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Procurement details: Apprenticeships Digital Development, Testing and Architecture - DfE

19

Applications submitted

Not specified

Indicative Budget

Potentially in scope

Off-payroll status

11 July 2025

Application Closing Date

1. Context and requirements

Pre-market engagement: N/A
Work done so far: The Apprenticeship Service comprises 26 services, which are integrated and interdependent, to deliver exceptional user experience. A core platform MVS was delivered in 2017, and we have continued to build and improve the services in response to user need and evolving government priorities. The services support circa 700m individual transactions a year and is at the heart of a funding system that pays circa £2.6bn per year. These figures are expected to increase in coming years.
Which phase the project is in: Live
Existing team: We have a mature build-test-run delivery model which supports a scaled agile delivery capability. Existing arrangements are scrum-based with teams comprised of multi-disciplinary skills. These teams are involved in service development for providing brand new digital services while maintaining the existing estate, going through the standard GDS phases. Typical team size is up to 10 with a skill mix such as product/service managers, delivery managers, business analysts, user researchers and design professionals, architects, developers, and testers. Solutions and technical architects support delivery through setting strategic technology direction as well as supporting build team decision making. Teams are co-located in Coventry and comprise of a mix of digital service suppliers and permanent staff.
Address where the work will be done: Cheylesmore House, Quinton Road, Coventry, CV1 2WT and remote working / supplier site working. Occasional travel to the DfE site in London along with travel across England for user research may be required. The primary location will be detailed in each Statement of Work (SoW) and expenses will not form part of the cost unless the supplier is asked to work from a secondary location during the execution of the work. For example, if the SoW primary base is in Coventry , then no expenses will be paid for Coventry.
Working arrangements: This will be a 5 day per week (Monday to Friday) commitment and detailed working arrangements, including team location, size and make-up, will be contained within each statement of work. Day to day delivery will be governed by standard agile delivery techniques. These could be either a Kanban or a scrum approach (depending on the work) but the standard agile ceremonies appropriate to those will be undertaken. These will be monitored by the Delivery Manager and the Product Manager will be responsible for prioritising backlogs in refinement sessions.
Provide more information about your security requirements: Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)
Latest start date: 2025-09-22
Enter the expected contract length: 2 years
Extension period: 1 year
Special terms and conditions: Bidders must respond to the opportunity using the response template found within the project attachments. Only essential and nice to have criteria require responses at stage 1. To be shortlisted for Stage 2, bidders must achieve a score of 2 or higher on all essential criteria.
Special terms and conditions: In order to participate in this opportunity, DOS6 awarded suppliers should have followed all necessary registration steps through the Public Procurement Gateway, operated by Crown Commercial Service (CCS). Please follow instructions sent to you at the email address supplied during the DOS6 application process.
Special terms and conditions: The Supplier shall ensure that no Supplier Staff who discloses that they have a Relevant Conviction, or who is found to have any Relevant Convictions (whether as a result of a police check or through the vetting procedure of HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard or through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) or otherwise), is employed or engaged in any part of the provision of the Services without the prior written approval of the Buyer. Subject to the Data Protection Legislation, the Supplier shall disclose the results of their vetting process, immediately to the Buyer. The decision as to whether any of the Supplier’s Staff are allowed to perform activities in relation to the Call Off Contract, is entirely at the Buyer’s sole discretion. The Supplier shall be required to undertake annual periodic checks during the Call Off Contract Period of its Staff, in accordance with HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard so as to determine the Supplier Staff suitability to continue to Framework Schedule 6 (Order Form Template, Statement of Work Template and Call-Off Schedules) 5 provide Services under the Call Off Contract. The Supplier shall ensure that any Supplier Staff who discloses a Relevant Conviction (either spent or unspent) or is found by the Supplier to have a Relevant Conviction through standard national vetting procedures or otherwise, is immediately disclosed to the Buyer. The Supplier shall ensure that the individual staff member immediately ceases all activity in relation to the Call Off Contract, until the Buyer has reviewed the case, on an individual basis, and has made a final decision. Where the Buyer decides that a Supplier Staff should be removed from performing activities, as a result of obtaining information in relation to the Call Off Contract, or for any other reason, the Supplier shall promptly and diligently replace any individual identified.
Special terms and conditions: Expenses will not be paid for the monthly meet ups. The primary location of work will be specified in each Statement of Work (SoW) and expenses cannot be claimed for travel to that location. Expenses can be claimed for travel to any secondary location of work as required and agreed. Expenses are capped to the value specified in the SoW. When travel to secondary DfE sites is required, all costs incurred must comply with the prevailing DfE Travel and Subsistence policy. Parking is not available on DfE sites. Should base location vary it will be outlined and agreed upon the individual statements of work.
Special terms and conditions: The latest start date will be outlined in each individual statement of work. Except for in exceptional circumstances, and as agreed with the buyer
Special terms and conditions: Service provider resources must work within the United Kingdom unless agreed by the Department on an individual basis. Departmental equipment must not be taken abroad or access the departmental network whilst outside the United Kingdom unless agreed by the Department on an individual basis
Special terms and conditions: The Department’s standard approach to pricing mechanism will be ‘Capped Time and Materials’ (CTM) however we reserve the right to use any of the other approaches as listed in the call-off charges section.
Special terms and conditions: General Information Standard Framework and Call Off Terms and Conditions will apply Suppliers must agree to all DFE security clearance policies and processes. Suppliers must comply with the Regulation (GDPR) Regulation May 2018; the (DPA) Act 2018, the Law Enforcement Directive and any subsequent amendments/changes to date including providing sufficient guarantees to meet the requirements of GDPR in line with Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 02/18 May 2018 which updates PPN 03/17 All Project-Specific IPRs (as defined) and the Deliverables shall vest in the Buyer unconditionally and immediately upon their creation.
Special terms and conditions: Suppliers will be required to undertake Financial and Security Due Diligence as part of the tender process, prior to award.
Special terms and conditions: Non-Solicitation Clause: 1.1 The Supplier shall not, either directly or indirectly, by or through itself, its affiliate, its agent or otherwise, or in conjunction with its affiliate, its agent or otherwise, whether for its own benefit or for the benefit of any other person solicit, entice or induce, or endeavour to solicit, entice or induce, any employees of the Buyer who are employed or engaged in the performance of the Services with a view to employing or engaging the employee of the Buyer during the Call-Off Contract Period and for a period of [9 months] thereafter. 1.2. Notwithstanding clause 1.1 the Supplier may employ or engage any employees of the Buyer which have responded directly to a bona fide recruitment drive either through a recruitment agency engaged by the Supplier or via an advertisement placed publicly by the Supplier (either in the press, social media, online or in trade and industry publications).
Are you prepared to show your budget details?: Yes
Provide further information: The contract value is up to £12,500,000 excluding VAT (£15,000,000 including VAT), with an option to extend and increase the total contract value by up to 50%, equating to an additional £6,250,000 excluding VAT (£7,500,000 including VAT).
Confirm if you require a contracted out service or supply of resource: Supply of resource: the off-payroll rules may apply
Summary of work: We require agile digital development, testing and solution/technical architecture services to support development of GDS compliant digital services users to support continued development and live running of the service. As the service is already live, we require a handover from incumbent suppliers and ongoing knowledge transfer to permanent staff.
Where the supplied staff will work: West Midlands
Who the organisation using the products or services is: Department for Education (DfE)
Why the work is being done: The Apprenticeship Service is currently developing a new digitally enabled growth and skills offer for August 2025 and beyond that has now become a public commitment. It has been necessary to prioritise work so that changes are made to a number of the portfolio’s digital services including Recruit an Apprentice (RAA), Find and Apprenticeship (FAA), Employer Account, Find Apprenticeship Training (FAT) and Payments. To support the delivery of this ambition we will continue to ensure our services are scalable, cloud-based and meet Government Digital Service standards so that they meet user needs and ensure a great apprenticeship experience. Bidders should be aware that the DfE is committed to building it’s internal capability in relation to digital and data roles. Over the period of the contract this may impact on the need to source certain roles from suppliers. We will always work with suppliers to manage any transition.
The business problem you need to solve: Transforming the way in which the English apprenticeship system works—a significant ambition with multiple policy, operational and delivery challenges. Ensuring the significant and multi-faceted needs of users in the apprenticeship marketplace are met with the aims of raising the quality and quantity of successful apprenticeships, and promoting social mobility, thereby adding to the country's economic performance. Outcomes delivered through building and live running of existing services, with new features and capabilities to be added into the multi-dimensional delivery model to meet ambitious programme objectives. In a large-scale government programme and a complex environment, this involves co-design with policy across government, clear understanding of various user and stakeholder needs and an evidence-based direction to drive value in response to these.
First user type: Our users are both external (employers, training providers, end-point assessment organisations and apprentices) and government. For example: As an apprentice, I need to easily access impartial information to understand and access apprenticeships, and to receive timely information on how I progress with my apprenticeship. As a non-levy employer, I need to understand the funding for hiring an apprentice, finding and recruiting the right apprentice. As a training provider, I need to understand how I receive funding for apprenticeships from government. As an end-point assessment organisation, I need to understand the registration process for operating in the marketplace. As DfE, I need to oversee effective delivery of apprenticeships, including sharing information with stakeholders and directly managing the issuance of certificates.

2. Assessment Criteria
About assessment criteria
About evaluation weightings
Select your pricing model: Capped time and materials
Additional assessment methods: Reference
Additional assessment methods: Scenario or test
Additional assessment methods: Case study
Additional assessment methods: Work history
Create your scoring criteria: 3
How many suppliers to evaluate: 5
Technical competence: 45
Cultural fit: 5
Social value: 10
Price: 40
Essential skills and experience: 8
Nice-to-have skills and experience: 2
Technical questions: 90
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Evidence of experience within the last two years of the successful delivery of scalable cloud-based web applications (preferably Microsoft Azure).
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 10
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Evidence within the last two years of notable experience architecting large-scale and complex software systems which are robust, scalable, open and secure, including functional and non-functional requirements.
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 10
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Evidence of building robust and performant web applications, APIs and other pertinent software workloads adhering to applicable technical standards and technology.
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 10
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Evidence of successful digital development, producing high quality code, using distributed version control systems such as Git along with programming languages including C#, HTML, JavaScript and CSS and publishing to open repositories.
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 10
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Evidence of experience in making technology choices to deliver user needs and operate a great service in a cost-effective way, preserving the ability to make different technology choices in future.
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 10
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Demonstrate and evidence substantial experience of expertise developing software using modern engineering practices such as test-driven development (TDD) and continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) in an Azure DevOps environment.
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 10
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Proven experience of manual and automation testing (BDD, .NET, CI/CD, version control), non-functional testing and producing documentation: test plans, scripts, reports, defect logs and executing test scripts and raising defects.
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 10
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Evidence of demonstrable experience within the last two years in working on complex, multi-stakeholder programmes (both internal and external)
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 10
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Proven and comprehensive experience of supporting customers to build in-house capabilities and ensure effective knowledge management and transfer
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 10
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Adhere to organisational ways of working, best practices and guidance set forth by the community practice leads.
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 10
Describe the nice-to-have skill or experience:: Experience of successfully working with a development team to build software applications using the Government design principles within the and Government Digital Service (GDS) style guide
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 50
Describe the nice-to-have skill or experience:: Experience of working on largescale programme\full end-end capabilities including supporting insight\analysis to support co-design of policy options and portfolio function. portfolio and digital product build through to operations\user support.
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 50
Explain the technical question:: Technical competence in developing, supporting and maintaining complex, inter-related, scalable and secure software solutions, using Azure cloud and other emerging technologies
Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30: 13
Explain the technical question:: Demonstrate approach to knowledge and skills transfer to all relevant stakeholders to enable the transition of service delivery to DfE.
Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30: 13
Explain the technical question:: Ability to promptly mobilise expertise to scale up team and flex resource when needed and to respond to fluctuating requirements.
Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30: 13
Explain the technical question:: Able to provide a service that has the capability to deliver outcomes on time to a high standard and recognise where approach needs to be adapted when not working.
Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30: 13
Explain the technical question:: Demonstrate understanding/ability to successfully deliver secure digital products/services to Government Digital Service standards and/or equivalent standards.
Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30: 13
Explain the technical question:: Ability to drive innovation to transform services into modern customer centric solutions, using existing and new technology where appropriate.
Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30: 13
Explain the technical question:: Ability to translate business problems and user needs into technical designs which are delivered to expected business outcomes.
Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30: 11
Explain the technical question:: Evidence of maintaining at pace a detailed understanding of technical and business solutions to allow on-going support and further development, working with multiple agile teams and governance bodies.
Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30: 11
Your question: Demonstrate how you, as a supplier, have successfully adhered to a buyer’s code of practice or adopted organisational behaviours to ensure cultural fit.
Enter a weighting for this question: 40
Your question: Demonstrate successfully operating a no-blame culture, encouraging people to learn from their mistakes.
Enter a weighting for this question: 30
Your question: Demonstrate how you have participated in communities of practice and your approach to knowledge sharing.
Enter a weighting for this question: 30
Explain the social value question: How will your organisation contribute to educational attainment in alignment with the contract objectives? Please detail any training initiatives designed to address skills gaps and lead to recognised qualifications (e.g. apprenticeships, industry placements, traineeships). How will you monitor and evaluate the success of these initiatives to ensure delivery of at least two apprenticeships, industry placements, or traineeships annually throughout the contract term? Additionally, what further commitments can you offer to enhance educational outcomes? (5%)
Enter a weighting for this question: 50
Explain the social value question: How does your organisation promote diverse representation within the workforce, particularly among under-represented groups such as women, Black, Asian and minority ethnic individuals, disabled people, and LGBTQ+ communities? Please describe how you monitor and measure progress in this area. What specific commitments will your organisation make over the next two years (if you win the contract) for example, achieving a minimum annual increase of 2% in the representation of under-represented groups? (5%)
Enter a weighting for this question: 50

3. Timeline
Publication of stage 1: June 27, 2025, 3:00 PM
Clarification period closes: July 3, 2025, 3:00 PM
Deadline for suppliers to submit their stage 1 responses: July 11, 2025, 3:00 PM

Clarification questions and responses

There are no questions and clarifications relating to this opportunity.

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