Tender

Assessed and Supported Year in Employment

  • Department for Education

F02: Contract notice

Notice identifier: 2021/S 000-019848

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-02d4f7

Published 13 August 2021, 10:45pm



Section one: Contracting authority

one.1) Name and addresses

Department for Education

Sanctuary Buildings, 20, Great Smith Street

London

SW1P 3BT

Email

DfE.ASYE@education.gov.uk

Telephone

+44 00000000

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code

UK - United Kingdom

Internet address(es)

Main address

www.gov.uk

one.3) Communication

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

https://education.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html

Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address

Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted electronically via

https://education.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html

Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted to the above-mentioned address

Electronic communication requires the use of tools and devices that are not generally available. Unrestricted and full direct access to these tools and devices is possible, free of charge, at

https://education.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html

one.4) Type of the contracting authority

Ministry or any other national or federal authority

one.5) Main activity

Education


Section two: Object

two.1) Scope of the procurement

two.1.1) Title

Assessed and Supported Year in Employment

two.1.2) Main CPV code

  • 85300000 - Social work and related services

two.1.3) Type of contract

Services

two.1.4) Short description

Current contract for Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) is due to expire at the end of March 2022.We are looking for a contractor who can build on the current strengths of the programme by improving quality assurance and supporting and challenging employers to make improvements to achieve a high-quality, nationally consistent ASYE offer for all Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSW) We expect the contractor to be the face of the child and family ASYE programme within the sector and provide meaningful support to employers and their employees involved in the delivery of the ASYE programme, including providing a best practice quality assurance framework for employers to quality assure their own provision, and other resources, tools and guidance that support a high-quality ASYE experience for NQSWs.

The contractor will be expected to understand the user experience of ASYE and ensure that the voice of the NQSW is at the heart of any continuous development of the ASYE programme.

The Department is holding a market engagement event on Thursday 19th August 2021 09:00 – 10:00 via Microsoft Teams to enable interested suppliers to

• Get a clear understanding of the Department 's requirements for ASYE and timelines

Register your wish to attend via Jaggaer.

1-2-1 sessions available to book on 1st September (PM), Thursday 2nd September, Friday 3rd September (PM). Please request via Jaggaer

two.1.6) Information about lots

This contract is divided into lots: No

two.2) Description

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 75000000 - Administration, defence and social security services
  • 80000000 - Education and training services
  • 80400000 - Adult and other education services
  • 80500000 - Training services
  • 80510000 - Specialist training services
  • 80521000 - Training programme services
  • 80530000 - Vocational training services
  • 85000000 - Health and social work services

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKC - North East (England)
  • UKD - North West (England)
  • UKE - Yorkshire and the Humber
  • UKF - East Midlands (England)
  • UKG - West Midlands (England)
  • UKH - East of England
  • UKI - London
  • UKJ - South East (England)
  • UKK - South West (England)

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

The Department is holding a market engagement event on Thursday 19th August 2021 09:00 – 10:00 via Microsoft Teams to enable interested suppliers to

• Get a clear understanding of the Department 's requirements for ASYE and timelines

Register your wish to attend via Jaggaer.

1-2-1 sessions available to book on 1st September (PM), Thursday 2nd September, Friday 3rd September (PM).

The procurement exercise is to award a single contract to deliver the funding and support for employers to deliver a comprehensive programme for NQSWs that is effective in providing support in their first year of practice and tailored to meet the needs of participants on the programme. This procurement seeks to deliver consistency of the ASYE programme across England. The programme needs to provide meaningful engagement with employers and NQSWs to continue to build on programme strengths and further the impact of improving the quality of social work practice and retention of child and family social workers from all backgrounds.

The successful contractor will be required to develop and manage a system to administer payments to employers and associated registration and administration activity. This system should be capable of administering grant funding to employers in an efficient and effective manner and allow employers to register as providers of the ASYE programme. This includes allowing employers to register when individual social workers commence, transfer, withdraw or complete their ASYE. The system must also be capable of transitioning the current database of ASYE candidates and employers as part of any transition, and be capable of making payments to employers with current participants for whom payments are outstanding as at 31 March 2022.

The successful contractor will be required to establish and build relationships with the sector and effectively communicate the requirements of the ASYE programme including details of how to participate, access funding and the responsibilities of each party. The successful contractor will also be required to identify and support employers to develop, implement and share best practice, including establishing a best practice quality assurance framework for the ASYE programme for employers to quality assure their own provision, and other resources, tools and guidance that support a high-quality ASYE experience for NQSWs. The contractor will be the public face of the ASYE in the sector and should be seen to be leading the drive for effective delivery.

The contractor will be required to encourage and challenge employers to improve the support they are offering, so that all NQSWs get a consistently high standard of support regardless of their location. This development offer should enable every NQSW to complete their ASYE as a confident and competent practitioner, who meets the standards expected, as set out in the PQS for child and family social workers.

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

Start date

1 April 2022

End date

31 March 2024

This contract is subject to renewal

Yes

Description of renewals

Option to extend for up to a further two years

two.2.10) Information about variants

Variants will be accepted: No

two.2.11) Information about options

Options: No

two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds

The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No

two.2.14) Additional information

The Department is holding a market engagement event on Thursday 19th August 2021 09:00 – 10:00 via Microsoft Teams to enable interested suppliers to

• Get a clear understanding of the Department 's requirements for ASYE and timelines

Register your wish to attend via Jaggaer.

1-2-1 sessions available to book on 1st September (PM), Thursday 2nd September, Friday 3rd September (PM).


Section four. Procedure

four.1) Description

four.1.1) Type of procedure

Open procedure

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

1 October 2021

Local time

12:00pm

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: 6 (from the date stated for receipt of tender)

four.2.7) Conditions for opening of tenders

Date

1 October 2021

Local time

12:01pm


Section six. Complementary information

six.1) Information about recurrence

This is a recurrent procurement: No

six.3) Additional information

For more information and instructions on how to bid, follow the instructions given in the ITT Instructions on the Tendering Process document

six.4) Procedures for review

six.4.1) Review body

Department of Education

London

Country

United Kingdom