---
title: "Step Up To Social Work Cohort 10 Emerging Talent Contractor"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-069bf1"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-069bf1"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-069bf1.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-069bf1.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Tender"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION"
published: "2026-07-09"
---

# Step Up To Social Work Cohort 10 Emerging Talent Contractor

Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION  
Current stage: Tender  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-069bf1

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## Summary

The Department for Education is currently in the tender stage for a contract titled "Step Up To Social Work Cohort 10 Emerging Talent Contractor." This initiative seeks a contractor to manage the application and assessment process for the Step Up to Social Work programme's next cohort, which trains high-quality postgraduate students to become practising social workers. The procurement process is being conducted using an open procedure for services within the social work and recruitment sectors, with a financial scope of approximately £550,000. The tender submission period closes on 6th August 2026, with the award expected by 3rd September 2026. The project covers several regions across the United Kingdom and the contract will commence on 1st October 2026, lasting until 29th February 2028, with potential for extension for two additional cohorts.

This tender offers significant opportunities for business growth, particularly for Small to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs), as the Department encourages participation from a wide array of small and collaborative ventures. Companies with expertise in developing web portals, managing online recruitment processes, and maintaining candidate communications would find this contract particularly fitting. There is a clear emphasis on innovation in digital development, partnership working, and providing candidate support, which will be advantageous for businesses focused on enhancing social value and diversity outcomes within their service offerings.

## Notice

The Department for Education (DfE) is responsible for the Step Up to Social Work (SUSW) programme and is inviting applications from suitably qualified suppliers to bid for the opportunity to be the contractor to manage the application and assessment process for Cohort 10. SUSW is an established part of the social work sufficiency pipeline, training high-quality post-graduate students to become qualified, practising social workers. SUSW is a local authority led, accelerated, practice-focused route into social work. SUSW commenced in 2010 and runs every 2 years. There have been 8 completed cohorts to date, training 3,500 Social Workers. Cohort 9 (640 students) commenced in January 2026 and will complete March 2027. Programme Scope a) Develop a marketing plan and supporting materials with clear, consistent branding, ensuring alignment across all Regional Partnerships and coherence between local communications and the national strategy to maximise impact and reach. b) Design, manage and host a web portal allowing potential applicants to; - Register interest in the programme - Access information about the programme - Complete and submit applications. - Undertake an online written assessment - Book an appointment for the assessment centre, meet and greet and applicant support sessions. -The web portal should allow for at least 5,000 applications. c) Work with the DfE and Regional Partnerships (RP) to develop web content for the platform (web content from the previous cohort can be used). d) Operate a helpline (phone and email) for candidates applying for the programme during the application and assessment window (Feb 2027 - Nov 2027). The majority of queries will happen during the application window. d) Conduct eligibility checks on all applications (the majority of checks are automated), including verifying non-UK qualifications equivalency and eligibility to live and work in the UK using Home Office "share-code". e) Allow Regional Partnerships to access the web portal to view/download and score applications. Allow for at least 30% concurrent users. f) Develop an applicant tracking system to manage candidates through the recruitment workflow managing at least 5,000 applications. g) Host a timed written exercise assessment on the platform. h) Host a booking process on the platform to allow applicants to book a slot for the assessment centre and manage this booking process. i) Support assessment centres in terms of providing a member of staff to support the RP in checking qualifications/directing people if required. j) Develop a candidate communications and engagement plan to keep candidates engaged and reduce drop out including notifying candidates of outcomes at each stage of the assessment process and manage the National Reserve List. k) Provision of ongoing management information on applications. l) Customer research measuring satisfaction of the recruitment process by both applicants and Regional Partnerships. Please note the following *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. *All communication relating to this procurement must be submitted via the Jaggaer portal. * Please ensure you review all tender documents available on Jaggaer in full and submit any queries through the portal.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: The Department may extend the Contract for up to two additional cohorts (on a +1+1 basis) by giving not less than 90 Working Days' written notice to the Supplier prior to the Expiry Date. The extension options may be exercised separately or together, resulting in an extension of up to two cohorts. The Supplier acknowledges that, whilst the Contract includes provisions for extension for up to two additional cohorts, there may be periods during which no Services are required to be delivered, as illustrated in Document 1, 4a and 5. Suppliers should take account of any such periods when preparing and submitting their Tender. The Department makes no representation or commitment regarding the future scope, timing, commencement dates, duration, or delivery requirements of any subsequent cohorts. There may be a period between the expiry of the initial Contract Term and the commencement of any extension period. During any such period, no services shall be required to be delivered by the Supplier, and the Department shall have no obligation to make any payment or provide any funding. Any information provided in relation to future cohorts is indicative only and may be subject to change as a result of policy, funding, governance, operational requirements, or other factors. The details of any extension period and associated requirements will be discussed and agreed with the Supplier at the relevant time.

### Planning Information

The Department will be holding an initial supplier engagement event on 28 May 2026 from 13:00 to 14:00 hosted virtually via MS Teams.
Deadline for registering for the event on 28 May 2026 is 27 May 17:00 (BST) via Jaggaer.
The event will be accessible via the ‘View Opportunities’ link on the Jaggaer e-Tendering portal Homepage.
Select the Opportunity Notice for ‘Step Up to Social Work Cohort 10 Emergine Talent Recuitment- SSQ_777 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 Step up to Social work Cohort 10 and outline and upcoming market engagement activities scheduled shortly afterwards.
After the event, suppliers will be invited to complete a questionnaire to register for the 1‑2‑1 sessions, which will take place between 1 June 2026 and 5 June 2026.
Deadlines for registration for other events will be noted via the jaggaer messaging system or via the event on 28 May 2026.
All correspondence will be shared via Jaggaer.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/064809-2026 |
| 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 | 9 Jul 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 6 Aug 2026 |
| Future notice date | 29 Jun 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 30 Sep 2026 - 29 Feb 2028 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £458,333 |
| Lots value | £458,333 |
| 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 | TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England) |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security
- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 79600000 - Recruitment services
- 85300000 - Social work and related services

## Release History

- 9 Jul 2026 at 14:12 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/064809-2026
- 19 May 2026 at 13:55 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/045805-2026
- 19 May 2026 at 13:11 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/045766-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/064809-2026
  9th July 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/045805-2026
  19th May 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/045766-2026
  19th May 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://education.app.jaggaer.com
- https://education.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html
- https://education.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.htmlJaggaeristheonlymethodforsubmittingtendersandclarificationquestions.SuppliersshouldnotmakeanyotherformofapproachtotheDepartmentinconnectionwiththisprocurement.
- 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-069bf1. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-069bf1.json.