Tenders/RCC and Fostering Hubs Delivery Partner Preliminary Market Engagement Notice

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RCC and Fostering Hubs Delivery Partner Preliminary Market Engagement Notice

Department for Education

Published: May 18, 2026

Updated: May 21, 2026

Source: uk_fts

About This Opportunity

This is a services contract in the governance and public administration sector. Located in United Kingdom, Europe, this opportunity is open to firms and consortiums, with an estimated budget of GBP 3.3 million. Proposals must be submitted before June 22, 2026.

Published through UK FTS - Find a Tender Service, a national government procurement portal. Public procurement tenders follow the country's national bidding regulations and may have specific eligibility and documentation requirements for services in the governance and public administration sector. Service contracts are typically evaluated on both technical quality and price, and may require bidders to demonstrate relevant experience and qualified personnel. Interested parties should review the full documentation on the original source before submitting their proposal.

Description

Tender Notice – Regional Care Cooperatives and Fostering Recruitment & Retention Programme
The 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.
Regional Care Cooperatives
Every 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
The 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:
• diagnostics, planning and governance
• co design and development of sufficiency strategies
• market shaping approaches
• adoption of the national common data model
• establishment of core regional functions for sustainable forecasting and commissioning
Further information please see tender documentation.
Fostering Recruitment and Retention Programme
The 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.
The 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.
It 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.

Data provenance

This notice is sourced from UK FTS - Find a Tender Service and was originally published on May 18, 2026. Last refreshed today. Reference: 045392-2026. BidsFactory mirrors official procurement notices and links back to the source for full legal text.

About Department for Education

Department for Education has issued 448 procurement notices on BidsFactory, including 29 currently open and 358 awarded contracts. Activity concentrates in Education & Training, Construction & Civil Works, and Information & Communication Technology. All notices are published for United Kingdom. Notices are distributed via UK Contracts Finder and UK FTS - Find a Tender Service. Most recent publication: May 20, 2026.

Frequently asked questions about this tender

Where will the contract be performed?

The contract is for delivery in United Kingdom. Foreign bidders should review local registration, taxation, and any in-country presence requirements before submitting.

How can I submit a bid?

Visit UK FTS - Find a Tender Service to access the full notice, required documents, and submission instructions. Quote reference 045392-2026 when communicating with the contracting authority.

When does this tender close?

The submission deadline is June 22, 2026. You have 33 days left to prepare and submit your proposal to the contracting authority.

Who is the contracting authority?

This notice was issued by Department for Education in United Kingdom. The authority is responsible for evaluating bids, awarding the contract, and managing performance.

What type of contract is this?

This is a Services contract in the Governance & Public Administration sector. The classification helps bidders match the opportunity to their qualifications and registered scope of supply.

What is the estimated budget?

The estimated contract value is £3,333,333 - £3,333,333. Bidders should ensure their proposals are consistent with this range and account for any local taxes and contract execution costs.