Section one: Contracting authority/entity
one.1) Name and addresses
Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA)
Cheylesmore House South, Quinton Road
Coventry
CV1 2WT
esfaprocurement.help@education.gov.uk
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
UK - United Kingdom
Internet address(es)
Main address
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Stimulating the SME Apprenticeship and T Level Market Procurement
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 80000000 - Education and training services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
The Department for Education, acting through the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), are seeking to procure outcome driven plans from intermediaries/partners and partnerships to build on the existing levels of awareness and business benefits amongst Employers and to stimulate and encourage new or renewed participation in Apprenticeships and T Level Industry placements within the Small and Medium Sized Employer (SME) landscape. This focus on SMEs and the new starts created will increase the economic value of skills being supplied by the post 16 system and these improved skills will lead to increased productivity, social mobility and will support economic recovery. A market engagement event will be conducted via Microsoft Teams in early July to provide further detail with regards to this opportunity and an update will be posted via Contracts Finder with details of how to access the event. The intention is to publish the tender opportunity in July 2021 and the procurement will be run via the DfE eTendering Portal URL: https://education.app.jaggaer.com therefore please ensure that your organisation has an account registered on the Jaggaer portal to access the opportunity. Please note that all information in this notice is indicative and subject to change.
Section six. Complementary information
six.6) Original notice reference
Notice number: 2021/S 000-012503
Section seven. Changes
seven.1) Information to be changed or added
seven.1.2) Text to be corrected in the original notice
Section number
II.2
Place of text to be modified
Date of Market engagement event has been amended
Instead of
Date
15 July 2021
Read
Date
7 September 2021
Local time
11:00am
seven.2) Other additional information
The ESFA will be undertaking an online market engagement event at 11.00am on 7th September 2021 for interested parties. The event is anticipated to last approximately 90 minutes and will give interested parties an understanding of the aims of the procurement.
The procurement is expected to commence in November 2021 with contract(s) awarded by April 2022. Further information on the procurement process will be provided at the market engagement event.
If you wish to register to attend the event, please use the link below: Register to attend market engagement event - 7th September 2021: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/stimulating-the-sme-apprenticeship-and-t-level-market-engagement-tickets-166781547097
This Early Engagement Notice is for information and engaging with the supply market only. It is not a binding statement of intent or call for competition. The ESFA reserves the right not to enter a formal procurement process and not award contract(s). The information contained in this notice, including information relating to the nature and scope of the authority's requirements, the service classification of this requirement from the list of CPV codes, is only indicative of the authority's current thinking and is neither exhaustive nor binding. The ESFA reserves the right at its absolute discretion to amend it at the time of issue of any further notices or at any other time.
The ESFA will not be liable for any bid cost, expenditure, work or effort incurred by a provider in acting on the basis of this PIN.