Delivery partner for national support to local authorities with forecasting, commissioning and market shaping in children’s social care.

We will be holding one to one sessions, if you would like more information/to arrange a session, please email caroline.traynor@education.gov.uk.

This PIN is for market engagement only. It does not signify the commencement of any procurement process and does not constitute any commitment by the Department for Education. If the Department for Education decides to commence any procurement process as contemplated by this notice, a separate notice will be published at the relevant time. The requirements and values set out may be subject to change.

The Department for Education intend to launch a procurement to appoint a supplier to undertake evidence gathering and delivery support in relation to local authority forecasting of their future needs for children’s social care placements and market shaping activity and commissioning of such placements.

There will be two phases of this work:

The first will identify fill evidence gaps by directly working with local authorities and some large providers of care to identify what data they are collecting, understand what their challenges are and what we can do to support them. This is likely to consist of desk-based research, conversations with local areas and deep dive visits.

The second, will, based on the findings from phase one, deliver initial national support to local authorities and use the findings to input into the co-design process with the two Regional Care Cooperative (RCC) pathfinder regions.

Upon completion of the review, the supplier will be required to submit the findings, including a set of recommendations for change, to the Department for Education.

The value of this contract is to be confirmed. The initial term will run January 2024 – March 2025 with potential for 3, 12-month extensions.