Regional Care Co-operatives Delivery Partner

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 below may be subject to change.

The Department for Education intends to launch a procurement to appoint a supplier to act as the delivery partner for the Regional Care Cooperative (RCC) Pathfinders.

The delivery partner will support the pathfinder areas with the design, set-up and operationalisation of the pathfinders. The exact support required from each pathfinder will vary depending on, for example, existing infrastructure and collaboration between the parties. Therefore, this will need to be discussed and agreed with the successful contractor and pathfinder areas, once selected. The contract will need to be agile, with the flexibility to adapt to an evolving policy area. However, the overarching services that will be required are:

• Project management and oversight
• Design and delivery of the co-design process
• Set-up and operationalisation of the pathfinders
• Provision of specialist and technical expertise

We will be holding 1-2-1 sessions (up to 30 minutes) with prospective bidders to talk about the service requirements and seek feedback on 11, 14, 15 and 18 September.

For more information, or to arrange a 1-2-1 meeting, please email: [email protected]

In February 2023, the Department for Education published its implementation strategy and consultation on children’s social care reform, Stable Homes, Built on Love. As part of this, the Department has committed to working with local authorities and key partners to co-design and deliver two pathfinder Regional Care Cooperatives (RCCs) over this Spending Review period to test a new approach to planning, commissioning and delivering care placements for looked after children, with a view to rolling out after evaluating the best approach with the sector. The co-design process with local partners will shape the exact model and approach taken in each pathfinder area.

We plan to procure a delivery partner to support the pathfinder areas with the design, set-up and operationalisation of the pathfinders. The exact support required from each pathfinder will vary depending on, for example, existing infrastructure and collaboration between the parties. Therefore, this will need to be discussed and agreed with the successful contractor and pathfinder areas, once selected. The contract will need to be agile, with the flexibility to adapt to an evolving policy area.

However, the overarching services that will be required are:

• Project management and oversight: the delivery partner will work with the pathfinder areas and Department to develop and agree detailed project plans and project management arrangements. The delivery partner will oversee delivery of both pathfinders, providing the necessary support to keep delivery on track. The delivery partner will also lead on reporting into the Department.
• Support the co-design process: as part of the Department’s commitment to co-designing the pathfinders, we plan to support local Pathfinder Steering Groups to help work through policy and delivery questions and support the design of the pathfinders to ensure they meet the Department’s objectives and fit the local context. The delivery partner will playing a key role in supporting the local Pathfinder Steering Groups and developing their workplans; ensuring close working with other parts of the co-design process.
• Set-up and operationalisation of the pathfinders: the delivery partner will support with the operational delivery of the pathfinders, working with the parties to put in place structures, agreements and activities to deliver the model agreed through the co-design process. This will be supported by specialist and technical expertise (see below).
• Provision of specialist and technical expertise: it is envisaged that the pathfinder areas will require specialist and technical expertise to support the design and delivery of the pathfinders.

Examples of the type of support required are likely to include legal, HR, commercial, IT, data and capital building expertise.

We plan to commence procurement in early October 2023, with a view to the contract beginning in December 2023/January 2024. The pathfinders are due to launch in Spring 2024; the contract will continue until this date with potential for extension.

Since our previous market engagement on this procurement, we have further developed our plans for the pathfinders and invited local authorities to form clusters and submit proposals.