Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the criteria were for award of the contract for Research on the operation and impact of Safety Valve agreements on children, young people and their families.

In April 2024, all suppliers registered with the Crown Commercial Service’s RM6126 Research & Insights Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS), with the relevant skills and experience, were invited to apply to conduct a research project in relation to the Safety Valve programme. This project will look at the operation and impact of Safety Valve agreements on children, young people and their families. Suppliers were identified by using the following filters amongst those registered on the DPS: primary, secondary, special needs/special educational needs, qualitative research, online fieldwork, case studies, public sector employees, teaching, parents (including foster parents and adopted parents). As a result, 103 organisations were invited to apply, and of these, we received seven bids.

Bids were assessed against the following published criteria: the knowledge, capability and experience of the project team, their proposed methodology and approach, their experience in communicating and delivering high quality reports, how they supported the physical and mental health of their workforce, and value for money. Departmental officials followed the required purchasing processes and protocols in compliance with the DPS framework.