Official UK procurement notice
Recruitment of up to 13 FTE Locum Social Workers
Authority: Suffolk County Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionRecruitment of up to 13 FTE Locum Social Workers as an interim measure to work within the Integrated Front Door (IFD) / Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) whilst permanent recruitment takes place.
Please note, the contract value detailed in this notice represents the maximum budget for the life of this agreement (including the optional extension period), it does not represent a guaranteed level of spend.
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1Awarded
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Direct award
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Notice status
- Awarded without competition
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Direct award (no call for competition)
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 22 Jul 2026, 09:09 BST
- Last source update
- 10 Sept 2026, 12:26 BST
- Authority reference
M039-ITS438- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-085846- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06d067Find a Tender
- Why no open competition
- Urgency
- Published justification
The IFD/MASH is holding a number of vacancies and is unable to meet its statutory deadlines for referral and assessment. The locum social workers are required as an interim arrangement whilst permanent recruitment for the positions is completed as part of the Family First model. It has not been possible to recruit the volume and quality of staff required through our internal recruitment partners, and running a competitive tender procedure would jeopardise our ability to perform at the statutory level required in a timely manner.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
31 Jul 2026 → 10 Sept 2026 · 2 dates- Standstill ends85 days ago31 Jul 2026, 23:59 BST
- Notice published45 days ago10 Sept 2026, 12:26 BST
Notice history
4 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 22 Jul 2026- Transparency notice published22 Jul 2026, 09:09 BSTUK5
- Contract award notice published22 Jul 2026, 11:30 BSTUK6
- Contract signature expected1 Aug 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
- Contract details notice published10 Sept 2026, 12:26 BSTUK7
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leaders In Care Recruitment LtdSME1 Aug 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 · up to 30 Jan 2027Extensions: Contract can be extended by up to 3 months | £582,000 inc. VAT | 22 Jul 2026 | Awarded |
Contracts
Recruitment of up to 13 FTE Locum Social Workers · Leaders In Care Recruitment LtdSME
- Signed
- 27 Jul 2026
- Value
- £485,000
- Period
- 1 Aug 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 · up to 30 Jan 2027 with extensions
- Status
- active
- Extensions
- Contract can be extended by up to 3 months.
No agreed KPIs: Not applicable
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- LEADERS IN CARE RECRUITMENT LIMITEDAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender