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The Fosterline Service

Department for Education · Education

In brief

Department for Education has announced plans to buy IT and software work. This is an early notice: there is nothing to bid on yet, but it tells you a tender may follow.

The notice does not state a value.

The contract runs for 2 years, up to 3 years with extensions, starting 1 January 2027.

The buyer says it is suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.

Built from the notice's own fields. Always check the official notice before you bid.

Can I win this?

Competition

Typical: a median of 4 bids per contract for this buyer (from 39 awards in the last 12 months).

What the notice says

This is a notice seeking early engagement from interested parties in relation to the Department for Education Fosterline Service Please note that all references to procedure, value and term length are purely illustrative and subject to change. The event will describe the existing set of national Fosterline services offering free, independent advice to current and prospective foster carers and the proposed service moving forward The current service offers individualised services for current or prospective foster carers requiring help with ongoing issues or detailed tax and benefits advice. The services aim to support foster families to stay together during times of crisis, reducing placement breakdown, and avoiding costs associated with this. The service is currently composed of a helpline service, website and webchat function. Please note that this notice is for early market engagement and exploratory purposes and is not a call for competition hence the £0 value indicated at this point. The Department reserves the right not to enter any formal processes or agreements. Accordingly, the authority will not be liable for any bid cost, expenditure, work, or effort incurred by a provider in acting based on this notice.

How to bid

  1. Read the full notice on Find a Tender, including any tender documents it links to.
  2. Register your organisation on the Central Digital Platform (through Find a Tender) if you have not already. Suppliers need to be registered to take part in procurements under the Procurement Act 2023.
  3. Follow the submission instructions in the notice; it does not name an e-tendering portal.

Timeline

  1. Preliminary market engagement notice · UK2, notice 082254-2026

About the buyer

Department for EducationLast 12 months

Procurements

211

Awards

132

Suppliers it has used most for IT and software

All tenders and awards from Department for Education

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From notice 082254-2026 on Find a Tender, first published 28 August 2026. We last checked for changes on 28 September 2026.