Thrive works as a commissioned partner to schools and local authorities across England, delivering specialist one-to-one tutoring and mentoring for children with SEND, EBSA and SEMH needs, with structured reporting designed to meet your commissioning and annual review requirements.
Local authority commissioning of specialist tutoring and mentoring is fragmented — different authorities use different routes, sometimes several in parallel. Thrive engages across all of the main commissioning models. This page sets out how, alongside compliance, pricing and our general approach to commissioning.
The commissioning routes we engage through
Four routes account for almost all LA commissioning we see:
- Frameworks — multi-supplier arrangements with pre-agreed terms, typically running 2–4 years
- Dynamic Purchasing Systems (DPS) — open-entry arrangements where suppliers can join during the lifetime of the system
- Mini competitions — call-offs from a framework or DPS for a specific placement or cohort
- Spot purchase — direct commissioning of a single placement outside any framework, typically used where the authority has no live framework or where the placement profile is unusual
We approach each commissioning context on its own terms. Some authorities operate primarily through one route; others use several depending on case type.
Frameworks and DPS
Where a framework or DPS exists in our coverage region, we apply on the standard terms — submitting the required quality, safeguarding and pricing documentation, and engaging with the procurement process the authority has set out. For DPS arrangements, joining is typically open across the system's lifetime; for frameworks, entry windows are fixed and we plan around them.
We monitor and respond to relevant framework, DPS and commissioning opportunities as they arise within our operating areas.
Mini competitions
For mini competitions, response time and quality of submission are the determining factors. We aim to respond to mini competition invitations within the required deadline with a complete, specific proposal — proposed tutor or mentor profile, indicative timetable, pricing, and reference to relevant casework experience. We do not bulk-bid or submit generic proposals.
Spot purchase
For spot purchase placements, the process is closer to a school referral than a procurement exercise. The authority shares the pupil profile, we confirm whether we can match, and pricing is agreed for the placement. Spot purchase suits authorities without a live framework, urgent placements, or unusual profiles — for example, a young person with specific co-occurring presentations where the framework supplier list does not include a strong match.
Pricing, payment and social value
Pricing is structured per session, with rates set out in framework agreements where applicable or agreed at point of placement for spot purchase. There are no hidden charges — fees are agreed before commencement and confirmed in writing. We invoice monthly in arrears.
Where social value is part of the commissioning specification, we engage actively — typically through commitments around local employment of tutors and mentors, partnerships with schools in the commissioning authority, and contribution to local SEND networks.
Compliance and safeguarding
All Thrive tutors and mentors hold enhanced DBS certificates, verified before any placement. We maintain Public Liability and Professional Indemnity insurance to standard commissioning levels, hold a published Safeguarding Policy, and operate under data protection registration with the ICO. Compliance documentation is available on request and is provided as part of framework and mini competition submissions.
Reporting against EHCP outcomes is built into every placement where an EHCP is in place — structured progress reports suitable for annual reviews and commissioning records.