---
title: "UK4 Tender Notice- Assessment of Needs Tool and Digital Platform for Children at Risk of Deprivation of Liberty"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-065f95"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-065f95"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-065f95.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-065f95.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Tender"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION"
published: "2026-06-29"
---

# UK4 Tender Notice- Assessment of Needs Tool and Digital Platform for Children at Risk of Deprivation of Liberty

Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION  
Current stage: Tender  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-065f95

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## Summary

The Department for Education (DfE) is currently in the tender stage of procuring an Assessment of Needs Tool and Digital Platform aimed at supporting children at risk of deprivation of liberty. This initiative falls under the services category, with a focus on information technology and social services across the United Kingdom. The open procedure procurement method has been employed, allowing for broad participation. Key dates include the submission deadline of 3rd July 2026 and a contract commencement on 1st September 2026, running through to 31st March 2029, with an optional one-year extension. The procurement is valued at up to £1,680,000 (gross) and aims to support various partners including social care, health, youth justice, and educational sectors.

This tender presents significant opportunities for business growth, especially for Small to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs), as well as for consortia and collaborative bids. Businesses with expertise in IT services, data analysis, digital platform development, and social services are particularly well-suited to compete. The project's ambition to provide a unified system for early intervention and organisational learning across disparate care sectors makes it ideal for companies seeking to leverage their experience in delivering integrated, large-scale solutions. Participating in this procurement can facilitate not only the growth of the companies involved but also foster innovation and improved service delivery for children and young people in complex situations.

## Notice

Department for Education (DfE) invites tenders for the procurement of an Assessment of Needs Tool and integrated digital platform. DfE is funding a number of Regional Care Cooperatives (RCCs) to test an integrated systems intervention model. The model brings together children's social care, health, youth justice, education and other relevant partners to provide earlier, coordinated and evidence based responses for children at risk of or subject to deprivation of liberty. At the core of the model is a validated assessment of need tool that provides a holistic picture of each child's needs, risks, strengths and required support. The tool will provide a whole-child picture and inform multidisciplinary planning through the Home Again service and support proactive, timely intervention. To ensure consistency, interoperability and effective multi agency working, the tool must be supported by a secure, integrated digital platform. The platform will enable professionals to complete assessments, share information appropriately, run local reports on activity and outcomes, and generate anonymised aggregate data for national analysis. Together, the tool and platform will strengthen systemwide understanding of this cohort, support better commissioning and planning decisions, and provide insights to inform practice models that keep children and young people (CYP) safe without unnecessary deprivation of liberty. In addition to improving practice in the areas, this programme is intended to generate learning about the conditions required for effective implementation of a validated assessment of need tool across different local systems. This includes learning about organisational, cultural, technical and commercial factors that support or constrain adoption, usability, sustainability and impact across children's social care, health and youth justice settings. 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 also be given to consortia and collaborative bids from all forms of organisations.

### Planning Information

Market Engagement event will take place Tuesday 17 March at 10:00. 
To register interest please send an email by close of business on Monday 16 March at 5pm to - HelpingHands.PILOT@education.gov.uk - and we will provide meeting details.
Market Engagement Activities 
DfE plans to hold virtual briefings, one‑to‑one discussions, and may issue a request for information. Suppliers will be invited to share capabilities, innovations, risks, and delivery considerations. Participation will not give any advantage in future procurement. 
The Department for Education (DfE) is seeking early market engagement to inform a potential procurement for a Needs Assessment Tool and integrated e‑platform. This work aims to support children and young people (CYP) aged 8–18 with multiple and complex needs who are at risk of, or subject to, Deprivation of Liberty Orders (DoLO). 
Background 
Increasing numbers of CYP with complex needs require multi‑agency support across social care, health, and youth justice. Current processes are fragmented, resulting in inconsistent assessment practices, delayed interventions, and rising use of unregistered or high‑cost placements. A unified, evidence‑based assessment tool is needed to improve early identification, planning, and outcomes. 
Purpose of the Project 
The proposed project will design, develop, and implement: 
- A validated, holistic assessment tool capturing needs, risks, and strengths. 
- A secure, interoperable e‑platform with analytical capabilities. 
- A training and implementation model for use across five pilot areas. 
- Aggregate data and insights to support strategic planning and commissioning. 
What DfE Is Seeking from the Market 
DfE seeks supplier expertise in: 
- Assessment tool design (including modular and rapid‑assessment formats). 
- Digital platform development, interoperability, security, and predictive analytics. 
- Training delivery, engagement, and large‑scale implementation. 
- Data governance, UK GDPR compliance, and DPIA processes. 
- Aggregate data analysis, profiling, and reporting. 
Indicative Timescales 
The potential project will run for up to 30 months, covering development, rollout, assessment delivery, data analysis, and final reporting.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/060801-2026 |
| Notice type | UK4 - Tender Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning, Tender |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 29 Jun 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 3 Jul 2026 |
| Future notice date | 16 Mar 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 31 Aug 2026 - 31 Mar 2029 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £1,400,000 |
| Lots value | £1,400,000 |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Active |
| Lots status | Active |
| 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

- 72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support
- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 72212100 - Industry specific software development services
- 72222300 - Information technology services
- 72316000 - Data analysis services
- 72330000 - Content or data standardization and classification services
- 85320000 - Social services

## Release History

- 29 Jun 2026 at 13:22 - TenderUpdate - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/060801-2026
- 9 Jun 2026 at 09:28 - TenderUpdate - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/054116-2026
- 9 Jun 2026 at 09:24 - TenderUpdate - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/054114-2026
- 8 Jun 2026 at 15:01 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053926-2026
- 2 Mar 2026 at 13:16 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/018436-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/060801-2026
  29th June 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/054116-2026
  9th June 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/054114-2026
  9th June 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053926-2026
  8th June 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/018436-2026
  2nd March 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://education.app.jaggaer.com/esop/toolkit/noticeFts/form/1485736/view.si?_ncp=17
- https://education.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html
- https://education.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.htmlAlltendersmustbesubmittedviaJaggaerabove.Interestedbidderscancreateanaccountiftheydon'talreadyhaveone,usingthefollowinglink:
- 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-065f95. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-065f95.json.