Cohort 10 Application and Assessment Contractor for Step Up to Social Work Programme

The Department for Education (DfE) is seeking a qualified contractor to manage the complete application, assessment, and candidate support process for Cohort 10 of the Step Up to Social Work (SUSW) programme. SUSW is an accelerated, practice-focused postgraduate route into social work run by local authorities, established in 2010 and delivered every two years. With 3,500 social workers trained across 8 completed cohorts, Cohort 10 aims to train the next cohort of high-quality qualified social workers. The successful contractor will be responsible for: developing a national marketing strategy and materials; designing and hosting a web portal to manage applications, online assessments, and assessment centre bookings (supporting at least 5,000 applications); conducting eligibility and qualification verification checks; operating a candidate helpline (February to November 2027); providing an applicant tracking system; developing candidate communications to reduce drop-out; supporting regional assessment centres; and delivering management information and satisfaction surveys. The DfE welcomes applications from Small to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs), and consortia bids. All procurement communication must be submitted via the Jaggaer portal.