Adult Skills and Learning DPS

All public sector organisations can access training for adults and young adults in the general public. Training is available both regionally and nationally through a range of funding types.

Description

Provides access to a range of adult training services using a buyer’s public funding for training. The training provided will help adults and young adults develop the skills they need to gain employment, prepare for an apprenticeship, and/or progress into further qualifications. Includes access to training for:

  • post 19 skills
  • post 16 skills
  • adult skills fund
  • free courses for jobs
  • UK Shared Prosperity Fund
  • Multiply
  • any future iterations of existing funding
  • any future funding types

Apprenticeship levy training is excluded. For this, see our Apprenticeship Training Dynamic Marketplace. For corporate training of public sector employees, see our Learning and Training Services dynamic purchasing system (DPS). If your training budget is grant funded, you can still use this commercial agreement to access the training. You can include your own funding rules in the terms of your call off contract. This agreement uses a DPS and offers a range of pre-qualified regional and national providers. You can filter providers by:

  • delivery locations (where the training will happen)
  • sector subject areas
  • qualification levels provided

This DPS is available to use until 27 October 2028. An extension to this commercial agreement is currently not possible. This commercial agreement complies with the Public Contracts Regulations (PCR) 2015.

Watch this video for an overview of the Adult Skills and Learning DPS and how to run a procurement.

Benefits

  • single route to market for a variety of publicly funded training for adults
  • suitable for regional and national contracts
  • include your own funding rules in the call off contract
  • future-proofed solution that is suitable for current and future funding types
  • the DPS questionnaire removes the need for standard pre-qualification questions, saving buyers and suppliers time
  • only invite suppliers relevant to your needs, made possible by the filtering system
  • helps you to achieve your social value and carbon net zero objectives and compliance 
  • a time and resource saving alternative to developing and managing your own adult skills DPS / framework
  • shorter timescales compared to an open procurement  
  • training providers must pass a financial liability risk assessment (FVRA), provide proof of insurance and provide their Cyber Essentials certificate in order to join, ensuring they meet our standards
  • you can invite local training providers to join the DPS before running your adult skills procurement, as suppliers can join at any time

Products and suppliers

Please read the 'How to buy' tab below for detailed instructions on how to find out which suppliers are on this agreement.

Lot 1: Adult Skills and Learning DPS

Expires:

How to buy

Video for buyers

Watch this video for an overview of the Adult Skills and Learning DPS and how to run a procurement.

Buyer guide

For detailed step by step guidance, read the ‘Buyer guide’ from the ‘Documents’ section below.

Access the DPS

Access this DPS on the Dynamic Purchasing System Marketplace. Scroll down to the ‘Adult Skills and Learning’ section and click ‘Access as a buyer’. If you are not yet registered, click the link to register and follow the instructions (it may take a few days for your login details to come through).

Engage with suppliers

To help you decide the service you need, you can choose to engage with suppliers before you run your further competition. You can email the suppliers or use an online procurement tool like CCS’s eSourcing tool. Read the ‘How to create your supplier shortlist’ section below to find out how to get the relevant suppliers’ contact details.

Run a further competition

  1. Write your tender documents:
    1. Invitation to tender document (including the questions you want to ask suppliers and how you are going to score their responses).
    2. Requirements specification.
    3. Pricing matrix (if needed).
  2. Draft your contract documents:
    1. Contract order form.
    2. Contract terms.
  3. Shortlist suppliers using the DPS system (read the ‘How to create your supplier shortlist’ section below).
    1. To shortlist suppliers even further, you can ask suppliers to complete a capability assessment (this is optional).
  4. Invite suppliers to bid (you can use the free CCS eSourcing portal or another procurement tool).
  5. Evaluate supplier bids.
  6. Send outcome letters to the suppliers that bid.
  7. Finalise the contract order form and contract terms (together, these form your call-off contract).
  8. Award the contract to the winning supplier(s) and sign the order form(s).
  9. Inform CCS of your contract award(s).

How to create your supplier shortlist

For a demo, watch this video from 6:20.

  1. Go to the Dynamic Purchasing System Marketplace.
  2. Scroll down to the ‘Adult Skills and Learning’ section, click ‘Access as a buyer’ and sign in.
  3. On your dashboard, click ‘Create new category portfolio’ (it’s underneath the grey ‘Help’ box on the right).
  4. Tick the filters along the left that you need.
    1. The system uses an and/or filter, so suppliers will appear in your shortlist if they can deliver one or more of your chosen options.
  5. Then, click ‘Select sector subject areas’ in the top right.
  6. Tick the relevant sector subject areas and qualification groupings for your needs.
    1. The system also uses an and/or filter here.
  7. Scroll down and click ‘Save’, name your shortlist, and click ‘Save’ again.
  8. On your dashboard, scroll to your shortlist and once loaded, click ‘Export’.
    1. This downloads a spreadsheet with supplier contact information.

Documents