Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Kent County Council
County Hall
Maidstone
ME14 1XQ
Contact
Mr Jordan Gurr
Telephone
+44 3000414141
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UKJ4 - Kent
Internet address(es)
Main address
Buyer's address
one.3) Communication
Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Regional or local authority
one.5) Main activity
Other activity
Local Authority
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Skills Bootcamps - CN240143
Reference number
DN739196 (CN240143)
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 80000000 - Education and training services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
Skills Bootcamps seek to unlock UK economic growth by improving the pipeline of intermediate and higher-level skills among adults (19+), particularly in priority sectors such as digital, construction and green skills. Courses are designed to increase participation in adult training, especially those wishing to retrain or upskill, and employer engagement is intrinsic to delivery. Skills Bootcamps are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks in sectors where there are evidenced skills gaps nationally or locally. Kent County Council therefore intends to commission this type of provision for 2025/2026 and beyond. The provision will focus on the areas with skill gaps which require training interventions to meet the sector suitability assessment criteria.
Furthermore, due to changes in procurement regulations moving from Public Contract Regulations (2015) to the Procurement Act 2023, the Council wants to conduct market engagement to raise awareness of the implications of the changes in these regulations and to further determine the most appropriate service model for this provision.
As part of Kent County Council’s commitment to fairness, openness and transparency the Prior Information Notice (PIN) is issued solely for the purpose of conducting pre-procurement market testing with the following aims:
• To develop a suitable delivery model.
• To understand the market and readiness to deliver Skills Bootcamps across Kent.
• To explore the most viable commissioning approach to deliver Skills Bootcamps.
As part of this process workshops are available to interested providers, with two time slots available. To register an interest in this opportunity providers must submit an ‘Expression of Interest’ (EOI) through the Kent Business Portal and send a message through the messaging function with their preference for a time slot.
These workshops will be delivered via Microsoft Teams and will last for 1.5 hours.
They are scheduled on the following dates:
• Tuesday 10th September 2024: 09:30 – 11:00
• Friday 13th September 2024: 09:30 – 11:00
Please note that feedback from the workshops will be shared with every provider who has expressed an interest, and this information will be made available to all bidders in any future tender.
Please be aware that this PIN will close on Thursday 12th September 2024 at 16:00, and all responses will need to be submitted via the Kent Business Portal by this time.
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 80000000 - Education and training services
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKJ4 - Kent
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
Please see above.
two.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice
2 December 2024
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
Please note the Expression of Interest window closes Thursday 12th September 2024.