For the provision of a Higher Education Institution to deliver the Step Up to Social Work Programme for the East Midlands Regional Partnership (Cohorts 10 and 11)

Derby City Council (the Council) is undertaking this procurement to establish a contract for the provision of a single Higher Education Institution to deliver the Step Up to Social Work Programme for the East Midlands Regional Partnership (EMRP) for up to two cohorts (Cohorts 10 and 11) beginning March 2027. We will be procuring this contract for all Authorities/Bodies in the EMPR, which currently consists of:

• Derby City Council - Lead Authority
• Northamptonshire Children's Trust
• Nottinghamshire County Council
• Nottingham City Council
• Leicester City Council
• Leicestershire County Council
• Derbyshire County Council
• Lincolnshire County Council
• Rutland County Council

The Step up to Social Work programme is funded by the Department for Education (DfE) with the intention of raising the standard of social workers who work in children's statutory services.

The programme recruits high calibre candidates who have a 2:2 degree and who already have experience of working with vulnerable children, young people or adults who want to train as social workers.

The procurement process adopted by the Council is based on the 'Open' tendering procedure as detailed in the Procurement Act 2023 (the "Act") and the Procurement Regulations 2024 (the "Regulations") but with the added flexibility offered by Light Touch Regime (Section 9 and Schedule 1 of the Procurement Regulations 2024) and any subsequent amendment or re-enactment thereof.

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) is underway in several areas across the country, including the East Midlands, and this may result in changes to council structures, service delivery and responsibilities, and geographical coverage during the life of the contract.

For this contract it is anticipated that the effects of LGR will not lead to an increased service demand or the need to extend provision to new areas or client groups. However, it may be necessary to novate the contract to a new entity (that may replace Derby City Council) in future.

The Council did not undertake any preliminary market engagement in advance of this procurement. This decision was taken following an internal assessment of the market, which concluded that the Council has sufficient knowledge of supplier capability, service delivery models, and pricing structures based on recent procurements of a similar nature.

The Council has procured similar services twice within the last ten years, and officers have engaged with market intelligence, benchmarking data, and lessons learned from contract management to inform the service specification and procurement strategy. Insight gained through ongoing supplier performance monitoring and user feedback has enabled the Council to refine its approach without the need for further engagement at the pre-procurement stage.

To ensure a fair and competitive process, the Council has taken care to avoid including bespoke or overly prescriptive requirements that could favour incumbents or any particular delivery model.

All potential suppliers are encouraged to raise questions via the clarification process during the tender period should they require further detail or context regarding any aspect of the specification or commercial arrangements.

The Council is committed to ensuring a transparent and level playing field and has taken steps to ensure that no supplier is unfairly advantaged or disadvantaged by the decision not to conduct formal market engagement.

Please note suppliers wishing to express interest and obtain the documentation must do so by 11.30pm on Thursday 22nd October 2026. It is recommended that you express interest and obtain the documentation well before this time to allow sufficient time to prepare and submit a bid.

The deadline for returns is 10.00am on Friday 23rd October 2026.

Documents are available at www.eastmidstenders.org ↗

Please search for TD2420

Please note: we will only accept expressions of interest through the e-tendering system.