CONTRACT NOTICE – NATIONAL

1 Authority Details

1.1

Authority Name and Address

1.2

Address from which documentation may be obtained

As in 1.1

1.3

Completed documents must be returned to:

As in 1.1

2 Contract Details

2.1

Title

Research and Learner Engagement on Essential Skills Qualifications

2.2

Description of the goods or services required

Qualifications Wales wishes to award a contract for two strands of stakeholder research and engagement:

1. A survey to gather stakeholder views on Essential Skills Wales Qualifications

2. Qualitative research and engagement with learners to gain an insight into their experiences and opinions of taking Essential Skills Wales Qualifications. This engagement should take place either face-to-face or via an appropriate online meeting platform.

NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Sell2Wales Web Site at https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=127360.

The buyer has indicated that it will accept electronic responses to this notice via the Postbox facility. A user guide is available at https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/sitehelp/help_guides.aspx.

Suppliers are advised to allow adequate time for uploading documents and to dispatch the electronic response well in advance of the closing time to avoid any last minute problems.

2.3

Notice Coding and Classification

2.4

Total quantity or scope of tender

Our target rate for the survey is 500 responses in total.

For the Stakeholder engagement: The supplier will identify a broadly representative sample of learners who are completing or have completed an ESW qualification no later than twelve months from the time of the engagement exercise. The sample should include, but is not limited to, learners from:

i. A range of further education (FE) colleges across Wales (South, North, West, and East) that deliver Essential Skills Wales qualifications . This should include, where possible, all FE colleges with Welsh Government contracts .

ii. Work-based learning providers, including, where possible, those with Welsh Government contracts.

3 Conditions for Participation

3.1

Minimum standards and qualification required

Essential qualifying criteria

Your tender will not be considered if you cannot fulfil the following requirements:

1. To avoid perceptions of a conflict of interest, Qualifications Wales are unable to accept bids from awarding bodies who offer ESW regulated qualifications.

2. The supplier will be responsible for ensuring that the appropriate enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance is in place before commencing work with young people.

3. The supplier will need to make arrangements for the provision of Welsh-medium engagement activities and documentation used to support the fieldwork (for example discussion guides, consent forms and information sheets). The final report should be submitted in English only.

4. The supplier will hold Cyber-Essentials accreditation as a minimum or will obtain by the launch of the survey in May 2023. If the Supplier does not yet have Cyber Essentials, they will need to state in their bid how and when they will acquire it under criterion 1 below. See link for details if not already accredited https://iasme.co.uk.

4 Administrative Information

4.1

Type of Procedure

Single stage

4.2

Reference number attributed to the notice by the contracting authority

QWL222319

4.3

Time Limits

4.5

Language or languages in which tenders or requests to participate can be drawn up

4.6

Tender Submission Postbox

5 Other Information

5.1

Additional Information

Please see full specification, evaluation criteria and instructions in the Invitation to Tender document in Additional documents.

(WA Ref:127360)

The buyer considers that this contract is suitable for consortia bidding.

5.2

Additional Documentation

5.3

Publication date of this notice