--- title: "The road not taken: the drivers of course selection" ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-7987f07a-affb-4e86-92c7-73f72956df3b" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-7987f07a-affb-4e86-92c7-73f72956df3b" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-7987f07a-affb-4e86-92c7-73f72956df3b.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-7987f07a-affb-4e86-92c7-73f72956df3b.json" source: "Contracts Finder" current_stage: "Tender" buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION" published: "2019-04-26" --- # The road not taken: the drivers of course selection Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION Current stage: Tender OCID: ocds-b5fd17-7987f07a-affb-4e86-92c7-73f72956df3b [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-7987f07a-affb-4e86-92c7-73f72956df3b) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-7987f07a-affb-4e86-92c7-73f72956df3b.json) ## Summary The Department for Education is currently seeking proposals for a research project titled "The road not taken: the drivers of course selection". This tender falls under the social work and related services category, with a total value of £100,000 and a minimum award of £70,000. The procurement method is an open procedure designed for contracts below threshold, and interested parties must submit their proposals by 3rd May 2019. The research aims to investigate why disadvantaged students tend to select lower-return courses and will take place between 3rd June 2019 and 31st March 2020, with addresses for delivery spanning the United Kingdom and beyond. This opportunity presents potential growth avenues for businesses, especially those involved in educational research, social science, and policy analysis. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs) would be well-suited to participate, particularly if they have expertise in factors influencing educational outcomes and course selection. By engaging with the Social Mobility Commission, successful bidders could contribute significantly to impactful research while expanding their portfolios and enhancing credibility in the public sector. ## Notice The Social Mobility Commission is inviting proposals for research to understand why disadvantaged students tend to cluster in low returning courses. Across both classroom-based technical education and workplace training (i.e. apprenticeships), research suggests that disadvantaged students tend to cluster in course subjects with the lowest wage returns and be dramatically underrepresented in subjects with high returns. This research will build on these findings to understand why. It will attempt to understand what factors are the most influential, and therefore where policy interventions could make the greatest difference. The Commission hypothesises that the following factors may be influential in the determinants of course selection: prior attainment, entry level requirements, careers information, advice, and guidance, aspirational differences, parental influences, cultural factors, network effects, geographic availability and employer recruitment practices. This list is not exhaustive, and researchers should work with the Commission to shape the research with their own input. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Contracts Finder | | Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/0097ba0e-0d58-4f44-8195-cd3b96aba50d | | Notice type | Tender Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Open | | Procurement method details | Open procedure (below threshold) | | Tender suitability | SME, VCSE | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Tender | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 26 Apr 2019 | | Submission deadline | 3 May 2019 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 2 Jun 2019 - 31 Mar 2020 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £100,000 | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Active | | Lots status | Not specified | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION | | Locality | LONDON | | Post town | South West London | | Postcode | SW1P 3BT | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLI London | | ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West | | ITL 3 | TLI35 Westminster and City of London | | Local authority | Westminster | | Electoral ward | St James's | | Westminster constituency | Cities of London and Westminster | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 85 - Health and social work services ### Codes - 85300000 - Social work and related services ## Release History - 26 Apr 2019 at 11:25 - TenderAmendment - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/0097ba0e-0d58-4f44-8195-cd3b96aba50d - 8 Apr 2019 at 10:57 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/0097ba0e-0d58-4f44-8195-cd3b96aba50d ## Documents - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/0097ba0e-0d58-4f44-8195-cd3b96aba50d 26th April 2019 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/867bb2b2-ddc1-40d6-b019-4803c262b869 Invitation to tender letter - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/91514610-b938-4d3d-85d4-e3f2dd40bdab Clarifications ## 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-b5fd17-7987f07a-affb-4e86-92c7-73f72956df3b. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-7987f07a-affb-4e86-92c7-73f72956df3b.json.