Essex County Council (ECC) is seeking information from suppliers of social media screening services as part of an early market engagement exercise. ECC's HR Shared Services team provides employment vetting services to over 900 schools across Essex, as well as a range of local authority and other public sector organisations. We are reviewing the market to better understand current service offerings, pricing models, capacity, technology, reporting capabilities and supplier experience. The information gathered will help inform our future service requirements and any potential procurement activity. Please note, this exercise does not form part of a formal procurement process and participation will not confer any advantage or disadvantage in any future procurement activity.

Procurement Act 2023

If you are interested in taking part in this preliminary market engagement, please complete the following questions and send to [email protected]. Please provide responses to the following questions: Organisation Details • Organisation Name • Contact Name • Contact Email • Website 1. Service Overview Please provide a brief overview of your social media screening service, including screening approach and how long you have provided social media screening services for (maximum 250 words). 2. Platforms Included Requirement Yes / No Facebook Instagram X (Twitter) LinkedIn TikTok YouTube Reddit Threads Other 3. KCSIE Compliance ECC is seeking to understand how suppliers interpret and deliver against the online search requirements set out in Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) guidelines. Please answer the following, with a Yes/No, providing further detail where relevant. Does your service include searches of internet search engines (e.g. Google, Bing or equivalent)? Is this search automated or manually undertaken? If search engine checks are not currently included, are there plans to introduce this functionality? Please provide any additional information on how your organisation ensures compliance with the requirements of Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE). (This can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2) 4. Volumes & Capacity Please indicate annual volumes managed, maximum annual capacity and typical turnaround times. 5. Pricing Model Please provide an overview of your pricing structure, including: • Cost per check. • Volume discounts. • Any implementation, licence, or annual fees. 6. Public Sector Experience & Reference Please confirm experience of delivering social media screening services to other public sectors e.g. Schools, MAT’s, Local Authorities, NHS, Police or other public sector organisations. Please provide details of at least one current customer operating at a similar scale to ECC and briefly describe: • Customer organisation • Services provided • Screening volumes • Length of relationship • Contact name and email address 7. Reporting Please describe the reports produced as part of your social media screening service, including: • The format of the report provided to customers. • How findings are categorised and presented. • Whether screenshots or supporting evidence are included. • How audit trails and decision-making are recorded. • Any management information, dashboard or volume reporting available. • How protected characteristics are managed within reporting. Please provide a sample report where available. 8. Compliance and Information Security Please briefly describe how your organisation ensures compliance with relevant data protection and information security requirements when delivering social media screening services. Please include details of any relevant certifications such as ICO registration, Cyber Essentials, & ISO 27000. 9. Additional Information Please provide any information you believe would help us understand your solution, approach, and value proposition. 10. Supplier Demonstrations Please indicate whether you would be willing to participate in a short supplier demonstration and discussion as part of this market engagement exercise. Yes / No 11. Register your interest Should ECC proceed with a procurement exercise, would you like to receive the Request for Quotation (RFQ)? Yes / No