Published date: 8 April 2024

Last edited date: 21 March 2025

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: 17 April 2025, 12pm

Contract summary

Industry

  • Education and training services - 80000000

Location of contract

England

Value of contract

£25,000 to £150,000

Procurement reference

BUCKSH001-DN710708-71971513

Published date

8 April 2024

Closing date

17 April 2025

Closing time

12pm

Contract start date

1 August 2025

Contract end date

31 July 2026

Contract type

Service contract

Procedure type

Other

Contract is suitable for SMEs?

Yes

Contract is suitable for VCSEs?

Yes

Description

Buckinghamshire Adult Learning (BAL) is a service area within Buckinghamshire Council (the Council), which has contracts with the Education Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) to deliver training opportunities funded by them. Much of these are directly delivered by BAL but, in order to fully use its Adult Skills Fund (ASF) allocation and ensure it addresses the key priorities of both the Council and the ESFA, it subcontracts part of its delivery. This enables BAL to deliver to target markets and in geographical areas that it would otherwise be unable to reach.

In the context of this procurement potential providers and bidders are hereafter referred to as subcontractors.

In 2024 BAL established a list of approved providers (subcontractors) for a period of three years maximum, with the option to open annually, or more frequently if required, to invite more to join the list. The opportunity titled Adult Learning - Delivery of Learning (2024) was published on Contracts Finder on 8 April 2024, and last edited on 10 April 2024.

Original opportunity published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/0dc0da39-18b9-4672-9466-c1721241b91f

In line with the opportunity above BAL is now re-opening this procurement process for the 2025/2026 academic year, for a period of two years maximum, to reach out to additional delivery partners in specific areas of delivery needed to meet the skills gaps within Buckinghamshire.

All potential providers admitted to the Approved Providers List (i.e. approved providers) will be invited to participate to submit bids in a mini competition to win funding to deliver Adult Education Budget (AEB) and future Adult Skills Funding (ASF) on behalf of The Council. These subcontractors will allow the Council to:

• To provide immediate provision whilst expanding direct capacity. This might include working with sub-contractors to explore and learn about new sectors prior to investment in resources;
• Diversify our provision in terms of scope or scale including the development of new SSA areas or geographies linked to new or existing business contacts that BAL alone could not sufficiently provide coverage;
• To provide access to, or engagement with, a new range of customers;
• Support smaller providers to develop and grow their specialist provision and improve their quality.

The contract values published are the estimate value for individual contracts.

More information

Previous notice about this procurement

Adult Learning - Delivery of Learning (2024)

  • Opportunity
  • Published 8 April 2024, last edited 10 April 2024

Links

About the buyer

Contact name

Anne Snell

Address

Walton Street Offices
Aylesbury
HP20 1UA
United Kingdom

Telephone

+44 1296383467

Email

anne.snell@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

Website

https://www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/