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Procurement details

Procurement details: T Level Toolkits

10

Applications submitted

£350000

Indicative Budget

Outside scope

Off-payroll status

02 March 2023

Application Closing Date

1. Context and requirements

Work done so far: The department has already conducted extensive user research and policy work to evidence the need for this work. We have developed a problem statement and a prototype design for the toolkits – the outputs of this work will be available to the supplier and the Department will provide day to day policy expertise throughout the duration of this contract. We are happy for the supplier(s) to undertake a short additional discovery, as part of Alpha to further interrogate that the proposed toolkits are needed. This will involve considering the existing information sources users are currently accessing, whether these sources meet their needs, what those needs are and any gaps in information they need but can’t find.
Which phase the project is in: Discovery
Existing team: The supplier will be asked to work closely with senior DfE policy leads throughout the duration of the contract.
Address where the work will be done: We would anticipate the supplier to work remotely from its own premises but there could also be the ability to meet in our London or Darlington office when required. Our London address is Sanctuary Buildings Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BT. Our Darlington address is Bishopsgate House, Feethams, Darlington, DL1 5QE
Working arrangements: A SoW will be completed for each engagement, identifying primary location, working arrangements, and the expected outcomes and deliverables. Day to day delivery will be governed by standard agile delivery techniques, with appropriate ceremonies undertaken. Scope and prioritisation of work is decided by the product owner with input from the Senior Responsible Owner. IR35 determinations will be made for each SoW. Most requirements will fall inside of scope of IR35. IR35 determination will be assessed on the outcomes and working practises required for each SOW.
Provide more information about your security requirements: Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)
Provide more information about your security requirements (optional): DfE requires all supplier staff to have baseline personnel security standard clearance (BPSS). There may be a requirement for some of the work to gain higher security clearance checks and / or enhanced DBS checks. The clearance needed will be detailed in the SoW.
Latest start date: 2023-05-01
Enter the expected contract length: 1 year
Extension period: 6 months
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.
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: Some work may be UK wide, and travel may be required to other DfE offices. When travel to other 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: 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.
Are you prepared to show your budget details?: Yes
Indicative maximum: 350000
Indicative minimum
Provide further information
Confirm if you require a contracted out service or supply of resource: Contracted out service: the off-payroll rules do not apply
Summary of work: T levels will transform technical education in the UK. These ambitious reforms, which the government first committed to in the Post-16 Skills Plan, put employers at the heart of the system so that education and training leads to jobs that can improve productivity. As qualifications based on employer-led standards, T Levels remain a cornerstone of the government’s vision for reform in the Skills for Jobs White Paper, giving students the technical skills, the nation needs. The impact of COVID-19 makes this all the more important – T Levels will provide young people with the skills that they need to get good jobs and support British business to bounce back. T Levels are a relatively new qualification, for students aged 16 to 19 in England who’ve finished GCSEs. They're an alternative to A levels and apprenticeships, giving young people the technical and practical skills needed to be an asset in the work-place. These courses have been developed in collaboration with employers and education providers so that the content meets the needs of industry and prepares students for entry into skilled employment, an apprenticeship or related technical study through further or higher education. T Levels offer students practical and knowledge-based learning at a school or college and on-the-job experience through an industry placement. The successful delivery of the T Level programme is contingent on a strong relationship existing between the training provider (facilitating delivery of the T Level) and the employer (hosting the industry placement/supporting T Level student progression into work). Successful delivery will be achieved when the end to end journey and co-working between providers and employers is as cohesive and as robust as possible – so it works for both our primary users and the T Level student. To achieve this, we need to ensure that the support we provide along the end-to-end journey (e.g information, guidance, products and tools) is easily accessible, engaging and tailored to meet the individual user needs e.g provider type and size/nature of employer.
Where the supplied staff will work: No specific location (for example they can work remotely)
Why the work is being done: T levels will transform technical education in the UK. These ambitious reforms, which the government first committed to in the Post-16 Skills Plan, put employers at the heart of the system so that education and training leads to jobs that can improve productivity. As qualifications based on employer-led standards, T Levels remain a cornerstone of the government’s vision for reform in the Skills for Jobs White Paper, giving students the technical skills, the nation needs. The impact of COVID-19 makes this all the more important – T Levels will provide young people with the skills that they need to get good jobs and support British business to bounce back. T Levels are a relatively new qualification, for students aged 16 to 19 in England who’ve finished GCSEs. They're an alternative to A levels and apprenticeships, giving young people the technical and practical skills needed to be an asset in the work-place. These courses have been developed in collaboration with employers and education providers so that the content meets the needs of industry and prepares students for entry into skilled employment, an apprenticeship or related technical study through further or higher education. T Levels offer students practical and knowledge-based learning at a school or college and on-the-job experience through an industry placement. The successful delivery of the T Level programme is contingent on a strong relationship existing between the training provider (facilitating delivery of the T Level) and the employer (hosting the industry placement/supporting T Level student progression into work). Successful delivery will be achieved when the end to end journey and co-working between providers and employers is as cohesive and as robust as possible – so it works for both our primary users and the T Level student. To achieve this, we need to ensure that the support we provide along the end-to-end journey (e.g information, guidance, products and tools) is easily accessible, engaging and tailored to meet the individual user needs e.g provider type and size/nature of employer.
The business problem you need to solve: At present, the end to end journey and relationship between T Level providers and employers is variable. We have already developed an extensive library of information, guidance and tools to support delivery of T Levels and whilst excellent collaborative practices exist, there remains an urgent need to improve the quality of provider / employer relationships so that the service outcomes are met consistently. We already know that our existing guidance and support package does not support effective collaboration and the resources/tools are often difficult to locate, navigate and are not tailored to individual user needs (e.g sector and employer size specific). To address this, we would like to develop T Level toolkits that bring together a range of existing and/or new support into a cohesive tailored digital solution, to encourage greater collaboration between providers (who deliver the T Level e.g “the service”) and employers (who are the beneficiary/customer) which is seen to be a key measure of success.
First user type: Training Provider
First user type: Employer
Enter more details about this user type: As a T Level provider, I need to easily access a range of tools, information, guidance so that I can establish and sustain an effective relationship with employers to ensure the ongoing viability of the T Level I am delivering.
Enter more details about this user type: As an employer, I need to be assured that the training provider is meeting my recruitment/skills needs and that any information provided to me is relevant, tailored and specific to the nature/size of my organisation.

2. Assessment Criteria
About assessment criteria: test
Select your pricing model: Capped time and materials
Additional assessment methods: Case study
Create your scoring criteria: 3
How many suppliers to evaluate: 5
Technical competence: 40
Cultural fit: 5
Social value: 10
Price: 45
Essential skills and experience: 17
Nice-to-have skills and experience (optional): 3
Technical questions: 80
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Evidence of successfully designing accessible end-to-end services using GDS service standards and Gov.uk design system and/or similar styles across a range of on-line and off-line channels, considering the service aims and user needs holistically.
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 10
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Evidence of successfully identifying the right type of interaction design, prototyping, testing and implementing it, including prototyping in code using Gov.uk prototype kit or similar.
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 10
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Be able to provide multidisciplinary skills, which should include user research, service/ content/visual design.
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 10
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Evidence of successfully using a wide variety of service design methods to distil complex technical information and environments into accessible and understandable artefacts for decision makers in government or similar
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 10
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Evidence of successfully conducting reliable and rigorous user research, using a range of quantitative and qualitative methods, at all stages of the lifecycle from pre-discovery to Live.
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 10
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Recent experience in conducting a Discovery phase and applying the principles of user centred design to the development of digital solutions.
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 10
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Evidence of successfully prioritising and understanding needs and behaviour and using insight to underpin and drive design decisions when designing content, products, and services.
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 10
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Demonstrable experience producing design outputs which clearly communicate complex technical information
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 10
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Successful experience of agile delivery of digital products and services in complex environment with rapidly changing priorities and context, to meet user needs and strategic objectives, reacting and anticipating scope changes
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 10
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Track record in supporting and guiding less experienced people and effecting skills transfer.
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 10
Describe the nice-to-have skill or experience:: Demonstrable evidence of working successfully with users in the education landscape or in similar public services contexts.
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 40
Describe the nice-to-have skill or experience:: Demonstrable knowledge of the post-16 education policy landscape.
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 30
Describe the nice-to-have skill or experience:: Demonstrable experience of managing and proactively engaging internal and external stakeholders across multiple digital projects and building relationships.
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 30
Explain the technical question:: Demonstrate understanding and ability to successfully research and design digital products and services to Government Digital Service standards or similar.
Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30: 15
Explain the technical question:: Using examples from your experience, detail your approach to delivering high quality quantitative and qualitative research insight in close collaboration with teams and stakeholders.
Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30: 15
Explain the technical question:: Using examples from your experience, detail your approach to working within product teams with complex up and downstream dependencies, collaborating with multiple teams to deliver end-to-end services successfully.
Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30: 15
Explain the technical question:: Using examples from your experience, detail your approach to working with users to understand their work and/or lives, their operating context and constraints, & identify and implement adaptations/improvements.
Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30: 15
Explain the technical question:: Using examples from your experience, detail your approach to effective communication across organisational, technical, and political boundaries, understanding a complex and often politicised context
Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30: 10
Explain the technical question:: Using examples from your experience, detail your approach to advocating for inclusive practices and helping teams design and deliver accessible services that work for all users.
Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30: 10
Explain the technical question:: Explain and evidence your processes for on-boarding, training and retaining of resources in a competitive marketplace, which meet requirements for outside IR35.
Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30: 10
Explain the technical question:: Using examples from your experience, detail your approach to creating appropriate content which is shown to a user in the right place and in the best format.
Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30: 10
Your question: Describe your methodology for capability building, training, coaching, contributing to communities of practice for clients, and general knowledge transfer throughout the term of the contract
Enter a weighting for this question: 50
Your question: Describe your experience of working in teams with policy colleagues, influencing, informing and delivering policy intent
Enter a weighting for this question: 50
Explain the social value question: Provide evidence of your approach to, and your ability to, manage your team's wellbeing.
Enter a weighting for this question: 50
Explain the social value question: Detail your approach and commitment to the long-term sustainability of product approaches and digital delivery within the public sector or similar.
Enter a weighting for this question: 50

3. Timeline
Publication of stage 1: February 16, 2023, 12:00 AM
Clarification period closes: February 22, 2023, 4:00 PM
Deadline for suppliers to submit their stage 1 responses: March 2, 2023, 4:00 PM

Clarification questions and responses

There are no questions and clarifications relating to this opportunity.

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