001086 Apprenticeships Round 7

Description

YPO are looking for providers to be appointed onto a Framework Agreement for the provision of Apprenticeship Standards and Associated Training. The Framework is designed to meet the needs of all public sector organisations which includes YPO's internal requirements. YPO may seek to introduce collaborative partners to this Framework throughout its duration to support growth.
The routes are as prescribed by the 'Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education'. These were defined using labour market information regarding the size and nature of occupations grouped to reflect shared requirements for occupationally related skills and knowledge.

The routes are listed on the left hand side of the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education' website:
https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/

YPO will list all routes, along with standards which are approved for delivery, and providers will have the ability to select which standards region they are able to deliver in when bidding for the framework. 

The routes will be as listed by the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education guidance.

The framework will replicate the structure that is provided by the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education. If the structure is amended by the institute then the framework structure will be amended to run in-line on the next quarter update.

Please be advised that the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education has the ability to change the title of routes and move standards into alternative routes based on feedback from contracting authorities, YPO reserve the right to follow the same process based on the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education direction.

Any new routes will be added onto the framework on a quarterly basis with the subsequent standards aligned under them.

On a quarterly basis YPO will add on new developed standards as they appear on the above website, the number of standards will continue to grow and will be updated in the documents. 
Providers will be able to bid for all live standards that have been listed from the beginning of the framework and all new standards that are added by the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education throughout the duration of the framework.

The standards are each listed on the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education website and can be found at:
https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/

At the point of the framework being published there will be:
-	11 regions
-	15 routes 
-	646 standards  

YPO is managing this procurement process in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR). This is a Framework Agreement being procured under the Light Touch Regime (LTR) procedure therefore subject to the limited regulation and will be conducted in accordance with regulations 74 to 76 PCR2015.

Additional information: To access this opportunity please follow the below link:
https://procontract.due-north.com/

The Framework Agreement will cover the period from 1st August 2023 to 31st July 2026, with the option to extend for up to an additional 12 months (subject to an annual review and KPI performance). A decision to extend the framework beyond this initial term will be taken by April 2026 and will be dependent on satisfactory completion of all aspects of the contract to date, the current market conditions for this category and YPO's contracting structures. The maximum contract period will therefore be four years, from 1st August 2023 to 31st July 2027.

New providers to the framework process;
YPO will re-open the procurement process for new providers to bid to be a part of the framework on a quarterly basis. However, YPO reserve the right to re-open more or less frequently if YPO feel that these timescales do not run in line with market changes or customer demands. YPO will give a months notice to amend these time periods. The apprenticeship market is changing and developing across all of the public sector and YPO want to ensure that we can meet the needs of both providers and customers.

New providers will be able to bid for previously listed standards on the framework and new standards that were added.

There is no limit to the number of providers that will be allocated onto each standard.

Please refer to the Apprenticeship Framework - Appendix E - 4 year timetable (Reference 1086) within the YPO tendering portal at https://procontract.due-north.com/ where each round is highlighted accordingly.