

Notice Description

Herefordshire Council is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to seek feedback from the market in relation to the delivery of Social Worker (Integrated) Degree Apprenticeships. The Council is particularly interested in face-to-face delivery models that could be provided within a reasonable travel distance from Hereford City. The Council is interested in understanding: - The different programme delivery models available, including approaches to practice placements - The practice education support available throughout these programmes - Commercial and contractual consideration for situations where the number of apprenticeships required is not known or subject to future change. This exercise is being undertaken for information seeking purposes only to help inform the Council's approach to future procurements

Planning Information

This Request for Information takes the form a written questionnaire. Herefordshire Council has published this market engagement exercise on the ‘Supplying the Southwest Portal’. To view the documentation related to this opportunity you will need to register on the portal if you are not already registered with Procontract, and express an interest in the opportunity. To register with Procontract on the Supplying the Southwest Portal, click on the link below or copy and paste the link into your browser’s address bar: https://www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-07938b
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/102638-2026
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

80 - Education and training services

CPV Codes

80300000 - Higher education services

80400000 - Adult and other education services

Notice Value(s)

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

Notice Dates

Publication Date
29 Oct 20264 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Apr 2027 - 1 Aug 2031 4-5 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
Herefordshire 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
HEREFORD
Postcode
HR4 0LE
Postcode Area
Hereford
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLG West Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLG1 Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLG11 Herefordshire, County of
Delivery Location
TLG11 Herefordshire, County of
Local Authority
Herefordshire, County of
Electoral Ward
Widemarsh
Westminster Constituency
Hereford and South Herefordshire

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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