Subcontract Requirement for the delivery of Adult Education Budget in Non Devolved Areas (Distance learning)

1. Croydon College wishes to issue a flexible subcontract or subcontracts, of a total funding value up to £200,000, from 22 October 2021 to 31 July 2022, for the delivery of Distance Learning AEB-Funded Provision to adult learners living in non-devolved postcode areas of England preferably within 50 miles of the College. All learning aims and learners must be eligible for ESFA AEB funding in 2021/22. 2. Providers will be expected to share their know how of Distance Learning delivery with the College, to enable a gradual transition of the College's Distance Learning provision from Subcontracted to Direct delivery by the College, in response to ESFA's expectation of colleges to reduce their subcontracted provision. The Provider's capability of managing the knowledge transfer is part of the selection criteria. 3. Application instructions and detailed requirements are provided in the documents attached to this notice (Tender Specification, Tender Application Form, Achievement and Planning Spreadsheet). 4. Providers wishing to apply for this opportunity must: a) Have a current Matrix certificate b) Have a track record of successful delivery of Distance Learning qualifications, either as a subcontractor or under a direct contract. c) Meet any other mandatory criteria specified in the tender documents attached to this notice. At the time of the tender publication, the expectation is that the full contract value must be delivered in the 2021/22 funding year. However, please refer to the tender documents for details of possible contract increase and/or extension, at the College's sole discretion. 5. The retained funding fee, retained by the College, will be 20%. 6. Please use the email address tenders@croydon.ac.uk for any clarification requests and application submissions. Communications received over the telephone or on another email address will not be responded to and enquirers will be asked to resend their communication to the official tender email above. This is to ensure that consistent advice is provided to all enquirers. 7. The deadline for submitting clarification requests regarding this opportunity by email to tenders@croydon.ac.uk is 21 July 2021, 17:00. 8. Responses to clarification requests will be collated and published under this notice as an additional attachment, within timescales as per the Tender Specification Form. 9. The deadline for submitting tender applications by email to tenders@croydon.ac.uk is Friday 13th August 2021, 17:00 - that is, the applications must reach the College by the deadline. The applications must contain the following: a) The completed Tender Application Form and b) The completed Achievement and Planning Spreadsheet and c) Any supporting documents 10. For full details of application instructions, acceptable application format, tender requirements and the tendering process timetable please read the tender documents attached to this notice.