Education and training services

Tender description

The purpose of this prior information notice (PIN) is to notify the market that the Department for Education (DfE) will be undertaking an online market engagement event on 25 September 2020 for providers interested in bidding for the procurement of delivery of the reformed National Leaders of Governance (NLG) programme. The department’s vision is to see robust and effective governance in every school and academy trust. As the first line of accountability, the department recognises that high quality, effective and ethical governance is key to success in our school system and for the future of children and young people. Where governance is weak, there is increased risk of poor academic performance and poor financial management. The NLG reforms will deliver high-quality support to schools and trusts, identify the underlying causes of weak governance and make improvements. We will deliver through a targeted approach, aligning with DfE governance and school/trust improvement provision, to target schools and trusts where governance is weak. The reforms will recruit, train and deploy a high calibre cadre of experts in school and trust governance to deliver peer-led support for governance improvement. Contracts will run for an initial period of 2 years from April 2021 to March 2023 with provision to extend for two further single year periods. Consortium bids, particularly including or led by multi-academy trusts are welcomed. As part of our scope we are looking to utilise expertise from strong, well-governed multi-academy trusts and further build capacity so that, in the future, trusts will be well-placed to deliver governance improvement support. This procurement is subject to the ongoing 2020 comprehensive spending review and the DfE reserves the right to not procure the services outlined below following the culmination of this review. To achieve our aims, it is expected that lead providers will as a minimum need to • Identify and recruit high quality candidates, including from within the current cadre of NLGs that meet the eligibility criteria and standards required. Make appropriate, fair and equitable contractual and payment arrangements with all NLGs. • Design and implement a robust, two-stage process, which enables rigorous assessment against new NLG standards and enables testing of expertise in specific governance sectors. The process should assess the knowledge and skills of applicants, using the new NLG standards as a basis for developing detailed requirements. Make recommendations to DfE for the designation of individual NLGs. • Design and deliver induction and annual training that will provide a high-quality learning experience that recognises and builds on the expertise of NLGs. • Set up and manage a straightforward commissioning process, so that DfE teams and others can readily request NLG support (in line with agreed funding triggers). Within set agreed timescales identify NLG with appropriate skills and experience and deploy into trusts and schools. • Design and deliver a proportionate, regular, light-touch, quality assurance of NLG delivery to inform the provider’s annual performance or contract management of NLGs. Gather evidence for 3 yearly reviews of designation, and assess and submit recommendation for the retention or removal of designation to DfE. • Collect and report on specified management information data, undertake self-evaluation and build in continuous improvement and lessons learned throughout the contract lifetime to ensure that findings feed into delivery on an ongoing basis. • Demonstrate that proposed costs are based on efficient models of delivery to maximise the overall number of boards supported and individuals placed and trained within available resources. Provide a strong return on investment and good value for money for the department. Indicative timeline An online market engagement event will be held on 25 September 2020. More details, including how to attend this event, will be provided in due course. Subject to SR, procurement is expected to open in late October 2020 with contracts being awarded in February 2021. More information on the procurement process will be provided following market engagement through the invitation to tender process.