Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Department for Education
Sanctuary Buildings, 20, Great Smith Street
London
SW1P 3BT
Telephone
+44 8700012345
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
UK - United Kingdom
Internet address(es)
Main address
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education
one.3) Communication
Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address
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
Trustee and Governor Recruitment and Induction Support Programmes
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 80000000 - Education and training services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
The purpose of this prior information notice (PIN) is to notify the market that the Department for Education (DfE) will be publishing in early November 2021, Invitation to Tender for providers and consortiums, including Multi-Academy Trusts with excellent governance, interested in bidding for the future procurement of trustee and governor recruitment services and induction support.
two.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT: £3,600,000
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: Yes
Maximum number of lots that may be awarded to one tenderer: 2
two.2) Description
two.2.1) Title
Lot No
Lot No: 1 - Trustee Recruitment
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 80000000 - Education and training services
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UK - United Kingdom
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
A national service to recruit and match trustees to the boards of Single Academy Trusts (SATs) and to trusts with multiple academies (MATs).
two.2) Description
two.2.1) Title
Lot No
Lot No: 2 - Governor Recruitment
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 80000000 - Education and training services
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UK - United Kingdom
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
A national service to recruit governors to the boards of local authority maintained schools and academy local governing bodies.
two.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice
5 November 2021
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
Section six. Complementary information
six.3) Additional information
The department’s vision is to see robust and effective governance in every school and academy trust. As the first line of accountability, the department recognises that high quality, effective and ethical governance is key to success in our school system and for the future of children and young people.
Schools and academies need governing boards that have a balance and diversity of knowledge, skills, and experience to enable it to be effective. Governors and trustees have a huge opportunity to make a positive impact, and we need even more people to come forward to invest in their local community and help shape young people’s futures.
The department is therefore seeking providers to deliver governor and trustee recruitment and matching services, combined with support for volunteers and the recruiting board throughout the recruitment process and into the early stages of the volunteer’s term (induction support).
Contracts will run for an initial period of two years from April 2022 ( effective start date)to January 2024 with the provision to extend for a further one year period.
There will be two lots to deliver:
1. A national service to recruit and 1. match trustees to the boards of Single Academy Trusts (SATs) and to Trusts with multiple academies (MATs), along with a support service providing high-quality induction and expert guidance for all trustees recruited.
2. A national service to recruit governors to the boards of Local Authority maintained schools and academy Local Governing Bodies, along with a support service providing high-quality induction and expert guidance for all governors recruited.
This procurement is subject to the ongoing 2021 Comprehensive Spending Review and the DfE reserves the right to not procure or procure one lot of the services outlined below following the culmination of this review.
Scope
In funding governance recruitment and induction support services, the department’s key priorities are to:
• Provide a recruitment offer enabling state-funded educational institutions in England that provide education to pupils of compulsory school age, to have access to people with the commitment, skills, and knowledge to help secure effective governance.
• Provide greater support and target resources to those governing boards in most need.
• Help create diverse boards, made up of volunteers from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures.
• Ensure those new to governance receive a high-quality onboarding service and ongoing induction support.
• Promote the importance of governance and generate demand from schools and trusts for skilled board members, especially for those schools and trusts in most need.
• Promote the importance of governance and generate support from employers of the benefits to their organisation of their employees being involved in school governance.
To achieve our aim of helping governing boards to recruit and retain people with the right skills and from a range of backgrounds in order to govern well, it is expected that lead providers will as a minimum need to:
• Identify and recruit suitable, high-calibre, skilled volunteers across all areas of England who have the commitment to serve on governing boards. They will need to prioritise supporting those governing boards most in need, or in areas of the country where educational standards and capacity to improve are weakest
• Design and deliver a quality ‘onboarding’ service to help ensure that volunteers understand the roles and responsibilities of a governor/trustee, the time commitment required and what will be expected of them in their role in advance of their accepting a position on the board. This will help in recruiting committed volunteers who understand the challenges and expectations of the role from the start.
• Work effectively with a range of stakeholders, including but not limited to DfE Regional Schools Commissioner teams, other appointing and nominating bodies such as foundations, dioceses, and local authorities