Higher education services

Tender description

Delivery of training for policing and associated academic and support services, including initial police training defined by the College of Policing PEQF curriculum, i.e. the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) and Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP) leading to a Graduate Diploma in Professional Policing Practice. The contract also includes the provision of a part-time option for the above programmes and a number of academic and training-related services to support the ongoing professionalisation of police training across the wider Force. The contract may also expand to include education and assessment for additional related pathways not currently defined, within the overall scope of the contract. GMCA intends to award a single contract for the delivery of all services under this procurement, but welcomes bids from groups of economic operators (partnerships, consortia, SPVs or those proposing delivery through a prime/subcontractor mechanism), subject to a full assessment of the contractual risk of each specific arrangement. Full details of the requirements of this contract are available as part of the tender documents, however the chosen supplier will: — lead academic learning for the Force and deliver this within the Greater Manchester footprint; — deliver training year-round with periodic student intakes; — deliver high-quality learning programmes whilst minimising abstraction [i.e. the time officers are unavailable for duty]; — provide the technologies needed to deliver learning through online methods; — manage the learning data required for accreditation; — manage the programmes to ensure apprenticeship rules are met; — help the Force to achieve wider learning transformation through the design of the programme; and — support the Force to increase the diversity and social mobility of recruits. The contract will primarily incorporate two defined elements: 1) development and delivery of initial training for policing under the PEQF, and 2) a programme of Professional Development Transformation (PDT), consisting of CPD for existing constables, a leadership training offer for all staff and officers and academic governance to support the professionalisation of training in-line with the Force’s People Strategy. The PEQF and PDT elements of the contract will be assessed and scored separately, with weightings applied according to the methodology outlined, along with the requirements, in the tender documents. The estimated upper cost of the contract is GBP 49 million over 10 years, as defined in the outline business case for the implementation of the PEQF at GMP. However, no volumes or values are guaranteed under any element of this contract. The OJEU contract notice states a contract value of GBP 55 million, which includes an additional contingency of approximately 12 %, to mitigate against the risk of any unforeseen rise in spend during the life of the contract, whether through increased costs or unanticipated demand. It should be noted that the authority is seeking highly competitive bids, offering exceptional value for money, but due consideration will be given, within the assessment of tenders, to the ability of suppliers to deliver the required services to the correct standards within the proposed costs. The initial contract term will allow for student intakes up to five (5) years from the date of contract award. The contract may be extended to allow intakes for a further two (2) years. The chosen provider should accommodate inflight students to complete their course beyond the final intake. The maximum contract term will therefore depend on the run off period required for inflight intakes.