---
title: "Fosterlink Service: FOSTER CARER RECRUITMENT"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-752a3791-e685-4246-a39c-9787124ccd78"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-752a3791-e685-4246-a39c-9787124ccd78"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-752a3791-e685-4246-a39c-9787124ccd78.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-752a3791-e685-4246-a39c-9787124ccd78.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION"
published: "2024-01-22"
---

# Fosterlink Service: FOSTER CARER RECRUITMENT

Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-752a3791-e685-4246-a39c-9787124ccd78

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-752a3791-e685-4246-a39c-9787124ccd78)  
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## Summary

The Department for Education has awarded a contract for the provision of Fosterlink Service. The successful contractor will be responsible for developing, coordinating, and managing Fosterlink, a support service for Local Authority fostering service providers, with a focus on recruitment and approval practices. The initial 16-month contract started on December 1, 2023, and will run until March 31, 2025, with a possible 12-month extension. The total contract value is £571,621, and the procurement method used was an open procedure. The buying organization is the Department for Education, located in Sheffield, England.

This tender presents an opportunity for businesses in the recruitment, education, and social services sectors to participate in providing bespoke support services. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organizations are deemed suitable for this tender. The procurement stage was an award, with the contract awarded to Mott MacDonald Ltd. The contract period allows for potential growth and business expansion opportunities for interested suppliers targeting the wider regions across the United Kingdom.

## Notice

The Department for Education has appointed a contractor for the provision of Fosterlink Service. The successful contractor will be responsible for developing, co-ordination and managing Fosterlink a support service for Local Authority (LA) fostering service providers, which will offer in-depth diagnostic support specifically focused on their recruitment and approval practices, with the aim of providing bespoke recommendations for improvement, alongside building a strong evidence base on which to share good practice nationally. The initial contract term will be 16 months. The contract is commenced on the 01 December 2023 and will run until 31 March 2025. There will be an option to extend its term for an additional period of 12 months. The optional extension will be subject to supplier contract performance, the requirements of the Department, the outcomes of the upcoming Spending Review and the steers of the party in leadership following the General Election at the end of 2024.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/ae2e18ba-53bb-4e8c-80ad-ad9a3751f3f9 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure (above threshold) |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Planning, Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 22 Jan 2024 |
| Submission deadline | 26 Oct 2023 |
| Future notice date | 20 Jul 2023 |
| Award date | 1 Jan 2024 |
| Contract period | 1 Dec 2023 - 31 Mar 2025 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £571,621 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £571,621 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION |
| Locality | MANCHESTER |
| Post town | Manchester |
| Postcode | M1 2WD |
| 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 | TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England) |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | MOTT MACDONALD |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 79600000 - Recruitment services
- 80000000 - Education and training services
- 85320000 - Social services

## Release History

- 22 Jan 2024 at 10:39 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/ae2e18ba-53bb-4e8c-80ad-ad9a3751f3f9
- 19 Sep 2023 at 17:47 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/e8a12aaf-87ef-4b6d-9080-f61541e67ae7
- 13 Jul 2023 at 14:53 - Planning - Market Engagement Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/7192cbc5-87a5-4260-9804-f9d2eb9d973f

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/ae2e18ba-53bb-4e8c-80ad-ad9a3751f3f9
  22nd January 2024 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/e8a12aaf-87ef-4b6d-9080-f61541e67ae7
  19th September 2023 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/7192cbc5-87a5-4260-9804-f9d2eb9d973f
  13th July 2023 - Early engagement notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/f5f3b97f-e660-4ac6-86f4-2c7fffc06d5e
  n/a
- https://education.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html
  Jaggaer e-procurement portal LINK
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/aa67bee5-8b79-46f2-988e-aa56c1d3776e
  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-b5fd17-752a3791-e685-4246-a39c-9787124ccd78. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-752a3791-e685-4246-a39c-9787124ccd78.json.