Student Bursary Support Service Contract

Department for Education, Education and Skills Funding Agency
53-55 Butts Road, Earlsdon Park
Coventry
CV1 3BH
United Kingdom
E-mail: SBSS.Procurement@education.gov.uk
NUTS code: UKG33

Internet address(es):Main address: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education

The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at: https://supplierlive.proactisp2p.com/Account/Login/?cid=DFE

Additional information can be obtained from the abovementioned address

Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted to the abovementioned address

Ministry or any other national or federal authority, including their regional or local subdivisions

Education

Student Bursary Support Service

Reference number: RFx204

Services

** The Education and Skills Funding Agency’s (ESFA) main business is to make allocations of funding to education and training institutions effectively, accurately and on time. Student support payments form part of the overall allocations package. The provision of student support forms part of DfE’s strategy for raising participation and closing the education gap and supports its strategy to retain all young people in education, training or work experience until age 18. Currently, a proportion of the administration of student financial support services is contracted-out through the Student Bursary Support Service (SBSS). The contract to provide the SBSS will expire on 31.8.2019 and will not be extended. DfE must therefore have a replacement service ready by May 2019 to handle the applications for students starting their studies in September 2019.

Value excluding VAT: 8 500 000.00 GBP

This contract is divided into lots: no

NUTS code: UK

Main site or place of performance:

England only

The Student Bursary Support Service (SBSS) is a service to:

— process student applications for Care to Learn financial support, which involves eligibility checks of the student (circ 3 000 applications annually),

— process institution funding claims for the 16 to 18 Bursary Fund for vulnerable students (circ 4 000 claims annually),

— process student application details for Professional and Career Development Loans (circ 38 000 applications/data adjustments annually),

— carry out monthly verification of course attendance at education institutions (circ 3 000 students annually),

— carry out monthly verification of child attendance at eligible/registered childcare providers (circ 3 000 students annually),

— carry out weekly verification of Ofsted registration of childcare providers (circ 1 000 childcare providers annually),

— provide support for students, education institutions and childcare providers that need additional information and advice (circ 50 000 enquiries annually),

— the SBSS makes circa 22 000 support payments annually to education institutions (schools, colleges and providers) and childcare providers worth approximately 37 000 000 GBP per academic year. DfE provides the funds to make these payments on a weekly basis,

— students, childcare providers and education institutions are the primary customers for the Student Bursary Support Service and they must receive the support and payments to which they are entitled.

The current contract to provide the Student Bursary Support Service will expire on 31.8.2019.

The service provider will be required to provide the necessary office accommodation, infrastructure, IT systems, staff and resources to administer these student support schemes. The service provider will provide an end to end service, from the submission of the applications by the students/education institutions to the payments to the providers.

Contract will cover the set-up and implementation of the service from May 2018 to August 2019, operation for 3 academic years from September 2019 to August 2022 (initial term).

Subject to government policy and available funding there will be an option to extend the service for a 4th and 5th academic year (September 2022 to August 2023 and September 2023 to August 2024.

We will consider a variety of service delivery options including fully outsourced to a single supplier or multiple suppliers working in partnerships or as a consortium. This contract will not be offered as lots and will require a main contractor to delivery the service during the term of the contract. We will also consider other options, if proposals do not meet our cost benefit expectations.

This procurement exercise follow the Open OJEU procedure electronically via the Redimo 2 system.

To prevent delays accessing this exercise and all related documentation, please self-register on this system in advance.

Guidance on how to register is available on the gov website at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education/about/procurement

Price is not the only award criterion and all criteria are stated only in the procurement documents

Value excluding VAT: 8 500 000.00 GBP

Start: 31/05/2018

End: 31/08/2022

This contract is subject to renewal: yes

Description of renewals:

There will be an option to extend for a further 24 months in 12 month periods.

Variants will be accepted: no

Options: yes

Description of options:

There will be an option to extend for a further 24 months in 12 month periods.

The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: no

Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents

Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents

Open procedure

The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: yes

Notice number in the OJ S: 2017/S 202-415810

Date: 12/03/2018

Local time: 17:00

English

Date: 12/03/2018

Local time: 17:00

Information about authorised persons and opening procedure:

Officials of the department.

This is a recurrent procurement: no

Department for Education
Sanctuary Buildings, 20 Great Smith Street
London
SW1P 3BT
United Kingdom

02/02/2018