United Kingdom: Functional Skills Virtual Assessments for Upskilled NHS Staff

I.1) Name, addresses and contact point(s):
Contact Name: Leila Hodson
Email: leila.hodson@hee.nhs.uk
1st Floor, Blenheim House
Duncombe Street
Town: Leeds
Postcode: LS1 4PL
Country: United Kingdom
Internet address: https://hee.nhs.uk/

Title: United Kingdom: Functional Skills Virtual Assessments for Upskilled NHS Staff
Reference No: HEE001-DN536131-63074127

Following on from the context set out within the tender documentation and based on current projections, the national Talent for Care team estimates that approximately 15,000 NHS apprentices may be struggling with functional skills. It must be noted, however, that this is an estimation, and the actual figure may be higher. When we extend the lens to also include social care, the number may reach double this.

We have heard from employers in every region of England that they are still struggling to access exam provision - particularly "exam-only" provision, where the learner has not studied with the college or provider who would assess them. This is further exacerbated by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic because some providers are not meeting the challenge of providing Covid-safe assessments. This results in learners reaching a competence of level 2 in terms of knowledge but lacking the evidence to prove it, and therefore are unable to progress to positions where it is a requirement. We hope to be able to provide access to exams for at least 5,000 learners during this contract, but the exact number depends on employer uptake. The winning provider must be able to provide to at least double number this if that situation arises.

We are looking to procure the most competitive national solution to the above problem i.e. the most Covid-19 safe and if/where applicable 100% digitally secure functional skills' assessments for the cost outlined. The winning assessment provider must be able to offer remote invigilation and meet the requirements of employers from across England (from Penzance to Penrith) and from across the entire health and social care sector. This means large-scale employers i.e. NHS Trusts where they may be cohorts of learners to GP surgeries and care homes where there is likely to be only 1 or 2, and everything in between these two examples. The number of learners (employees) with each employer will vary according to the local skills, mix and need. Capacity to support this must be outlined in the tender response. We believe that by procuring at this scale we can achieve a level of competitive pricing that is not possible for individual employers and that we can achieve greater national coverage.

Estimated Total Value From: £50,000.00
Estimated Total Value To: £150,000.00

Contract start date: 2021-07-12 local time: 00:00:00
Contract end date: 2022-03-31 local time: 00:00:00

Contract is suitable for SMEs: Yes
Contract is suitable for VCSEs: Yes