---
title: "National Advocacy Information Advice and Safety Net Service. - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-065951"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-065951"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-065951.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-065951.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Tender"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION"
published: "2026-06-19"
---

# National Advocacy Information Advice and Safety Net Service. - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice

Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION  
Current stage: Tender  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-065951

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## Summary

The Department for Education in the United Kingdom has withdrawn the tender process for the "National Advocacy Information Advice and Safety Net Service." Initially, this procurement aimed to provide advocacy, information, and a safety net service for children and young people, primarily in England. They announced a preliminary market engagement phase earlier in the year to gather feedback from suppliers regarding the service's scope and delivery. However, the tender was eventually cancelled on 19 June 2026 due to a need for further policy development and specification adjustments based on ministerial directives. Previously planned engagement activities and a supplier event scheduled for March will not proceed as a competitive procurement has been halted.

This tender presented a significant opportunity for SMEs, VCSEs, and consortia to partake in delivering crucial welfare services, with a focus on children's advocacy and support. Given the large geographic spread and scope of services like digital advice platforms and safeguarding operations, the tender was particularly suitable for organisations experienced in technical support, guidance, and child welfare services. Although the procurement has been withdrawn, businesses in the sector should anticipate potential future opportunities when the Department realigns its requirements and specifications. This ongoing interest in comprehensive service delivery for young people remains a promising area for future procurement projects.

## Notice

The Department for Education is seeking market feedback on the re-procurement of a national advocacy information, advice and safety net service for looked-after children, care leavers, children in need, and other eligible children and young people in England. The service will provide clear, child-friendly information on advocacy rights; national multichannel advice and signposting; and a safety net advocacy function where local provision is unavailable, unreasonably delayed or denied. The provider will also deliver national intelligence on access, waiting times and systemic barriers; maintain a secure CRM and digital platform; meet safeguarding and data security requirements; and ensure service continuity, workforce capacity and robust reporting and security requirements.

### Planning Information

The Department for Education is undertaking preliminary market engagement to gather views on the proposed scope, delivery model, digital requirements, and commercial approach for the reprocured national advocacy information, advice and safety net service. 
Supplier experience and capability (indicative)
To support this engagement, the Department would be interested in feedback from suppliers with experience in:
• delivering national or regional advocacy, information or advice services.
• supporting children in care, care leavers, and vulnerable young people.
• providing independent advocacy in statutory or regulated contexts.
• operating helplines, digital triage services, or online advice platforms.
• safeguarding‑related or social‑care‑related service delivery.
These capability areas are indicative and do not constitute formal selection or evaluation criteria.
Feedback from the market will be taken into consideration to help shape the departments proposed scope to ensure that the offer meets the sector’s needs.
The Department will be holding an initial supplier engagement event on Thursday 5th March from 11am to 12pm. This will be an online event hosted through Microsoft Teams platform.
Deadline for registering for the event on 5th March is 12:00 noon Tuesday 3rd March via Jaggaer.
The event will be accessible via the ‘View Opportunities’ link on the Jaggaer e-Tendering portal Homepage.
Select the Opportunity Notice for ‘National Advocacy Information, Advice and Safety Net Service - ssq_717' and this will take you directly to the registration page.
This event is open to all potential suppliers, regardless of previous engagement with the Department. 
The event will provide an overview of the National Advocacy Information, Advice and Safety Net Service and outline and upcoming market engagement activities scheduled shortly afterwards.
All correspondence will be shared via Jaggaer.
Important notice: This notice:
• Does not signify the commencement of a competitive procurement
• Does not constitute any commitment by the Department for Education to procure services
• Does not create any obligation on the Department
The DfE is keen to maximise opportunities to participate in procurement for Small to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs). Consideration will be given to consortia and collaborative bids from all forms of organisations.
Any funding estimates referenced are indicative only and subject to change. The Department makes no commitment at this stage to the final scope or funding envelope of any future contractual activity.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/057889-2026 |
| Notice type | UK12 - Procurement Termination Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning, Tender |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 19 Jun 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 13 Apr 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 30 Sep 2026 - 30 Sep 2028 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £540,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Withdrawn |
| Lots status | Withdrawn |
| Awards status | Cancelled |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION |
| Additional buyers | Missing |
| 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 | TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England) |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services
- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 71356300 - Technical support services
- 85311300 - Welfare services for children and young people
- 85312300 - Guidance and counselling services

## Release History

- 19 Jun 2026 at 09:07 - TenderCancellation - UK12 - Procurement Termination Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/057889-2026
- 23 Feb 2026 at 09:52 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/015917-2026
- 20 Feb 2026 at 13:43 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/015701-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/057889-2026
  19th June 2026 - Procurement termination notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/015917-2026
  23rd February 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/015701-2026
  20th February 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## 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-065951. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-065951.json.