Scope
Reference
DN777117
Description
Nottinghamshire County Council (the Council) receives an annual grant from the Department for Education (DfE) via East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) to fund Community and Family Learning for adults aged 19+ in Nottinghamshire. The Council uses this Grant to ensure that local people have access to a range of flexible learning opportunities that contribute to their personal, social, educational and economic development. The vast majority of provision is delivered directly to the public via the Council's Contract with Inspire Learning. In addition to the contract to deliver direct services, Inspire Learning are also contracted to coordinate and manage supplementary contractors that deliver specialist provision that they do not deliver themselves.
Nottinghamshire County Council is seeking organisations who:
• are able to provide high quality Tailored Learning to adults over the age of 19 in Nottinghamshire. This provision should principally be courses that Inspire Learning is unable to deliver themselves;
• if subject to Ofsted inspections, their most recent inspection was graded Good (grade 2) or better;
• are not currently subject to a DfE notice to improve linked to their financial performance.
• will not be in receipt of Adult Skills Fund funding for the 2025-26 academic year; and
• directly deliver services.
Subcontracting is not allowed.
Providers are invited to tender for contracts for the following Community Learning provision:
• General Adult Learning
• Family Learning
• Discrete provision for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities (LLDD)
Commercial tool
Establishes an open framework
Total value (estimated)
- £720,000 excluding VAT
- £900,000 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 3 November 2025 to 31 July 2027
- Possible extension to 31 July 2028
- 2 years, 8 months, 28 days
Description of possible extension:
This framework will be established for a duration of two years with the option to extend for a period of up to one year, at the discretion of the Council and subject to obtaining the relevant approvals.
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 80400000 - Adult and other education services
Contract locations
- UKF15 - North Nottinghamshire
- UKF16 - South Nottinghamshire
Lot 1. General Adult Learning
Description
Courses under this theme will be under either Employability (ACL1, ACL2, ACL 3 or ACL 4) or Health and Wellbeing (ACL1, ACL6 or ACL7).
Employability courses will build the confidence and basic skills for people not supported by Department of Work and Pensions programmes. Courses should not duplicate existing provision, for example basic CV writing and job searching. A need has been identified for short employability or pre-employability courses for some job seekers and under-employed people with very low-level literacy or numeracy skills. Learners with specific protected characteristics (as defined in the Equality Act 2010) may require tailored provision under this theme. Courses under this theme must have employability or pre-employability learning outcomes reflected in course planning and delivery.
Health and Wellbeing Courses will improve physical, emotional and mental health through group learning. Providers are encouraged to deliver courses that engage people who are disadvantaged and least likely to participate in learning, including people on low incomes, people with caring responsibilities, people experiencing isolation and loneliness and people with mental health issues. Learners with specific protected characteristics may require tailored provision under this theme. Courses under this theme must have health and wellbeing learning outcomes reflected in course planning and delivery.
Lot value (estimated)
- £300,000 excluding VAT
- £360,000 including VAT
Framework lot values may be shared with other lots
Same for all lots
CPV classifications, contract locations and contract dates are shown in the Scope section, because they are the same for all lots.
Lot 2. Family Learning
Description
Family Learning courses strengthen families and improve the skills of parents to support their children, particularly in maths and English. Family Learning courses will fall within one of these curriculum areas: Literacy; Numeracy; Information and Communication Technology (ICT); Health and Wellbeing; Creative Arts and could fall under any of ACL1-7. Courses can be adult-only or joint courses for adults and children.
Lot value (estimated)
- £225,000 excluding VAT
- £270,000 including VAT
Framework lot values may be shared with other lots
Same for all lots
CPV classifications, contract locations and contract dates are shown in the Scope section, because they are the same for all lots.
Lot 3. Learners with Learning Difficulties and Disabilities (LLDD)
Description
These are courses to improve the lives of people with learning difficulties and disabilities. They should enable Learners to actively participate in and contribute to their communities, making choices, taking decisions, speaking for themselves, taking responsibility for their actions and exercising control over their lives. These courses could fall under any of ACL1-7.
Lot value (estimated)
- £225,000 excluding VAT
- £270,000 including VAT
Framework lot values may be shared with other lots
Same for all lots
CPV classifications, contract locations and contract dates are shown in the Scope section, because they are the same for all lots.
Framework
Open framework scheme end date (estimated)
31 July 2028
Maximum number of suppliers
Unlimited
Maximum percentage fee charged to suppliers
0%
Framework operation description
The scores for all award criteria will be totalled to give an overall score for each lot. The Council intends to select the suppliers that meet or exceed the minimum thresholds, for both Quality and the overall score as its successful bidders and place them on the framework.
Those successful framework providers will be ranked by their scores. Provider ranking will be used as part of the award criteria for allocation of Contracts.
There is no guarantee that providers that successfully make it on to the framework will be allocated any or all of the courses they are bidding for. We expect that in some circumstances there may be more providers than we can fund given the limited resources available.
The Council will decide on how the provision for each Lot will be allocated to successful Providers by considering the following criteria to co-ordinate a balanced curriculum and avoid unnecessary duplication:
• Quality 80%
• Price/ Value for money 20%
The following factors are also taken into account:
• Learner needs
• Course content
• Course location
• Maximum Contract value
The highest ranked provider in each Lot will be the provider that has the highest combined score of Quality & Price (Weight 80% Quality and 20% Price). Commissioners will work down the ranked list of providers for each Lot until the budget has been exhausted.
The Council reserves the right to use its discretion to pass over a supplier in a lot if there is a duplication of Course content, location or learner needs. Where a supplier is bidding for multiple Lots, the Council reserves the right to allocate Lots in any order when calculating the maximum contract value.
Award method when using the framework
With competition
Contracting authorities that may use the framework
Establishing party only
Participation
Legal and financial capacity conditions of participation
Lot 1. General Adult Learning
Lot 2. Family Learning
Lot 3. Learners with Learning Difficulties and Disabilities (LLDD)
At point of contract award:
D&B Credit score of 3 or higher
• Public liability insurance with a limit of indemnity of not less than £5million in relation to any one claim or series of claims,
• Employers' liability insurance with a limit of indemnity in accordance with the legal requirement for the time being in force in relation to any one claim or series of claims; and
• Professional Indemnity liability insurance with a limit of indemnity of not less than £3million in relation to any on claim or series of claims.
Technical ability conditions of participation
Lot 1. General Adult Learning
Lot 2. Family Learning
Lot 3. Learners with Learning Difficulties and Disabilities (LLDD)
Prospective bidders will need to demonstrate that they have sufficient technical, professional ability, together with any applicable registrations to perform the contract:
Ofsted - Pass / Fail
OTLAs - Pass / Fail
Tutor Qualifications - Pass / Fail
Staff Employment - Pass / Fail
ESFA Income - Pass / Fail
ROTO registration - Pass / Fail
Safeguarding & Prevent Policy - Pass / Fail
Particular suitability
Lot 1. General Adult Learning
Lot 2. Family Learning
Lot 3. Learners with Learning Difficulties and Disabilities (LLDD)
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
- Voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE)
Submission
Enquiry deadline
5 September 2025, 12:00pm
Tender submission deadline
12 September 2025, 12:00pm
Submission address and any special instructions
Suppliers must submit their tenders through the e-tendering system below before the deadline shown in the e-tendering system.
Tenders may be submitted electronically
Yes
Languages that may be used for submission
English
Award decision date (estimated)
3 October 2025
Recurring procurement
Publication date of next tender notice (estimated): 17 March 2026
Award criteria
| Name | Description | Type | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality | Intent - 25% (minimum threshold 15%) Impact - 25% (minimum threshold 15%) Implementation - 25% (minimum threshold 15%) Personal Development - 10% Behaviour and attitude - 10% Leadership - 5% (overall... |
Quality | 80% |
| Price | Total Gross Cost - 25% Gross Cost per Enrolment (Total Gross Cost/Total Enrolments) - 25% Gross Cost per Course Hour per Enrolment (Gross Cost per Course Hour/Average Class Size) - 25% Gross Cost per... |
Price | 20% |
Other information
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Open procedure
Special regime
Light touch
Contracting authority
Nottinghamshire County Council
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PBCV-5152-BXBP
County Hall, Loughborough Road
Nottingham
NG2 7QP
United Kingdom
Contact name: Samantha Gilbert
Email: samantha.gilbert@nottscc.gov.uk
Website: https://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/
Region: UKF16 - South Nottinghamshire
Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government