Provision of LEAN training and support to the UK horticulture industry through delivery of AHDB'S strategic SMARTHORT CENTRES

For horticulture growers, labour availability and quality is a serious concern, and has become of increasing strategic importance. To begin to address some of these challenges, the SmartHort programme of work was launched. SmartHort was developed by AHDB for growers, and aims to reduce labour requirements in horticulture through the adoption of new technology and automation, as well as improving labour efficiencies and increasing staff retention through smarter management practices The core requirement of this tender is to identify a suitable supplier to develop and lead LEAN training through AHDBs ongoing Strategic SmartHort Centres programme. The programme has a clear emphasis on helping horticulture businesses embed LEAN principles and techniques to improve labour efficiencies and mitigate against labour shortages.

Additional information:

Suppliers Instructions How to Express Interest in this Tender and respond to the opportunity:

1. Register your company on the eSourcing portal (this is only required once) - Browse to the eSourcing Portal: https://defra.bravosolution.co.uk and click the link to register - Accept the terms and conditions and click 'continue' - Enter your correct business and user details - Note the username you chose and click 'Save' when complete - You will shortly receive an email with your unique password (please keep this secure)
2. Express an Interest in the tender - Login to the portal with the username/password - Click the ITTs Open To All Suppliers' link. (These Invitations to Tender open to any registered supplier) - Click on the relevant ITT to access the content. - Click the 'Express Interest' button at the top of the page. - This will move the ITT into your 'My ITTs' page. (This is a secure area reserved for your projects only) -You can now access any attachments by clicking 'Buyer Attachments' in the 'ITT Details' box
3. Responding to the tender - Click 'My Response' under 'ITT Details', you can choose to 'Create Response' or to 'Decline to Respond' (please give a reason if declining) - You can now use the 'Messages' function to communicate with the buyer and seek any clarification - Note the deadline for completion, then follow the onscreen instructions to complete the ITT - There may be a mixture of online and offline actions for you to perform (there is detailed online help available) You must then submit your reply using the 'Submit Response' button at the top of the page. If you require any further assistance please consult the online help.