Education and training services

In May 2017 the system for the funding and procurement of apprenticeship training changed with the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy, which will require public sector employers with a pay bill over 3 million GBP each year to make an investment in apprenticeships (0.5 % of their annual pay bill).

Employers will access the funds through a Digital Apprenticeship Account (DAA) controlled by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). The DAA will be hosted on a system known as the digital Apprenticeship Service (AS). Each levy-paying employer will have 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 %.

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).

This procurement is being undertaken by Places for People Procurement Hub the contracting authority for itself and as lead authority for the benefit of other organisations that will be set out in the contract notice. Accordingly, it is the intention that these other UK public organisations should be able to rely on this procurement to purchase such goods and services without the need for any further procurement process. The Hub can be joined by Contracting Authorities and stream-lines processes for members of the Hub, reducing time and expense incurred in such procurement processes.

The principle of the Apprenticeship DPS is to group the provision of Apprenticeships training services that Procurement Hub and other contracting authority clients require under the new Apprenticeships Levy provisions and market the services ensuring quality and value for money allowing a range of contracting authorities to join the Hub and get best value services. The core DPS will be owned by Procurement Hub.

Apprenticeship spend that will be managed through this agreement will be grown organically. The successful suppliers will be expected to work with Procurement Hub to develop it and encourage its growth. In addition to being available to other Procurement Hub Members, Places for People have several departments and subsidiaries that have a requirement for Apprenticeship training services who may use this DPS as a vehicle to procure their demand.

This agreement will therefore provide an OJEU compliant platform which the Procurement Hub members (including Places for People Group) can procure a range of Apprenticeship training services via the subsequent tender process.

The DPS will be not be divided into defined Lots. Instead contractors are asked to follow this link http://dpsapplication.procurementhub.co.uk?d=Apprenticeships DPS and enter your organisation’s details and the areas/services you are able to undertake. Suppliers can apply for as many Apprenticeship types as they wish. The scope will include all of the new current (and future) apprenticeship standards, and a selection of some of the outgoing apprenticeships frameworks.

In addition to providing details on the work that can be provided, contractors are also asked to provide details of the post code areas in which these works can be provided. Invitations to tender will be on a project by project basis and all suppliers who pass this SQ and meet the Client’s requirement in terms of apprenticeship type and geographical coverage will be invited to tender. Although the opportunity is not divided into defined Lots, the skills and postcode matrix will in effect create multiple virtual Lots.