Respect Provision of Supply Agency Services

Respect Collaboration Trust has published its procurement for the Provision of Supply Agency Services, creating a four-provider Preferred Agency Supplier List for specialist education settings in Derby.

The Trust is seeking supply agency providers to support emergency and short-notice cover, planned absence and longer-term placements across its schools and sites. This includes Castle School, Bridge Street School and Kingsmead School, as well as possible supply cover for Alternative Provision run under Bridge Street School.

This is a specialist education staffing opportunity. The Trust’s settings include Pupil Referral Units, Alternative Provision and a Special School, with pupils who may have SEMH needs, dysregulated behaviour, complex medical needs, social care involvement or safeguarding vulnerabilities. Providers will therefore need to demonstrate more than general education supply capability. They will need credible experience supplying staff who can operate safely and confidently in specialist environments.

Commercially, this is a focused but strategically relevant opportunity for education recruitment agencies. The Trust intends to appoint the four highest scoring providers to its Preferred Agency Supplier List. No volume is guaranteed, and work will be allocated based on quality of staff, compliance, responsiveness, reliability and value for money. However, the tender documents confirm current agency usage across teaching and support roles, with a significant amount of bookings being long term.

Scope of services

The requirement covers supply agency services for:

• Emergency and short-notice cover
• Planned absence
• Longer-term placements
• Predominantly teaching and teaching assistant posts
• Potential requirements for exam invigilators and other support staff
• Additional roles that may be added during the contract where required

The tender does not identify a separate lot structure. Instead, the Trust is appointing the four highest scoring providers to form its Preferred Agency Supplier List.

Procurement timeline

• Tender published: 1 June 2026
• Clarification deadline: 26 June 2026 at 12 noon
• Tender submission deadline: 10 July 2026 at 12 noon
• Evaluation, notification, standstill, award and contract signing: July 2026
• Mobilisation: August and September 2026
• Service commencement: 28 September 2026

Commercial overview

The evaluation is weighted 70% quality and 30% price, with pass/fail requirements at the PSQ and eligibility stages. This creates a competitive process where bidders must show strong evidence of delivery capability, specialist education experience, safeguarding compliance and commercial value.

The price assessment considers both the average pay rate charge to the Trust and the average estimated take-home rate per staff member. Charge day rates are fixed for three years, and the contract terms and pricing will roll into any extension periods unless changes are agreed through the contract change control procedure.

Bidder requirements

Bidders should pay close attention to the mandatory and practical requirements, including:

• Registration on the Central Digital Platform
• Full compliance with the specification as a pass/fail requirement
• Accreditation by one of the named bodies: the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, the Association of Professional Staffing Companies or Standards in Recruitment
• Employer’s Liability Insurance of £10m
• Public Liability Insurance of £5m
• Professional Indemnity Insurance of £1m
• Financial due diligence, including credit checks and financial appraisal
• Relevant education sector contract examples
• Ability to supply agency workers directly, not through other agencies
• Robust safeguarding and safer recruitment compliance
• Enhanced DBS, identity, right to work, qualification, reference and employment history checks
• Support for Single Central Register obligations
• Compliance with Keeping Children Safe in Education, UK GDPR, Agency Workers Regulations and other relevant recruitment legislation
• Dedicated account management, clear escalation processes and regular contract review meetings
• Real-time management information, tailored reporting and electronic timesheet capability
• A strong mobilisation plan, including an available staff pool for the contract start

This is likely to be a competitive opportunity, particularly for agencies already experienced in SEMH, PRU, Alternative Provision and specialist school environments. Successful bidders will need to show that they understand the operational, safeguarding and behavioural demands of these settings, while also providing a reliable, responsive and value-focused service.

TLC Bid Works can support suppliers considering a bid with bid/no bid advice, lot and win strategy, PSQ support, quality response drafting, bid writing and review, submission assurance, and commercial and compliance checks. For this opportunity, the strongest submissions are likely to combine specialist education staffing evidence, robust safeguarding assurance, clear mobilisation planning and a practical service model aligned to the Trust’s needs.