Adult Education Budget Service Contract 1
A Voluntary Ex-Ante Transparency (VEAT) Notice
by WEST MIDLANDS COMBINED AUTHORITY
- Source
- Find a Tender
- Type
- Contract (Services)
- Duration
- 1 year (est.)
- Value
- £9M
- Sector
- PROFESSIONAL
- Published
- 04 May 2022
- Delivery
- To 21 Jun 2023 (est.)
- Deadline
- n/a
Concepts
Location
Birmingham
2 buyers
- West Midlands Combined Authority Birmingham
16 suppliers
- Back 2 Work Complete Training Manchester
- BCTG Birmingham
- Enterkey Training Birmingham
- Gecko Programmes Wolverhampton
- JBC Skill Training Coventry
- Skills Training Harrow
- Vocational Skills Solutions Bury
- Phoenix Training Services Midlands Birmingham
- Serco Hook
- East Birmingham Community Forum Birmingham
- Netcom Training Birmingham
- Pet Xi Coventry
- Pilot Ims Halesowen
- Release Potential Stocksfield
- System Group Weybridge
- Witton Lodge Community Association Birmingham
Description
From the 2019/20 academic year, the WMCA will take responsibility for the region's Adult Education Budget (AEB) and how it is delivered supporting eligible adult learners. The AEB is a key enabler of inclusive growth through the improvement of the qualification levels and skills of our adult residents. Our focus with the AEB is to address key issues including tackling unemployment amongst young people and creating more grass-roots provision to better engage hard to reach communities. We also want to ensure that AEB provision can be targeted to address the needs of key target groups such as care leavers and those over the age of 50. Finally, there are challenges for those residents in work and in low pay who struggle to re-train to access opportunities in our priority sectors including automotive/advanced manufacturing, business and professional services, construction and digital that we will use AEB to support. This service relates to the provision of adult education training services.
Lot Division
| 1 | Support for the Unemployed The provision of Adult Education Services - Lot 1 includes: • general AEB qualifications focussed on tackling unemployment especially but not exclusively amongst young people • Grass-roots delivery to better engage hard-to-reach communities and support priority groups (including care leavers and homeless) • Sector Based Work Academies including flexible funding models for work experience • Entitlement provision at all levels |
| 2 | Support for those already in employment The provision of Adult Education Services - Lot 2 includes: • AEB qualifications delivered flexibly so those working can access them outside of work • Re-training to improve the skills of low-paid and low-skilled workforce • Increased delivery in key sectors - Level 3 qualifications in digital, engineering and construction offered in flexible ways with funding subsidies • Pre-apprenticeship provision that supports the uptake of Apprenticeships |
| 3 | Innovative Delivery The provision of Adult Education Services - Lot 3 includes: Innovative project and pilot-based approaches to respond to needs within the seven constituent local authority areas of the WMCA. Lot 3 provides greater flexibility but providers must ensure that the bid meets the overall ambitions of our adult offer and Regional Skills Plan (RSP). |
Award Detail
| 1 | Back 2 Work Complete Training (Manchester)
|
| 2 | BCTG (Birmingham)
|
| 3 | Enterkey Training (Birmingham)
|
| 4 | Gecko Programmes (Wolverhampton)
|
| 5 | JBC Skill Training (Coventry)
|
| 6 | Skills Training (Harrow)
|
| 7 | Vocational Skills Solutions (Bury)
|
| 8 | Back 2 Work Complete Training (Manchester)
|
| 9 | BCTG (Birmingham)
|
| 10 | Enterkey Training (Birmingham)
|
| 11 | Gecko Programmes (Wolverhampton)
|
| 12 | JBC Skill Training (Coventry)
|
| 13 | Phoenix Training Services Midlands (Birmingham)
|
| 14 | Serco (Hook)
|
| 15 | Skills Training (Harrow)
|
| 16 | Vocational Skills Solutions (Bury)
|
| 17 | East Birmingham Community Forum (Birmingham)
|
| 18 | Enterkey Training (Birmingham)
|
| 19 | Netcom Training (Birmingham)
|
| 20 | Pet Xi (Coventry)
|
| 21 | Pilot Ims (Halesowen)
|
| 22 | Release Potential (Stocksfield)
|
| 23 | System Group (Weybridge)
|
| 24 | Witton Lodge Community Association (Birmingham)
|
Renewal Options
The initial contract period is for 6 months, with an option to extend for a further 6 months (12 months total).
CPV Codes
- 80000000 - Education and training services
Indicators
- Options are available.
- Award on basis of price and quality.
Legal Justification
This contract provides Adult Education Skills and Training throughout the West Midlands Combined Authority area. The impact of the pandemic has been unprecedented and widespread across our residents communities, and businesses and we are currently experiencing a challenging economic picture. Employment is flat, while falling unemployment masks a continuing decline in the size of the labour force as economic inactivity rises. While short-term unemployment is at its lowest ever, long-term unemployment is significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels. Record vacancies signal that employers are finding it increasingly hard to fill posts. And while pay is increasing, soaring inflation means that it is declining in real terms. Taken together, this creates a toxic mix for living standards that will not resolve itself. The provision of training has a key role to play in moving people back into the labour force; improving workplace support; and helping people find good, well-paid employment and progress at work. We want to align our skills funding to be able to deliver maximum impact so we intend to procure provision collectively – meaning we are aiming to run a single procurement opportunity for Adult Education Budget, National Skills Fund and Multiply. The estimated length of time expected to be able to create the new offering is anticipated to be in the region of 6 to 12 months. We are therefore intending to let the contract for an initial period of 6 months with the option to extend for a further 6 month period. To ensure service continuity, the West Midlands Combined Authority has taken the decision to award the contract to their current providers (please see list above), under Regulation 32 of the Procurement Regulations 2015 as the Services consist of a repetition of similar services entrusted to the current providers which are the same as or similar to the Services awarded under their original contracts.
Other Information
Funding awarded through the AEB commissioning process is classified as being clean in terms of being able to be matched with EU structural investment funds (e.g. ESF). Organisations commissioned to deliver AEB-funded provision must not endeavour to independently match AEB funding to any other funding stream without the express and complicit consent of the WMCA. As stated elsewhere in this notice, the initial contract period is for 6 months, with an option to extend for a further 6 months (12 months total). The current contracts end on the 31st July 2022, the new ones will commence from 1st August 2022. For the purposes of maximum transparency, this is the first of 2 VEAT notices published by the WMCA in respect of the provision of Adult Education Services. The title of the second notice is Adult Education Budget Service Contract 2.
Reference
- FTS 011470-2022