High Potential Senior Leaders Programme – residual cohort delivery

Background

The Department for Education's (DfE) vision is for a highly educated society in which opportunity is more equal for children and young people, no matter what their background or family circumstances. Some areas of the country and some types of school face particular difficulties in recruiting headteachers. Evidence suggests that failure to recruit a permanent, high quality headteacher can lead to performance dips for schools.

The DfE has funded a High Potential Senior Leaders (HPSL) programme since 2006. The programme is designed to raise levels of pupil achievement in England’s challenging schools. It is targeted at attracting and developing aspiring and current high-potential senior leaders from all types of schools who have the talent and commitment to become headteachers of challenging schools within an accelerated timeframe.

The new contract

The National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL), an executive agency of the DfE, is seeking one national provider (or consortium) to deliver the High Potential Senior Leaders (HPSL) programme to two existing cohorts.

• The current HPSL contract with Future Leaders Trust (FLT) ends on 31 August 2016 and delivery would be required from September 2016 to cover the training requirements for two existing cohorts. This will involve the delivery of Year 3 to c101 participants, who will complete in 2017, and the delivery of Years 2 and 3 to c125 participants who will complete in 2018.
• The anticipated maximum whole life contract cost will be within the estimated range of £2m and £3m GBP (inclusive of all expenses and exclusive of VAT). VAT (where applicable) will be at the GB prevailing rate. Please note that contract requirements will be subject to available financial resources, supplier performance and flexibility to meet changing demands.
• Duration in months: a maximum of 30 months (up to and inclusive of September 2018) from the award of the contract. Subject to agreement from DfE Ministers, this will include an initial set up phase during April-July 2016, ready for commencement of programme delivery to existing participants from August 2016, and a close down phase from August to September 2018.

The anticipated maximum whole life contract cost will be within the estimated range of £2m and £3m GBP (inclusive of all expenses and exclusive of VAT). VAT (where applicable) will be at the GB prevailing rate. Please note that contract requirements will be subject to available financial resources, supplier performance and flexibility to meet changing demands.

Additional information: If the potential supplier bidding for the requirement is part of a consortium joint venture or SPV, NCTL will require full details of the consortium joint venture or SPV.

Potential suppliers should provide details of the actual or proposed percentage shareholding of the constituent members within the consortium in a separate attachment. If a consortium is not proposing to form a corporate entity, full details of alternative proposed arrangements should be provided in the attachment. Please note that NCTL reserves the right to require a successful consortium to form a single legal entity.

NCTL recognises that arrangements in relation to consortia may (within limits) be subject to future change. Potential consortia should therefore respond in the light of the arrangements as currently envisaged. Potential consortia are reminded that any future proposed change in relation to consortia must be notified to the NCTL so that it can make a further assessment by applying the selection criteria to the new information provided.

If an SPV is formed by a single organisation to separate liabilities from the parent company then NCTL would require a parent company guarantee.

This procurement is being conducted under the ‘Light touch regime’. The procurement will use an adapted version of the open procedure.

NCTL reserves the right to abandon, terminate or suspend any or all of this procurement at any time. Further:

• NCTL does not bind itself to enter into any contract(s) arising out of the procedures envisaged by this contract notice;
• no contractual rights express or implied arise out of this contract notice or the procedures envisaged by it;
• NCTL reserves the right to vary its requirements and the procedure relating to the conduct of the award process; and
• NCTL reserves the right to amend dates and deadlines and to update the procurement timetable. Applicants and Tenderers will be notified as appropriate.

This procurement will be run through an e-procurement system named REDIMO2 which is NCTL’s e-procurement system.

To participate in this procurement (RFX127) you will need to register on REDIMO2 (If you are not already).

Please register at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nctl-e-procurement-system-redimo

Please e-mail our helpdesk: Commercial.CONTACTPOINT@education.gsi.gov.uk if you have any queries with registering your details on REDIMO2.

Once the Invitation to Bid is launched it will be visible for bidders to respond.

This Invitation to Bid will be launched on 12 February 2016

All Tender documentation will be made available from REDIMO and Bidders should ensure that they have read all documentation prior to submitting a response.

All bidders will be required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement before certain sensitive/in confidence documents can be released via REDIMO.

Where appropriate, the successful bidder will be required to deliver a Deed of Guarantee at the same time as the execution of the Agreement.