---
title: "Step Up to Social Work Cohort 10 +"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06682d"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06682d"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06682d.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06682d.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "ISLINGTON COUNCIL"
published: "2026-03-12"
---

# Step Up to Social Work Cohort 10 +

Buyer: ISLINGTON COUNCIL  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06682d

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## Summary

Islington Council, a sub-central government authority, is planning a procurement process for the "Step Up to Social Work Cohort 10 +" initiative. This project is aimed at delivering a programme across six London boroughs, focusing on adult and other education services. The procurement is in the Planning stage, with the next milestone being the preliminary engagement phase scheduled to conclude on 24th March 2026. The council plans to appoint a Higher Education Institution to partner in this initiative, which is categorised under services with a special light-touch regime. The contract period is slated to begin in April 2027, potentially extending until 2033, showcasing long-term developmental opportunities. Relevant parties can anticipate further procurement details by 12th October 2026.

This tender offers significant growth opportunities for academic institutions specialising in education and social work training. Establishing a collaborative relationship with Islington Council and associated London boroughs provides unique prospects for enhancing educational service delivery and expanding regional influence. Considering the procurement method of initiating a grant from the Department for Education, institutions with a robust track record in adult education and government collaborations are best suited to take advantage of this opportunity, promising to cultivate valuable partnerships and strategic expansion in educational sectors within the UK. Interested parties are encouraged to register their interest via the Proactis eSourcing Portal to remain informed on development stages and potential adaptations to the tender process.

## Notice

Islington Council is acting as the lead authority in a regional partnership of six London boroughs across North, Central and East London who will be seeking a grant from the Department for Education (DfE) to deliver Step Up to Social Work - Cohort 10. The NCEL RP has already delivered Cohorts 5 - 9 of the Step Up Programme. We are seeking to appoint a Higher Education Institution (HEI) to be the delivery partner of the academic learning with the option to extend this contract as per DfE funding for Cohorts 11 and 12.

### Planning Information

The Authority has carried out preliminary market engagement for this requirement. 
This Notice is for informational purposes only and is not a formal invitation to tender. Its aim is to ensure transparency ahead of the upcoming Tender Notice.
All details provided here may be updated or changed in the final tender notice. The Authority reserves the right to cancel, postpone, suspend or abort the procurement at any stage. The issue of this notice in no way commits the Authority to commence a procurement process. 
For more information please register your interest by logging into the Proactis eSourcing Portal at:
https://procontract.due-north.com/Supplier/Advert/View?advertId=207fcb97-f71d-f111-813c-005056b64545

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/022238-2026 |
| Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 12 Mar 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 12 Oct 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 31 Mar 2027 - 31 Mar 2029 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £1,112,400 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Planning |
| Lots status | Planning |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | ISLINGTON COUNCIL |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Post town | North London |
| Postcode | N1 2UD |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI4 Inner London - East |
| ITL 3 | TLI43 Haringey and Islington |
| Local authority | Islington |
| Electoral ward | St Mary's & St James' |
| Westminster constituency | Islington South and Finsbury |
| Delivery location | TLI London |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 80 - Education and training services

### Codes

- 80400000 - Adult and other education services

## Release History

- 12 Mar 2026 at 11:37 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/022238-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/022238-2026
  12th March 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.islington.gov.uk/
- https://procontract.due-north.com/Supplier/Advert/View?advertId=207fcb97-f71d-f111-813c-005056b64545
- 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-06682d. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06682d.json.