Education and training services

Tender description

Cheshire East Lifelong Learning (CE LL) is undertaking a commissioning exercise to set-up an approved supplier list for the procurement of Adult Education Budget Provision and Sessional Tutors for the residents of the Borough. CE LL is funded as the lead body for Adult Education Budget provision and will be sub-contracting work under this funding stream. Providers will need to meet the eligibility criteria outlined in the service specification in order to be considered for the list. A proportion of the funding will be targeted at the 19+ age group who face challenges securing sustainable employment. The non-accredited learning will focus on turning around the lives of local people and maximising the impact of public funding on the social and economic well-being of individuals, families and communities with a strong focus on those who are most disadvantaged. A proportion of funding will be accredited learning and will be focused on unemployed individuals within the Borough who are eligible for full funding as outlined in the service specification. Commissioned provision will be aimed at entry level to level 2. This learning will be targeted at meeting local well-being and employment priorities in a number of subject areas. The approved supplier list will be opened via The Chest a minimum of 3 times per year so that new providers can join the list. Being accepted onto the list is no guarantee of any volume of work. Potential Provider's who fail to get onto the list may re-apply to join a maximum of 3 times. The call-offs from the list will be done outside of The Chest as per the call-off criteria outlined in the service specification. Providers will be contacted by CE LL. The decision making process will be recorded for audit purposes. Cheshire East Council reserves the right to negotiate on aspects of providers bids post acceptance onto the list and prior to any contract award based on the call-off criteria laid out in the service specification. The budget is a maximum of 495 000 GBP per year across all lots. There is no guarantee of any volume of work by being accepted onto the list. This approved supplier list will be open for use by Cheshire East Borough Council and all Cheshire East Borough Council subsidiary and associated companies, including, but not limited to: Tatton Park Enterprises Ltd, East Cheshire Engine of the North, Ansa Environmental Services Ltd, Civicance Ltd, Everybody Sports & Recreational Trust Ltd (Trading as Everybody Ltd), Transport Service Solutions Ltd and Skills and Growth, and any other wholly or partly owned companies created by Cheshire East Borough Council. The approved supplier list will run for 12 months and there will be an option to extend for 12 months. The PIN will be re-advertised after 12 months if the optional extension is taken up. The requirements for minimum economic, financial and technical capacity will be included in the tender documents. Suppliers may be rejected on the basis of: (a) is bankrupt or is being wound up, where his affairs are being administered by the Court, where he has entered into an arrangement with creditors, where he has suspended business activities or is in any analogous situation arising from a similar procedure under national laws and regulations; (b) is the subject of proceedings for a declaration of bankruptcy, for an order for compulsory winding up or administration by the Court or of an arrangement with creditors or of any other similar proceedings under national laws and regulations; (c) has been convicted by a judgment which has the force of res judicata in accordance with the legal provisions of the country of any offence concerning his professional conduct; (d) has been guilty of grave professional misconduct proven by any means which the contracting authorities can demonstrate; (e) has not fulfilled obligations relating to the payment of social security contributions in accordance with the legal provisions of the country in which he is established or with those of the country of the contracting authority; (f) has not fulfilled obligations relating to the payment of taxes in accordance with the legal provisions of the country in which he is established or with those of the country of the contracting authority; (g) is guilty of serious misrepresentation in supplying the information required under this Section or has not supplied such information; (h) has been the subject of a conviction for participation in a criminal organisation, as defined in Article 2(1) of Council Joint Action 98/733/JHA; (i) has been the subject of a conviction for corruption, as defined in Article 3 of the Council Act of 26.5.1997 and Article 3(1) of Council Joint Action 98/742/JHA respectively; (j) has been the subject of a conviction for fraud within the meaning of Article 1 of the Convention relating to the protection of the financial interests of the European Communities; (k) has been the subject of a conviction for money laundering, as defined in Article 1 of Council Directive 91/308/EEC of 10.6.1991 on prevention of the use of the financial system for the purpose of money laundering. Please refer to Regulation no 23 of the Public Procurement Regulations 2015 for additional rejection criteria Social Value. The Council is committed to ensure wider social and community benefits are achieved in the course of all its commissioning and procurement activities. In accordance with this, suppliers are required to work with the Council towards achieving such aims. Financial checks will be undertaken for economic operators using the Councils current financial assessors n2check (www.n2check.com). Economic operators will be assessed according to the level of risk stipulated by n2check. The organisation should hold as a minimum the following insurance levels or be able to provide with their response, a written statement advising that should they be awarded any contracts they will have the required levels of insurance in place for the commencement of the contract. (a) Employer's Liability Insurance* = 10 000 000 GBP is required in respect of each and every claim; (b) Public Liability Insurance = 10 000 000 GBP is required in respect of each and every claim with no abuse exclusion/inner limit; (c) Professional Indemnity Insurance = 1 000 000 GBP is required in respect of each and every claim; (d) or as an alternative to (b) and (c) above, a specialist tailor made policy for the Lifelong Learning project which includes the full cover for public liability insurance with no efficacy exclusion including professional indemnity insurance with a minimum limit of indemnity as stated in (b) and (c) above. * It is a legal requirement that all companies hold Employer's Liability Insurance of 5 000 000 GBP as a minimum. Please note this requirement is not applicable to Sole Traders. The values given in this notice are only estimations — The Authority gives no guarantee or warranty or makes any representation as to the accuracy of any indicative volumes or as to the value of the work during the period of the approved supplier list — any expenditure, work or effort undertaken prior to contract award is accordingly a matter solely for the commercial judgement of potential providers. In order to participate, providers must register, complete and upload completed ITT documentation and submit this via the Chest at: http://www.the-chest.org.uk/ — the project reference on The Chest is DN125012 — the time limit for returning the completed ITT submission is 5.5.2016 at 12:00. Accredited learning commissioned via CE LL (Cheshire East Lifelong Learning) (Lot 1) will be focused on unemployed Cheshire East residents who are eligible for full funding (see SFA Funding Rules). CE LL may be in a position to commission a small amount of non-regulated provision where a regulated alternative is not available and where the provision meets funding and eligibility requirements. All commissioned provision will be aimed at entry level to level 2 and must meet the eligibility requirements set out by the Skills Funding Agency. CE LL wishes to encourage applications from a diverse range of skills providers. CE LL recognises that learners are individuals and require different approaches to learning, achievement and progression and, that different providers are able to offer different approaches to the delivery of learning aims to suit learners. For Lot 1, the funding rates information has been provided as part of the information pack for this opportunity. CE LL will retain 20 % of the published funding rate of the learning aim for contract management and support as outlined below under ‘CE LL Contract Management and Support’. For Lot 1, applicants must also demonstrate knowledge of the local area, needs of the local business communities, employers and learners and be able to evidence how this knowledge has informed the programme of accredited learning aims and delivery format. There should be a very clear focus on target groups of learners who meet the eligibility criteria (Lot 1) and would benefit most from raising their skills. CE LL encourages applications which offer delivery in the heart of communities of disadvantage throughout Cheshire East Borough and applicants must be able to demonstrate their in-depth knowledge of the needs of local people and explain how they will market and recruit learners onto their programmes. All Adult Education Budget funded provision must demonstrate that high quality information, advice and guidance (IAG) and thorough initial assessment are available to all learners in order for them to make the biggest gains with regard to personal and employability skills. This will also enable progression to accredited learning and the acquisition of RQF recognised units and qualifications, as outlined above, for the hardest to reach. Health and well-being Programmes use learning as a means of improving the health and well-being of individuals. There is no requirement to progress learners onto employment, although the progression on to further learning and/or employment, if appropriate, would be a desired outcome. A positive impact on the health and well-being of learners should be demonstrated by the end of the course. Taster/engagement programmes use creative and innovative approaches to engaging individuals who may normally experience barriers to learning. The desired outcome is that learners will progress on to further learning that will lead to further learning and/or employment outcomes. Longer programmes leading to employment outcomes are intended to equip individuals with the skills and confidence needed to be able to access work or accredited learning. The desired outcome is that learners will progress on to employment or accredited learning that will lead to employment. These programmes must be focused on the unemployed, aligned to the Skills Funding Agency funding requirements, the priorities set by CE LL and the needs of local people, communities and, where appropriate, local employers.