Opportunity

S10353 Apprenticeships Training & End Point Framework,April 2024 Opening

  • SALISBURY NHS FOUNDATION TRUST

F02: Contract notice

Notice reference: 2024/S 000-010858

Published 4 April 2024, 9:18am



Section one: Contracting authority

one.1) Name and addresses

SALISBURY NHS FOUNDATION TRUST

Salisbury Managed Procurement Services

Salisbury

SP2 8BJ

Contact

Simon Dennis

Email

sft.commercial@nhs.net

Telephone

+44 1722336262

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code

UK - United Kingdom

NHS Organisation Data Service

RNZ

Internet address(es)

Main address

www.salisbury.nhs.uk

one.2) Information about joint procurement

The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body

one.3) Communication

The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at

https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/c06b3c20-93b5-42a1-a064-22316d01fe1c

Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address

Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted electronically via

https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/c06b3c20-93b5-42a1-a064-22316d01fe1c

one.4) Type of the contracting authority

Body governed by public law

one.5) Main activity

Health


Section two: Object

two.1) Scope of the procurement

two.1.1) Title

S10353 Apprenticeships Training & End Point Framework,April 2024 Opening

Reference number

S10353_0424

two.1.2) Main CPV code

  • 80000000 - Education and training services

two.1.3) Type of contract

Services

two.1.4) Short description

This Framework was established in February 2021 to replace the previous Dynamic Purchasing System operated by Salisbury NHSFT.

This Framework operates at two levels - Level One, where any suitably qualified and eligible provider can submit details of all the apprenticeships they offer, and employers can then either direct award or, via Salisbury, conduct a further competition against their local needs. Level Two will be a smaller number of providers for a specific standard, appointed via a Further Competition, using a higher selection criteria published with each ITT.

Both levels of listing are open across all our eligible public and third sector organisations. Level Two listed providers can be selected either by employer direct award or a further competition amongst those listed.

This Requirement document covers the April 2024 opening of the Framework and constitutes Instructions to Suppliers including mandatory requirements.

All Providers must agree to the Framework terms and conditions published as part of the Invitation to Tender (ITT) - amendments to those Terms will not be made for specific providers.

Please note the final selection of providers to award for a specific requirement is a decision for employers and this Framework does not represent a spend commitment by any organisation.

Incorrectly submitted responses will be rejected and the Trust is not obliged to offer an opportunity for suppliers to resubmit correctly.

The framework opens twice a year to allow for the following :

1 - Existing providers to update their course listing (using the Excel document issued, previous framework documents will not be considered)

2 - New providers to apply to join the Framework

3 - Existing providers to advise of changes in their status, e.g. contact details or Ofsted rating, achievement rates, delivery methods etc.

4 - To allow for new standards approved by IfATE to be added to listings, or IfATE amended maximum funding bands to be reflected.

Existing providers MUST submit a response to this Opening if :

(a) The courses offered have changed since previous listing (including withdrawing programmes)

(b) The Provider did not submit a response during the April 2023 or October 23 opening (providers not doing so, and not responding to this opening, will be removed)

(c) The Provider's Ofsted rating has changed since previous submission.

two.1.5) Estimated total value

Value excluding VAT: £1,500,000,000

two.1.6) Information about lots

This contract is divided into lots: No

two.2) Description

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UK - United Kingdom

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

This Framework was established in February 2021 to replace the previous Dynamic Purchasing System operated by Salisbury NHSFT.

This Framework operates at two levels - Level One, where any suitably qualified and eligible provider can submit details of all the apprenticeships they offer, and employers can then either direct award or, via Salisbury, conduct a further competition against their local needs. Level Two will be a smaller number of providers for a specific standard, appointed via a Further Competition, using a higher selection criteria published with each ITT.

Both levels of listing are open across all our eligible public and third sector organisations. Level Two listed providers can be selected either by employer direct award or a further competition amongst those listed.

This Requirement document covers the April 2024 opening of the Framework and constitutes Instructions to Suppliers including mandatory requirements.

All Providers must agree to the Framework terms and conditions published as part of the Invitation to Tender (ITT) - amendments to those Terms will not be made for specific providers.

Please note the final selection of providers to award for a specific requirement is a decision for employers and this Framework does not represent a spend commitment by any organisation.

Incorrectly submitted responses will be rejected and the Trust is not obliged to offer an opportunity for suppliers to resubmit correctly.

The framework opens twice a year to allow for the following :

1 - Existing providers to update their course listing (using the Excel document issued, previous framework documents will not be considered)

2 - New providers to apply to join the Framework

3 - Existing providers to advise of changes in their status, e.g. contact details or Ofsted rating, achievement rates, delivery methods etc.

4 - To allow for new standards approved by IfATE to be added to listings, or IfATE amended maximum funding bands to be reflected.

Existing providers MUST submit a response to this Opening if :

(a) The courses offered have changed since previous listing (including withdrawing programmes)

(b) The Provider did not submit a response during the April 2023 or October 23 opening (providers not doing so, and not responding to this opening, will be removed)

(c) The Provider's Ofsted rating has changed since previous submission.

two.2.5) Award criteria

Price is not the only award criterion and all criteria are stated only in the procurement documents

two.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system

Duration in months

12

This contract is subject to renewal

No

two.2.10) Information about variants

Variants will be accepted: No

two.2.11) Information about options

Options: No

two.2.14) Additional information

Framework Scope & Eligible Organisations

The Contracting Authority expressly reserved the right (i) not to award any contract as a result of the procurement process commenced by publication of this notice; and (ii) to make whatever changes it saw fit to the content and structure of the tendering competition; and in no circumstances will the Contracting Authority be liable for any costs incurred by the candidates.

The awarding of a place on the Framework does not mean that there is any guarantee of subsequent contracts being awarded. Any expenditure, work or effort undertaken prior to contract award is accordingly a matter solely for the commercial judgement of potential suppliers. Any orders placed under this Framework will form a separate contract under the scope of this Framework between the supplier and the specific requesting other contracting body. The Contracting Authority and other contracting bodies utilising the Framework shall only use electronic portals during the life of the agreement.

Any values that have been provided are only an estimate. We cannot guarantee to suppliers any business through this framework agreement.

The Framework has been established by Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust, for use by the following bodies (and any future successors to these organisations):

The following Contracting Authorities are entitled to place Orders:

Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust and all bodies listed below :

• Central Government Departments, Executive Agencies, Arms Length Departmental Bodies and Public Corporations (Please note Central Government departments may be subject to Government Digital Service approval before using the Framework Agreement)

• Local Authorities (England and Wales)

• National Parks Authorities

• Educational Establishments in England and Wales, listed by the Department for Education including Schools, Universities and Colleges listed :

• Police Forces and Fire and Rescue Services listed by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services

• NHS Bodies England :

NHS Integrated Care Boards

NHS Provider Organisations

Primary Care Practices listed by the NHS Business Services Authority

• Hospices in the UK

• Registered Social Landlords (Housing Associations)

• Charities registered within England and Wales

• Citizens Advice in the United Kingdom

• Any corporation established, or a group of individuals appointed to act together, for the specific purpose of meeting needs in the general interest, not having an industrial or commercial character, and (i) financed wholly or mainly by another contracting authority listed above in this section of this Framework Agreement.


Section three. Legal, economic, financial and technical information

three.1) Conditions for participation

three.1.1) Suitability to pursue the professional activity, including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers

List and brief description of conditions

Supplier Eligibility

In order to be approved onto the Framework, providers must :

• Be fully registered on the Register of Approved Training Providers (where offering apprenticeship training provision) and/or the Register of End Point Assessment Organisations (where offering end point assessment).

• Provide (for all programmes) at least one resit for every exam, assessment, or module (including repeated years) free of charge, and one retake at End Point Assessment (regardless of appointed EPAO where not integrated)

• Where an Ofsted rating has been issued, this must be Grade 1 (Outstanding) or Grade 2 (Good). Where an Ofsted Monitoring Report has been issued, this must be either for Significant Progress or Reasonable Progress. Organisations with a current rating of "Requires Improvement" or "Inadequate" may not apply.

• Organisations experiencing a reduction in their Ofsted rating / visit to a rating below the above criteria must notify Salisbury immediately, and will be suspended from the Framework until their Ofsted rating meets the criteria above. Employers with existing contracts with such providers may continue to order through Salisbury.

• Organisations without a current Ofsted rating / visit may still apply but must meet all other quality criteria.

• Providers must, for each Apprenticeship they are wishing to be listed for, provide details of starts / completions / success and attrition on their Framework Response form. Any provider with more than 50% of their starts on an Apprenticeship who fail to complete that Apprenticeship will not be listed for that standard.

• No Providers offering a cost above the ESFA funding band for the apprenticeship will be listed for that Apprenticeship.

• Where a Standard requires Professional Body approval to deliver, the Provider must either (a) have that approval in place at the time of submitting that Standard onto the framework, or (b) be reasonably expecting to gain that approval before the next scheduled opening of the Framework (and must provide evidence to support this). Where neither of these criteria can be fulfilled, the Provider must wait until the next opening of the Framework to submit that Standard. Where employers / regions run a Further Competition for that standard, providers may respond with a roadmap to professional body accreditation acceptable to the Employers.

• University providers must agree not to use UCAS points or other academic criteria above any listed in the Apprenticeship Standard as selection criteria for any programme, and must work with employers to accept prior or experiential learning, including bridging programmes, in order to accept learners onto programme.

• Where a qualification/exam is included by the Provider but not mandated in the standard (e.g. accounting membership) the requirement for the Provider to include free resits still applies, and the Provider must also offer the apprenticeship without additional content (meeting the full requirement of the Apprenticeship Standard) should the Employer wish.

• The Provider will always deliver the most recent version of the Apprenticeship Standard as defined by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.

• Providers must provide either Carbon Reduction Plans or a Net Zero Statement in line with the NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap. Note that this Framework counts as a single contract, regardless of the number of call-offs, and therefore providers should pay close attention to the £5m annual contract value threshold between a Net Zero Statement and a Carbon Reduction Plan.

• Where relevant to the Apprenticeships delivered, the Provider must agree, sign, and register with UVAC, the National Progression Agreement in recognising the Senior Healthcare Support Worker standard as prior learning when apprentices wish to progress to higher apprenticeship standards.

three.1.2) Economic and financial standing

Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents

three.1.3) Technical and professional ability

Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents

three.2) Conditions related to the contract

three.2.3) Information about staff responsible for the performance of the contract

Obligation to indicate the names and professional qualifications of the staff assigned to performing the contract


Section four. Procedure

four.1) Description

four.1.1) Type of procedure

Open procedure

four.1.3) Information about a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system

The procurement involves the establishment of a framework agreement

Framework agreement with several operators

four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes

four.2) Administrative information

four.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate

Date

7 May 2024

Local time

5:00pm

four.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted

English

four.2.6) Minimum time frame during which the tenderer must maintain the tender

Duration in months: 12 (from the date stated for receipt of tender)

four.2.7) Conditions for opening of tenders

Date

8 May 2024

Local time

9:00am


Section six. Complementary information

six.1) Information about recurrence

This is a recurrent procurement: Yes

six.2) Information about electronic workflows

Electronic ordering will be used

Electronic invoicing will be accepted

Electronic payment will be used

six.4) Procedures for review

six.4.1) Review body

The High Court, England and Wales

London

Country

United Kingdom