--- title: "Procurement of Legal Investigation and Advocacy Service in Fitness to Practise" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05d84e" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05d84e" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05d84e.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05d84e.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Award" buyer: "SOCIAL WORK ENGLAND" published: "2026-05-22" --- # Procurement of Legal Investigation and Advocacy Service in Fitness to Practise Buyer: SOCIAL WORK ENGLAND Current stage: Award OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05d84e [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05d84e) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05d84e.json) ## Summary Social Work England is procuring a legal investigation and advocacy service in the fitness to practise sector, with a focus on legal services. This procurement process, under the procurement ID SWE10547, is being managed through an open and competitive flexible procedure, which aligns with the UK's light-touch regime. The contract, which is set to commence on 7th July 2026 and could extend until 6th July 2031, aims to collaborate with two suppliers over a maximum five-year term to eliminate a backlog of 400 cases and standardise the process of about 150 cases yearly. Based in Sheffield, Social Work England plays a central role in ensuring public safety within the social work industry across the UK, with a legal basis under the UKPGA 2023/54. This tender presents an opportunity for growth, particularly for large-scale legal service providers capable of meeting the rigorous financial and technical requirements set out. Firms with the capacity for comprehensive legal investigations, advocacy, and case management, as well as those with familiarity with UK regulatory standards, will find this contract beneficial for diversifying their portfolio in public sector legal services. The large contract value of £40.9 million suggests significant business potential for those companies adept in handling complex legal services within the public authority framework. As such, this opportunity is ideal for established legal firms that can manage the complexities associated with Social Work England's extensive operational scope. ## Notice The Authority is looking for two 2 Suppliers to deliver the following as part of the Service: a. conduct further investigation and prepare cases for Fitness to Practise hearings or meetings; b. undertake pre-hearing case management procedures in accordance with agreed performance targets and in collaboration with other parties to the hearing; and c. ensure the presentation of cases before adjudicators at hearings (those hearings are predominantly carried out remotely using video conferencing software but can, on occasion, be in-person at our offices in Sheffield). Over a period of 3 - 5 years, the Authority aims to work with the Suppliers to eliminate the current backlog of circa 400 cases awaiting a final hearing. By the end of this period, the intention is to have worked successfully in partnership with the Suppliers to both eliminate the backlog and to be managing a 'steady state' of circa 150 cases being processed per annum. This contract has a maximum value of PS40.9 million. Contract 1 and Contact 2 notice values of PS20.45 million, represents an estimated allocation and is provided for indicative purposes only. ### Lot Information Lot 1 Renewal: Up to two extensions are available for 12 months each. The maximum extension period is for 24 months if both extensions are taken. ### Planning Information This engagement set out to understand the current availability and skill set available by Fitness to Practise specialists. Social Work England presented to suppliers in July, from there 121 meetings occurred to gain feedback from interested suppliers. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/048162-2026 | | Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Open | | Procurement method details | Competitive flexible procedure | | Tender suitability | SME | | Awardee scale | Large | | All stages | Planning, Tender, Award | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 22 May 2026 | | Submission deadline | 9 Apr 2026 | | Future notice date | 5 Jan 2026 | | Award date | 21 May 2026 | | Contract period | 6 Jul 2026 - 6 Jul 2029 | | Recurrence | 2031-03-21 | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £34,083,333 | | Lots value | £34,083,333 | | Awards value | £17,041,666 | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Complete | | Lots status | Complete | | Awards status | Pending | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | SOCIAL WORK ENGLAND | | Locality | SHEFFIELD | | Post town | Sheffield | | Postcode | S3 8JY | | 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, TLE3 South Yorkshire, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England) | ## Supplier | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Number of suppliers | 2 | | Supplier names | CAPSTICKS SOLICITORS; KINGSLEY NAPLEY | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security ### Codes - 79100000 - Legal services ## Release History - 22 May 2026 at 14:52 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/048162-2026 - 27 Feb 2026 at 08:47 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/017653-2026 - 5 Dec 2025 at 10:38 - PlanningUpdate - UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080027-2025 - 1 Dec 2025 at 16:25 - Planning - UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078630-2025 - 31 Oct 2025 at 15:43 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/070197-2025 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/048162-2026 22nd May 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/017653-2026 27th February 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080027-2025 5th December 2025 - Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078630-2025 1st December 2025 - Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/070197-2025 31st October 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - http://www.capsticks.com - https://in-tendhost.co.uk/socialworkengland/aspx/Home - https://www.blakemorgan.co.uk/ - https://www.kingsleynapley.co.uk/ - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents - https://www.socialworkengland.org.uk/ ## 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-h6vhtk-05d84e. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05d84e.json.