Skills Bootcamp

Kent County CouncilcontractFind a TenderRef ocds-h6vhtk-04ff1fProcurement Act 2023Light-touch servicesSME suitableVCSE suitableactive

Estimated value

Awarded value

£8.1m

Awarded 17 Jun 2025

Suppliers

12

12 SME

Lots

6

6 awarded

Published

10 Nov 2025

Description

The purpose of Skills Bootcamps is to provide tailored and flexible training courses for adults aged 19 or over in various sectors with evidenced skills gaps nationally or locally, such as Kent and Medway's creative sector, as well as agri-food, construction, retail, health and social care, and early years education. The aim of the programme is to help individuals upskill, retrain, or formalise their skills to access in-demand jobs, apprenticeships, new opportunities, and potentially higher income levels. The contract is anticipated to commence on July 2025 and will continue for a period of 4 year(s) unless terminated in accordance with the Conditions of Contract. The estimated value is £1.6 million per annum over a five-year term, including extensions, totalling £8.1 million. The initial approved funding for the Financial Year 2025/26 (FY25/26) from the Department of Education (DfE) is £1,497,081. An additional £131,000 was allocated during the procurement evaluation stage, bringing the total estimated value for FY25/26 to £1,628,081. There is the potential for a contract extension of up to 12 months, depending on both the success in achieving the required outcomes and availability of further funding. Note of this Notice: 1. This notice has been published late due to an unknown system issue, as outlined in point 2 below. The correct 'Date the contract will be signed (estimated)' is 30/06/2025, and the correct 'Contract start date' is 01/07/2025. 2. O'Halloran and O'Brien Ltd (Company Registration No. 01049341), Mainstream Training Ltd (Company Registration No. 03348003) and Jollofe Ltd (Company Registration No. 06047028) are three additional unsuccessful suppliers under Lot 3. As their company information could not be retrieved from the system due to unknown reasons, it is being included here for reference. 3. While we await resolution of the system issue, Legends Learning Centre's contract under Lot 3 has been terminated by mutual agreement. Jollofe Ltd's contract under Lot 2 is currently undergoing termination discussions. These changes will be reflected in future related notices.

Scope

Reference
CN240143
Commercial tool
Standalone contract
Contract dates
30 Jun 2025 to 30 Jun 2029
Possible extension to 30 Jun 2030

A potential for a contract extension of up to 12 months, depending on both the success in achieving the required outcomes and availability of further funding.

CPV classifications
80500000
Contract locations
North East England, United Kingdom
North West England, United Kingdom
Yorkshire and the Humber, United Kingdom
East Midlands, United Kingdom
West Midlands, United Kingdom
East of England, United Kingdom
London, United Kingdom
South East England, United Kingdom
South West England, United Kingdom
Particular suitability
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)Voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE)

Award criteria

Criteria the buyer will use to evaluate bids.

NameDescriptionTypeWeighting
Experience and Expertisequality20.00%
Programme Design and Deliveryquality20.00%
Quality Assurancequality15.00%
Employer Engagementquality15.00%
Learner Supportquality10.00%
Cost-effectiveness and Value for Moneyquality10.00%
Innovation and Flexibilityquality5.00%
Sustainability and Impactquality5.00%

Submission & procedure

Procedure
Competitive flexible procedure

Award details· 6 awards

Awarded supplier(s), contract period and value as published in the award notice.

Awarded value

£875k

Award date

17 Jun 2025

Contract start

11 Nov 2025

Contract end

30 Jun 2029

Lots · 6 total

Divisions of the contract. Each lot can be awarded separately.

View all →
LotTitleEst. valueStatus
1Creative Sector£875kcomplete
2Agri-Food£910kcomplete
3Construction£3.7mcomplete
4Retail£245kcomplete
5Health & Social Care£1.6mcomplete