Purpose

Adult learning in
West Sussex is enabled by funding from the Department for Education
(DfE).  The County Council currently
receives £3.2m funding per annum to provide Adult Skills in
West Sussex and £1.2m per annum (currently until March 2025)
to deliver Multiply, which aims to improve maths skills in
adults.  A small allocation of
£30k is also received to deliver “16-19 study
programmes”.
The Council has
contract arrangements in place for delivery of some aspects of
adult learning.  However, it is often
necessary to commission the delivery of adult education, post-16
and post-19 learning, skills and
training outside of these contract arrangements. This is often in
response to a range of government funded initiatives and programmes
via the Department for Education (DfE), Education and Skills
Funding Agency (ESFA), Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Home
Office and includes funding such as the Adult Skills Fund, Free
Courses for Jobs, UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Multiply, Skills
Bootcamps and 16-19 programmes.
When such
instances arise currently delivery partners are commissioned
through stand-alone open tenders. These commissioning arrangements
are not well-suited to the need to react effectively to new
initiatives and put provision in place promptly. Therefore, this
report seeks approval for the commencement of a procurement to
establish a framework of providers who deliver adult learning and
skills programmes. The proposed methodology and model of operation
will enable the establishment of a pool of suitable providers to
meet existing needs and for the Council to be more prepared and
able to act responsively to new government initiatives relating to
the delivery of skills programmes as and when they are
announced.
 

Decision

The Cabinet Member for Children and Young
People, Learning and Skills has approved:-
 

(1)The commencement of
a procurement process to establish a new open and multi-lotted
framework agreement for commissioning post-16 and post-19 adult
learning, skills and
training.  The framework is to run for a
period of up to 8 years commencing in January 2025, as set out in
section 2 of the report.
 

(2)The delegation of
authority to the Assistant Director (Education and Skills) to award
places on the framework to providers who meet the required
criteria, and any subsequent award relating to these contracting
arrangements, subject to this being affordable with the limits of
the planned budgets.