Education and training services

Tender description

The Department for Education acting through the Education and Skills Funding Agency (the Authority) is undertaking a procurement in order to support the expansion of the traineeships reform and expansion programme (the ‘Traineeship Programme’). Through this procurement, the Authority intends to award contracts to quality training providers who will deliver traineeships in England for those aged nineteen (19) to twenty-four (24) in order to meet the increased demand from young people who, as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic, may have fewer employment choices available to them. The Authority is conducting a light touch procurement in accordance with Section 7 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015) applying the principles of the open procedure as set out in the PCR 2015 and more particularly within the procurement documents, with an accelerated timetable. The Authority is seeking to appoint contractors to deliver traineeships in order to support the high-quality growth of the Traineeship Programme, as set out in the framework for delivery of traineeships 2020-2021. The Traineeship Programme is a national programme which is funded from the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s Adult Education Budget (AEB) for programmes delivered to those aged nineteen (19) to twenty-four (24). The AEB funds learner participation, and learner and learning support. The principal purpose of traineeships within the AEB is to engage young adults and provide the skills and learning they need to equip them for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. Potential contractors will need to demonstrate in their tender how they can quickly establish strong relationships with employers, Jobcentres, the National Careers Service (NCS), Local Enterprise Partnerships and other local partners to recruit learners, including through referrals from Jobcentres, and to tailor the Traineeship Programme to real-time needs of the Learner and local labour market. Potential contractors are referred to the specification at section 2 of the procurement documents for full details of the requirements of the Traineeship Programme and the obligations they will be required to fulfil if they are awarded a contract. The Authority intends to award contracts for a period to commence at the end of January 2021 and expiring on 31 July 2023 (the ‘Contract Period’) subject to earlier termination in accordance with the terms of the form of contract in the procurement documents (the ‘Contract’). Potential contractors are referred to section II.2.11) below for information about potential extensions to the contract period. Potential contractors should note that the estimated value of the contracts as set out in section II.1.5) for the entire contract period including all possible extensions is GBP 380.5 million. Potential contractors are referred to the Read Me First in the procurement documents which sets out further information on how this figure is broken down. Potential contractors shall note that funding for the contracts is only guaranteed for the period from the 1 February 2021 to 31 July 2021 and that the total funding anticipated to be allocated to successful potential contractors at contract award will be GBP 65 million across nine geographical regions as detailed in the Read Me First in the procurement documents. Potential contractors should note that the Authority does not guarantee any level of funding, or even funding at all beyond 31 July 2021. Potential contractors should further note that the contract value stated in this OJEU contract notice is an estimate and does not put, and should not be interpreted as putting the Authority under any obligation to award contracts up to this or any value.