Prior information notice
This notice is for prior information only
Section I: Contracting
authority
I.1) Name and addresses
Department for Education
Sanctuary Buildings, 20, Great Smith Street
London
SW1P 3BT
UK
E-mail: Rachael6.DAVIES@education.gov.uk
NUTS: UK
Internet address(es)
Main address: https://education.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.htm
Address of the buyer profile: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education
I.3) Communication
Additional information can be obtained from the abovementioned address
I.4) Type of the contracting authority
Ministry or any other national or federal authority, including their regional or local subdivisions
I.5) Main activity
Education
Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title
Project_7982 Care Leavers Accreditation Scheme 1-2-1 Early Market Engagement Event FTS PIN
II.1.2) Main CPV code
75121000
II.1.3) Type of contract
Services
II.1.4) Short description
The PIN is intended to:
Inform the market of a potential future procurement of an accreditation service called “Care Leavers Accreditation Scheme for Higher Education (HE) and Future Education (FE) providers” by advertising 10x 1-hour supplier (please see annex 1 below for available slots) and buyer 1-2-1 market engagement webinars via Microsoft Teams on Monday 8th January and Wednesday 10th January 2024.
The purpose of the webinars is to engage with interested parties and suppliers (i.e potential providers, partners or sub-contractors) that believe they have the capacity and capability to provide market insight on elements of this service to support the potential future delivery model of this contracted service.
How to engage: The 1-2-1 sessions are available to individual suppliers/trade associations, partners or subcontractors. 10 1-2-1 slots are available; therefore, allocation of these slots will be on a first come first served basis and will be limited to 1 slot per supplier organisation. Interested parties can register for the event by contacting https://education.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.htm with the following information:
a. Organisation
b. Attendees -max number of 2 persons attending from the interested party
c. Contact details
During the 1-2-1 sessions DfE representatives would like to gain further market insight on 6 themes covering the following:
a. The attractiveness of the commercial opportunity e.g. Do you think there is a need for this in the current market? What are your expectations for the contract term?
b. The components of accreditation (eligibility, evidence, ratings, renewal)
c. Contracting arrangements e.g. Concession Contract vs Service Contract agreements
d. Barriers to entry e.g. appetite from the HE/FE providers
e Risk
f. Implementation lead time to setting this scheme up
All information shared during the market engagement stage is indicative and subject to continued development and will be treated in commercial confidence.
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
No
II.2) Description
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
75100000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UK
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
In the “Stable Homes, Built on Love” implementation strategy, that was published in February 2023, the Department for Education committed to introducing an accreditation scheme for higher and further education providers which sets standards for the support we expect them all to provide to care leavers. Since then, we have worked closely with experts from across the care, Higher Education (HE) and Further Education (FE) to explore different options for delivering this commitment. These webinars are an opportunity to build on previous engagement and build our understanding of options for how an accreditation scheme could work in practice.
It is expected that the contract(s) will be awarded to a single legal entity for the entirety of the service provision.
II.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice:
01/04/2024
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.8) Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement:
Yes
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.3) Additional information
To note:
This Prior Information Notice (PIN) is to initiate market engagement and is not being used as a call for competition and does not formally signify the beginning of a procurement and does not constitute a commitment by the Contracting Authority (DfE) to undertake any future procurement exercise. If DfE decides to commence any competitive process(es) as contemplated by this notice, a separate notice(s) will be published at the relevant time.
The Authority administers procurement electronically via the Department for Education e-procurement solution portal (Jaggaer Portal). No hard copy documents will be issued and all communications with the Authority (including final submission of Tender responses) must be conducted via Jaggaer.
To register your interest and to secure your 1-2-1 slot you will need to be registered as a supplier on the DfE Jaggaer eTendering portal, available at https://education.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html
Once registered the event will be accessible via the ‘View Opportunities’ link on the Homepage. Select the Opportunity Notice for ‘project_7982 Kitemark Supplier 1-2-1 Event’ (SSQ_469) and this will take you directly to the registration page. You must answer the questions within the SSQ to submit your request for a 1-2-1 session. A meeting invitation and a 1-2-1 -slide pack containing discussion themes will be then issued to you to confirm your 1-2-1 -slot time.
The closing date for registering your interest of the market engagement event is 12:00 noon GMT on the 5th January 2024. Please note there might be a slight delay in receiving DfE confirmation during the Christmas and New Year period but this will be sent to you as soon as possible.
Please note that any Nil or late registrations to this invitation will be treated as confirmation of your intention NOT to participate within the 1-2-1 stage of the market engagement.
Please use the Jaggaer e-procurement system https://education.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html to submit any questions you may have about the tendering procedure via the messaging portal on SSQ_469.
All organisations who have expressed an interest in this opportunity, including those who are unable to attend the webinar, will have access to relevant information and any supporting notes.
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
11/12/2023