---
title: "Department for Education - Independent Review Mechanism (IRM) Services"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-3890b784-39c2-4e29-9687-066b3a61ec83"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-3890b784-39c2-4e29-9687-066b3a61ec83"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-3890b784-39c2-4e29-9687-066b3a61ec83.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-3890b784-39c2-4e29-9687-066b3a61ec83.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION"
published: "2020-12-03"
---

# Department for Education - Independent Review Mechanism (IRM) Services

Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-3890b784-39c2-4e29-9687-066b3a61ec83

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## Summary

The Department for Education is initiating a tender for Independent Review Mechanism (IRM) Services, a crucial aspect of children's social care in England. This procurement is currently in the planning stage, with a scheduled contract period set to commence on 1 April 2021 and run until 31 March 2024. The contractual value is estimated between £800,000 and £900,000, and the notice was published on 3 December 2020. Interested bidders should note that a future notice detailing further requirements will be published by 14 December 2020.

This tender presents a significant opportunity for businesses in the legal advisory and education sectors, particularly those capable of providing independent review services. Suitable candidates would include small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs) that have expertise in social care regulations and children's services. Participating in this contract could enable businesses to enhance their capabilities and grow within this vital public sector domain.

## Notice

Department for Education are publishing this notice is to alert suitably qualified bidders who can provide a Independent Review Mechanism Service (IRM) . The IRM provides an objective, independent route for reviewing decisions made by children's social care providers. It is the only national route for prospective adopters, foster carers, and adult adoptees to request a full review of the decisions made about them by their agency or local authority. The current contract to deliver IRM expires on 31 March 2021. Subject to budgetary / funding confirmation it is our intention to secure a new contract from 1 April 2021. Prior to this we will seek to publish a tender opportunity.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/430e2bd8-0dd0-46cb-b2ee-1def439c474a |
| Notice type | Planned Procurement Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Not specified |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 3 Dec 2020 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 14 Dec 2020 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 31 Mar 2021 - 31 Mar 2024 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £900,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Planned |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION |
| Locality | SHEFFIELD |
| Post town | Sheffield |
| Postcode | S1 2FJ |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLE Yorkshire and The Humber |
| ITL 2 | TLE3 South Yorkshire |
| ITL 3 | TLE32 Sheffield |
| Local authority | Sheffield |
| Electoral ward | City |
| Westminster constituency | Sheffield Central |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 79111000 - Legal advisory services
- 80000000 - Education and training services

## Release History

- 3 Dec 2020 at 11:28 - Planning - Planned Procurement Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/430e2bd8-0dd0-46cb-b2ee-1def439c474a

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/430e2bd8-0dd0-46cb-b2ee-1def439c474a
  3rd December 2020 - Future opportunity notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/d9437dc0-0c9e-401a-a15f-290a3d7d7845
  n/a

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-3890b784-39c2-4e29-9687-066b3a61ec83. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-3890b784-39c2-4e29-9687-066b3a61ec83.json.