UK6 - Step Up to Social Work Cohort 10 Contractor

Published facts

What the notice says

Buyer

Department for Education

Published status

complete

Latest release reference

085491-2026

CPV codes

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV) codes: 79600000, 85300000

Published tags

awardUpdate, contractUpdate

Latest record Bidwake loaded from this source

10 Oct 2026

The Department for Education (DfE) is responsible for children’s services including children’s social care in England. Children’s Social Care (CSC) reform is a major priority for the government and backed by £2.5bn investment in this SR period. Government aims to transform children’s services to deliver better outcomes for children and families, as set out in the CSC National Framework. Social Work Workforce is a key enabler of reform: ensuring we have a sufficient and capable workforce to enable better outcomes and contribute to cross-government priorities on tackling Child Sexual Abuse, Domestic Abuse and Violence Against Women and Girls. To ensure we have sufficient social workers for vulnerable children and their families, the DfE funds the Step Up to Social Work (SUSW) programme. SUSW is a specialist, fast track 14-month programme in child and family social work. The programme is a mixture of academic learning and work placements. Local Authorities form Regional Partnerships with a Higher Education Institution to deliver the academic element of the programme. The department is awarding a contract for marketing and attraction, recruitment and supporting the application process, working with Regional Partnerships to ensure all 700 funded places are filled. The remit of the contractor is to: a. Design, manage and host a web portal enabling potential candidates to register an interest, access programme information and submit applications. b. Work with the DfE and Regional Partnerships (RPs) to develop web content. c. Programme marketing with a focus on attracting candidates from diverse backgrounds and targeting male applicants. d. Provide a candidate helpline. e. Conduct eligibility check on qualifications, non-UK equivalency qualifications and eligibility to live and work in the UK. f. Develop an applicant tracking system. g. Host a timed ‘written exercise’ on the recruitment platform. h. Host a booking process for applicants to select a date/time for attendance at an assessment centre. f. Provide personnel to support RPs during assessment centres. g. Keep candidates engaged throughout the process. h. Develop and manage a National Reserve List. i. Manage candidate information and data analytics. j. Produce an End of Year report detailing RP and candidate satisfaction data and recommend areas of the recruitment process that could be improved.

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Observed notice trail

How the published record developed

Events follow the publisher date where one is available. “Seen by Bidwake” is the date this service first found the record.

1. Planning notice observed

   19 May 2026

   Latest variant observed by Bidwake on 16 Jul 2026.

   Open this official Find a Tender notice

   Record references

   Release reference

   045766-2026

   Published tags

   planning

2. Planning record updated

   19 May 2026

   Latest variant observed by Bidwake on 16 Jul 2026.

   Open this official Find a Tender notice

   Record references

   Release reference

   045805-2026

   Published tags

   planningUpdate

3. Tender notice observed

   9 Jul 2026

   Latest variant observed by Bidwake on 16 Jul 2026.

   Open this official Find a Tender notice

   Record references

   Release reference

   064809-2026

   Published tags

   tender

4. Award notice observed

   9 Sept 2026

   Latest variant observed by Bidwake on 15 Sept 2026.

   Open this official Find a Tender notice

Awards and suppliers

Published award and contract facts

• Step Up to Social Work Cohort 10 Contractor

  Buyer: Department for EducationSupplier: SOPRA STERIA LIMITED

  End date in notice

  29 Feb 2028

  Value shown in notice

  £454,485Published award value

  Official source

  Open the official Find a Tender notice for Step Up to Social Work Cohort 10 Contractor

  View record references

  Source

  Find a Tender

  Award or lot reference

  1

Related evidence

Published terms and linked processes

• Renewal information is statedLot 1Repeated in 2 notices; the most recent statement is shown.Published 19 May 2026.Open supporting notice 045805-2026
• Renewal information is statedLot 1

  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.

  Published 9 Jul 2026.Open supporting notice 064809-2026

No exact source-published process relationship was found.