DfC Work Ready Employability Services

Location

Belfast

Description

As part of a move across government in Northern Ireland to respond to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and the significant rise in unemployment, the Department for Communities (DfC) wishes to procure Work Ready Employability Services. Work Ready Employability Services (WRES) will provide additional capacity and/or expertise to supplement and complement existing DfC employability provision in a responsive and agile manner, to ramp up and down, as and when required. Full details of DfC’s requirements can be found in the Specification.

Lot Division

Award Detail

CPV Codes

• 80000000 - Education and training services
• 80521000 - Training programme services
• 80522000 - Training seminars
• 80530000 - Vocational training services
• 80500000 - Training services

Indicators

• Options are available.
• Award on basis of price and quality.

Legal Justification

Contracting authority publishing of prior information notice (2020/S 123-302667 of 29/6/20) justifies reduction of timescales as per 27(4) and 27(5) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

Other Information

The estimated contract value is a broad estimate only and includes additional quantum for unforeseen demand and to future proof. There is no guarantee of any level of business under this contract, either for any individual lot, or for the contract as a whole. The estimate is not deemed to be a condition of contract nor a guarantee of minimum demand or uptake. No compensation will be payable to a contractor should the actual demand be less than that stated. The Department would again stress that on a demand-led contract, throughput/uptake could be influenced by a wide range of factors on a local level, so the values for individual lots should also be considered as broad estimates only at this time. The successful contractor’s performance on this contract will be managed as per specification and regularly monitored (see Procurement Guidance Note 01/12 Contract Management: https://www.finance-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/ files/publications/dfp/PGN-01012-Contract-Management-Principles-Procedures-25-Sept-2017.PDF). Contractors not delivering on contract requirements is a serious matter. It means the public purse is not getting what it is paying for. If a contractor fails to reach satisfactory levels of contract performance they will be given a specified time to improve. If, after the specified time, they still fail to reach satisfactory levels of contract performance, the matter will be escalated to senior management in CPD for further action. If this occurs and their performance still does not improve to satisfactory levels within the specified period, it may be regarded as an act of grave professional misconduct and they may be issued with a notice of written warning and notice of unsatisfactory performance and this contract may be terminated.The issue of a notice of written warning and notice of unsatisfactory performance will result in the contractor being excluded from all procurement competitions being undertaken by Centres of Procurement Expertise on behalf of bodies covered by the Northern Ireland Procurement Policy for a period of up to 3 years from the date of issue of the notice.