Published date: 25 October 2017

Last edited date: 25 October 2017

Closed opportunity - This means that the contract is currently closed. The buying department may be considering suppliers that have already applied, or no suitable offers were made.


Closing: 1 November 2017

Contract summary

Industry

  • Vocational training services - 80530000

Location of contract

Any region

Value of contract

£0

Procurement reference

CCDE17A05

Published date

25 October 2017

Closing date

1 November 2017

Contract start date

14 November 2017

Contract end date

8 November 2020

Contract type

Service contract

Procedure type

Open procedure (below threshold)

Any interested supplier may submit a tender in response to an opportunity notice.

This procedure can be used for procurements below the relevant contract value threshold.

Contract is suitable for SMEs?

Yes

Contract is suitable for VCSEs?

No

Description

3.4 In May 2017 the system for the funding and procurement of apprenticeship training changed with the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy, which requires public sector employers with a pay bill over £3 million each year to make an investment in apprenticeships (0.5% of their annual pay bill).
3.5 Employers will access the funds through a Digital Apprenticeship Account (DAA) controlled by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). The DAA is hosted on a system known as the digital Apprenticeship Service (AS). Each levy-paying employer has a virtual account equivalent in value to its contribution, minus an amount equivalent to the notional contribution for its employees that live in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, plus a government top-up of 10%.
3.6 Funds in the Digital Account can only be used to cover the cost of apprenticeship training and end point assessment for apprenticeships undertaken in England. To access the funds employers will need to show, through the AS, that it has a contract for the delivery of a recognised apprenticeship, by a registered provider. For these purposes a registered provider is a training provider that appears on the ESFA Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers (RoATP). Recognised apprenticeships must be approved by the Institute for Apprenticeships, or SASE Frameworks. Apprenticeship standards and framework are assigned a funding band maximum, above which the ESFA will not contribute to the cost of the training.
3.7 The aim of this procurement is to contract with a Supplier of level 3 and level 4 business administration.
3.8 The successful supplier is to provide ongoing support to the apprentice beyond the contract term until the apprentiship is completed up to a period of 5 years.

More information

Attachments

Additional text

How to apply Instructions to Potential Providers:

Potential Providers must first be registered on the Crown Commercial Service e-Sourcing Suite in order to respond to the Procurement. If you have not yet registered on the e-Sourcing Suite, this can be done online at https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk by following the link 'Register for CCS e-Sourcing'.

Please note that, to register, you must have a valid DUNS number (as provided by Dun and Bradstreet) for the organisation which you are registering, who will be entering into a contract if invited to do so at the Invitation to Tender stage. Potential Providers should note that it could take up to 10 working days to obtain a DUNS number.
Full instructions for registration and use of the system can be found at:
http://gps.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/i-am-supplier/respond-tender

Once you have registered on the e-Sourcing Suite, you will need to express your interest by emailing ExpressionOfInterest@Crowncommercial.gov.uk [The dead line for expressing an interest in the Request for Information event is [insert time, day and date (DD/MM/YYYY)]] [Delete if not applicable (ie Open competitions)]

Your email must clearly state:
- name/reference of this procurement
- the name of the registered supplier; and
- the name and contact details

Crown Commercial Service will then process your registration and assign your organisation to the opportunity. The registered user will receive a notification email to alert them once this has been done.

It is advised however that Potential Providers register as soon as practically possible in order to receive the Invitation to Tender and have a sufficient amount of time to respond. Crown Commercial Service is not able to offer any extensions to the advertised procurement timetable.

For technical assistance on use of the e-Sourcing Suite please contact the
Helpdesk:
Freephone: 0345 010 3503
Email: supplier@Crowncommercial.gov.uk

About the buyer

Contact name

Crown Commercial Service

Address

Floor 9, The Capital Building, Old Hall Street
Liverpool
L3 9PP
England

Telephone

3450103503

Email

supplier@crowncommercial.gov.uk

Website

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/crown-commercial-service