Selection of the right training provider is critical to the successful development of the apprentice. The ESFA have undertaken a procurement exercise to establish a Register of Apprenticeship Providers (RoAP). Full details of the providers are available here.
In order to select a suitable provider it is likely you will need to undertake some form of competitive process in order ensure value for money in spending public funds. The exercise required will be dependent on the anticipated value of the arrangement and also considering whether additional University funds will be required over and above payment by the apprenticeship level digital voucher.
Step 1. To calculate the anticipated value, multiply the funding band maximum by the number of years over the apprenticeship by the number of similar posts (please refer to paragraph 2.1.2 of this guidance document).
Funding band max x no of years x no of posts = Anticipated value of arrangement I.e. Band 3, apprenticeship over 2 years for one apprenticeship post £9,000 x 2 x 1 = £18,000
Step 2. Identify whether additional University funds are required to top up the training requirements. If yes, contact the procurement team for further advice.
Pre selection information gathering
| Anticpated Value | Process Required |
|---|---|
| £1-£5,000 | Single written quotation obtained from RoAP |
| £5,001 - £25,000 | Minimum of 2 written quotations from RoAP |
| £25,001 - £50,000 | Minimum of 4 written quotations from RoAP |
| £50,001 | Contact Procurement |
|
Use of University funds in addition to digital vouchers |
Contact Procurement |
Details of providers on the RoAP and the services they provide are available here. You can contact providers at this stage in order to gather further information regarding the services offered and suitability of the providers in order to define your requirements and inform your next steps.
It is important to establish the best value for money option when appointing a training provider this is likely to involve an evaluation of quality and price. Some considerations you may like to take into account when assessing quotations are listed below.
When running a quotation process spending public funds it is important to conduct a process which is open, fair and transparent. The guidelines below give you some tips.
When asking for quotations ensure all providers are given the same information - Carefully articulate what you need, when by and for what reason. Produce a scope of services or specification which clearly defines what the provider is responsible for and what they are not.
Consider issuing a template for completion. Prescribing how you receive information back from providers will ease the evaluation process.
If one provider asks a question / seeks clarification on an aspect of your requirement, ensure all other providers are given the same details. Ensure you treat all providers equally, consider the appropriateness of meeting with one supplier and not others.
Consider specifying a deadline for receipt of quotations which is the same for everyone involved. Where possible review all quotations at the same time after the deadline for return. DO NOT disclose details of one quotation to another provider without permission. Information contained in the quotation may be commercially sensitive.
Ensure you retain evidence and keep an audit trail of your decision making process. Remember that University is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Further general details on running a quotation exercise can be requested from the University’s Procurement Team.
It is important for line managers to quality check the delivery of apprenticeships by your chosen training provider.
If you don’t do this and problems arise which you are unaware of, the consequences can be difficult to resolve for all concerned. This could also result in direct costs to the University (e.g. if you need to move existing apprentices to a new training provider who requires more funds to complete the apprenticeship than are available after payments to the current provider are accounted for.)
Ofstead and the ESFA undertake periodic audits of Training Providers. However, line managers have a responsibility for ensuring they are getting the service they have contracted the training provider to deliver and for which all three parties have signed up to in the commitment statements.
Suggestions for quality checking your chosen provider include: