RCC and Fostering Hubs Delivery Partner Preliminary Market Engagement Notice

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    ],
    "items": [
      {
        "id": "1",
        "relatedLot": "1",
        "additionalClassifications": [
          {
            "id": "79000000",
            "scheme": "CPV",
            "description": "Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "title": "RCC and Fostering Hubs Delivery Partner Planned Procurement Notice",
    "value": {
      "amount": 5000000,
      "currency": "GBP",
      "amountGross": 5000000
    },
    "status": "planned",
    "procedure": {
      "isAccelerated": true,
      "acceleratedRationale": "Qualifying planned procurement notice"
    },
    "legalBasis": {
      "id": "2023/54",
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      "scheme": "UKPGA"
    },
    "awardPeriod": {
      "endDate": "2026-07-20T23:59:59+01:00"
    },
    "description": "Planned Procurement notice  – Regional Care Cooperatives and Fostering Recruitment & Retention Programme\nThe Department for Education intends to procure a Delivery Partner to support the establishment and early operation of up to six new Regional Care Cooperatives (RCCs) and to deliver the expanded Fostering Recruitment and Retention Programme. This contract is intended to run from July 2026 to 31 March 2028 (final timelines will be set out in the tendering documentation), with activity delivered across England through a mix of virtual and in person engagement. This notice is being issued to inform the market of the forthcoming opportunity and of preliminary market engagement; a full contract notice and information regarding engagement with the market will follow.\nRegional Care Cooperatives\nEvery child deserves safe, high-quality care close to home. Regional care cooperatives (RCCs) will help make this a reality by transforming the approach local areas take to commissioning and providing homes for children in care. Further background on RCCs and the policy intent behind this reform can be found here: Regional care cooperatives policy statement - GOV.UK\nThe Delivery Partner will provide structured coaching, facilitation, and technical expertise to support regions through the RCC staged progression model—Foundation and Development—so that they are prepared to transition into Delivery, as set out in the RCC Design Specification Guidance here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-to-set-up-a-regional-care-cooperative. This will include support for:\n•\tdiagnostics, planning and governance\n•\tco design and development of sufficiency strategies\n•\tmarket shaping approaches\n•\tadoption of the national common data model\n•\testablishment of core regional functions for sustainable forecasting and commissioning\nAs part of its market engagement activity, the Department is also seeking to understand the breadth of legal and commercial expertise available to support RCCs. This includes suppliers capable of providing legally robust, directly accountable advice on organisational and governance structures, pooled and shared budget arrangements, joint decision making frameworks, and commissioning responsibilities alongside the other support set out in this PIN. The Delivery Partner will also be expected to strengthen RCCs’ commercial capability—supporting regions to develop and apply commercial strategies, analyse and model block and soft block contracting arrangements, improve negotiation confidence, and align commercial decisions with sufficiency planning. All support should be designed to build long term capability within RCCs.\nFostering Recruitment and Retention Programme\nThe Department is also seeking a Delivery Partner to support the next phase of the Fostering Recruitment and Retention Programme, delivered under the same contract as the RCC support package. In this expanded phase, Fostering Hubs will progress beyond initial applicant engagement to manage the entire recruitment and approval process, creating a more integrated and end to end model of recruiting, assessing, and supporting foster carers. The programme contributes to the Department’s ambition to secure homes for 10,000 more children by 2029. Fostering Hubs guidance and application forms can be found here Fostering Programme: New Hubs Expression of Interest - GOV-UK Find a grant.\nThe Delivery Partner will provide subject matter expertise in fostering recruitment and retention, alongside support to hubs in establishing performance monitoring and reporting mechanisms, delivering change management, and offering troubleshooting support as programme and/or LA level issues emerge. Support may include stakeholder relationship facilitation, HR related assistance, and co production of assessing social worker practice models. For new hubs, the Delivery Partner will provide challenge, independent oversight, and practical support through design and implementation. All support should be designed to build long term capability within hubs.\nIt is anticipated that the Delivery Partner will work with approximately 100 participating LAs across new and existing hubs. The successful organisation will be expected to ensure strategic alignment between RCCs and Fostering Hubs, working closely with RCC leadership where established, and supporting areas to integrate hubs into RCCs as the system evolves. The long term vision is for every local authority to be part of an RCC.",
    "tenderPeriod": {
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    "communication": {
      "futureNoticeDate": "2026-05-08T23:59:59+01:00"
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    "procurementMethod": "open",
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    "procurementMethodDetails": "Open procedure"
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      "contactPoint": {
        "email": "Commissioning.CSC@education.gov.uk"
      }
    }
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "planning": {
    "documents": [
      {
        "id": "032088-2026",
        "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/032088-2026",
        "format": "text/html",
        "noticeType": "UK3",
        "description": "Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender",
        "documentType": "plannedProcurementNotice",
        "datePublished": "2026-04-08T15:58:31+01:00"
      }
    ]
  },
  "initiationType": "tender"
}

{
  "id": "028421-2026",
  "tag": [
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  "date": "2026-03-27T11:28:46Z",
  "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-06764c",
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    "id": "GB-PPON-PDZG-3487-DPVD",
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    "title": "RCC and Fostering Hubs Delivery Partner Preliminary Market Engagement Notice",
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    "description": "Prior Information Notice – Regional Care Cooperatives and Fostering Recruitment & Retention Programme\nThe Department for Education intends to procure a Delivery Partner to support the establishment and early operation of up to six new Regional Care Cooperatives (RCCs) and to deliver the expanded Fostering Recruitment and Retention Programme. This contract is intended to run from June 2026 to 31 March 2028 (final timelines will be set out in the tendering documentation), with activity delivered across England through a mix of virtual and in person engagement. This notice is being issued to inform the market of the forthcoming opportunity and of preliminary market engagement; a full contract notice and information regarding engagement with the market will follow.\nRegional Care Cooperatives\nEvery child deserves safe, high-quality care close to home. Regional care cooperatives (RCCs) will help make this a reality by transforming the approach local areas take to commissioning and providing homes for children in care. Further background on RCCs and the policy intent behind this reform can be found here: Regional care cooperatives policy statement - GOV.UK\nThe Delivery Partner will provide structured coaching, facilitation, and technical expertise to support regions through the RCC staged progression model—Foundation and Development—so that they are prepared to transition into Delivery, as set out in the RCC Design Specification Guidance here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-to-set-up-a-regional-care-cooperative. This will include support for:\n•\tdiagnostics, planning and governance\n•\tco design and development of sufficiency strategies\n•\tmarket shaping approaches\n•\tadoption of the national common data model\n•\testablishment of core regional functions for sustainable forecasting and commissioning\nAs part of its market engagement activity, the Department is also seeking to understand the breadth of legal and commercial expertise available to support RCCs. This includes suppliers capable of providing legally robust, directly accountable advice on organisational and governance structures, pooled and shared budget arrangements, joint decision making frameworks, and commissioning responsibilities alongside the other support set out in this PIN. The Delivery Partner will also be expected to strengthen RCCs’ commercial capability—supporting regions to develop and apply commercial strategies, analyse and model block and soft block contracting arrangements, improve negotiation confidence, and align commercial decisions with sufficiency planning. All support should be designed to build long term capability within RCCs.\nFostering Recruitment and Retention Programme\nThe Department is also seeking a Delivery Partner to support the next phase of the Fostering Recruitment and Retention Programme, delivered under the same contract as the RCC support package. In this expanded phase, Fostering Hubs will progress beyond initial applicant engagement to manage the entire recruitment and approval process, creating a more integrated and end to end model of recruiting, assessing, and supporting foster carers. The programme contributes to the Department’s ambition to secure homes for 10,000 more children by 2029. Fostering Hubs guidance and application forms can be found here Fostering Programme: New Hubs Expression of Interest - GOV-UK Find a grant.\nThe Delivery Partner will provide subject matter expertise in fostering recruitment and retention, alongside support to hubs in establishing performance monitoring and reporting mechanisms, delivering change management, and offering troubleshooting support as programme and/or LA level issues emerge. Support may include stakeholder relationship facilitation, HR related assistance, and co production of assessing social worker practice models. For new hubs, the Delivery Partner will provide challenge, independent oversight, and practical support through design and implementation. All support should be designed to build long term capability within hubs.\nIt is anticipated that the Delivery Partner will work with approximately 100 participating LAs across new and existing hubs. The successful organisation will be expected to ensure strategic alignment between RCCs and Fostering Hubs, working closely with RCC leadership where established, and supporting areas to integrate hubs into RCCs as the system evolves. The long term vision is for every local authority to be part of an RCC.",
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      {
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        "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/028421-2026",
        "format": "text/html",
        "noticeType": "UK2",
        "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
        "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
        "datePublished": "2026-03-27T11:28:46Z"
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        "status": "scheduled",
        "dueDate": "2026-04-02T23:59:59+01:00",
        "description": "A preliminary market engagement session is being conducted on Thursday 2nd April at 1pm. Please email  Commissioning.CSC@education.gov.uk. if you would like to register your interest in attending."
      }
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}