Scope
Reference
CWC25142
Description
School Attendance Monitoring of Children and Young People in Care and Children and Young People with an Education, Health & Care Plan (OOC).
Wolverhampton City Council (the Council) has a statutory duty to monitor the school attendance of children and young people in care placed in out-of-city independent placements, and for children and young people with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) attending out-of-city education settings.
This duty is primarily governed by the Education Act 1996 and relevant Department for Education (DfE) statutory guidance.
To fulfil this responsibility, the Council requires a remote and secure system for collecting and monitoring attendance data for these two cohorts.
The overarching aim is to improve school attendance among Wolverhampton pupils placed outside the city by delivering an effective, responsive, and informative service. This will enable the Council to identify and address poor attendance early, ensuring timely intervention in cases of unauthorised absence.
The Provider will be expected to:
• Contact selected schools attended by Wolverhampton pupils placed out of city.
•Liaise with Council officers, parents, and carers when unauthorised absences occur.
• Submit regular attendance reports within agreed timescales, using standardised DfE codes.
• Provide business support and access to a secure online portal for Council officers and education settings.
Contract dates (estimated)
- 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029
- Possible extension to 31 March 2031
- 5 years
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 72314000 - Data collection and collation services
- 85300000 - Social work and related services
Contract locations
- UK - United Kingdom
Engagement
Engagement deadline
24 October 2025
Engagement process description
The purpose of this Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) is to seek input from potential suppliers within the market, to establish the type of solutions and functionality that is available for a school attendance phone call monitoring solution for Children and Young People Unable to Attend School. The Provider will be expected to monitor the daily attendance of Wolverhampton Children in Care (CIC) and Children and Young People with an EHCP, educated outside the city. This includes contacting schools daily by phone to confirm attendance and notifying carers or social workers if a child is absent without authorisation.
The PME will provide an opportunity for Wolverhampton City Council (WCC) to obtain an insight into how potential suppliers might approach the delivery of this service and gain an understanding into the likely level of interest from the market.
If you feel that your organisation can contribute to this PME exercise, please complete the questionnaire published on the WCC e-tendering system and submit through it at www.wolverhamptontenders.com/ by 10 October 2025.
For information on how to submit your response, please follow this link:
https://procontracthelp.duenorth.com/ViewandRespondtoanITTasaSupplier.html
Please email AP.QA@wolverhampton.gv.uk if you would like to be notified of any future events, and further information on the dates and scope of additional engagement will be communicated to you in due course.
Potential suppliers will not be prejudiced by any response or failure to respond to the PME and potential suppliers that participate will not be put at an unfair advantage. Potential suppliers must also note that a response to this notice does not guarantee an invitation to participate in any future procurement that WCC may conduct. Any procurement exercise will be carried out strictly in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023.
Please be aware that we are subject to the disclosure requirements of the Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) and that potentially any information we hold is liable to disclosure under that Act. For this reason, we would strongly advise that any information you consider to be confidential is labelled as such.
Please note that this notice is for conducting a PME exercise and is not a call for competition. It does not formally begin the procurement process or constitute any commitment by WCC to undertake any procurement exercise or form any contractual relationship.
Participation
Particular suitability
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
- Voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE)
Submission
Publication date of tender notice (estimated)
4 November 2025
Contracting authority
Wolverhampton City Council
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PVBV-7568-LBLL
Civic Centre, St Peter's Square
Wolverhampton
WV1 1SH
United Kingdom
Region: UKG39 - Wolverhampton
Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government