Published date: 7 May 2024

Awarded contract - This means that the contract has been awarded to a supplier.


Closing: 13 December 2023, 5pm

Contract summary

Industry

  • Education and training services - 80000000

  • Health services - 85100000

Location of contract

United Kingdom

Value of contract

£6,500,000

Procurement reference

C1242

Published date

7 May 2024

Closing date

13 December 2023

Closing time

5pm

Contract start date

1 September 2024

Contract end date

31 August 2027

Contract type

Service contract

Procedure type

Open procedure (above threshold)

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

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

Contract is suitable for SMEs?

Yes

Contract is suitable for VCSEs?

No

Description

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as the Contracting Authority wishes to establish a potential contract with a third-party delivery partner to undertake Quality Assurance of educational institutions across the UK on their behalf to ensure protection of the public.

Quality Assurance (QA) of education is one of the key regulatory activities of the NMC. It gives us the confidence that education institutions are meeting our standards for education and training. This helps us to know that students who have successfully completed an approved programme are meeting the standards of proficiency that we require before they join our register and deliver safe, kind and effective care - it's one of the ways we fulfil our duty to protect the public. If QA identifies that an education institution isn't meeting our standards, we must take action so the education institution returns to compliance. This will ensure that there is public confidence in our role in nursing, midwifery and nursing associate education and encourages the education institution to remain responsible for meeting our standards.

The responsibilities of the NMC for education and training are set out in the Nursing and Midwifery Order (The Nursing and Midwifery Order, Part IV Education and Training, 2001). The NMC has a responsibility to ensure that education institutions providing education and training of nurses, midwives and nursing associates meet our requirements and standards.

The role of the Quality Assurance Service Partner (QASP) will be directed towards monitoring activities, including coordinating and facilitating monitoring visits, extraordinary reviews and listening events, along with supporting annual monitoring, undertaking thematic analysis and identifying trends in intelligence and making recommendations to support our QA decision-making. This shift of focus provides an opportunity to review our education QA requirements, as we look to procure a QASP best able to support us to fulfil our regulatory function, offering agility and innovative solutions to implementing the QA framework, ensuring that our EDI Strategy and plan remains at the forefront of the work we do, as move to indefinite approval and focus on robust risk-based monitoring.

Initial contract is for 36 months with an option to extend up to a further 24-month possible extension in 2 annual increments of 12 months (subject to excellent performance at the end of the initial terms). Please respond to this procurement by registering your interest via the NMC e-Sourcing portal ("e-Sourcing Portal") https://nmcprocurementportal.force.com/s/Welcome

Please note the following project name and reference number allocated to this procurement process ('Procurement') within the e-Sourcing Portal:
Project Name Provision of Education Quality Assurance Services
Project Reference C1242

More information

Previous notice about this procurement

Provision of Education Quality Assurance Services

  • Opportunity
  • Published 1 November 2023

Additional text

The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at https://nmcprocurementportal.force.com/s/Welcome

Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address.

Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted electronically via https://nmcprocurementportal.force.com/s/Welcome

Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted to the above- mentioned address.

Award information

Awarded date

24 April 2024

Contract start date

1 September 2024

Contract end date

31 August 2027

Total value of contract

£5,902,114.98

This contract was awarded to 1 supplier.

The Quality Assurance Agency

Address

Southgate House
Southgate Street
Gloucester
GL1 1UB

Reference

Companies House number: 03344784

Supplier is SME?

Yes

Supplier is VCSE?

No

Attachments

About the buyer

Contact name

Rahat Khalil

Address

23 Portland Place
LONDON
W1B1PZ
England

Telephone

+44 207 333 6524

Email

procurement@nmc-uk.org