Prior Information Notice - Greater Manchester Adult Education Budget

The purpose of this PIN is to conduct initial pre-procurement market testing in relation to procurement of provision funded by the devolved Adult Education Budget in the 2019/20 academic year. It is testing principles and seeking provider input ahead of a formal market engagement event and forms part of a wider engagement/ consultation process which has included research activity and engagement with stakeholders and their network representatives on the GMCA's AEB Task Group.

Details on how stakeholders may respond are set out at the end of this document and more details can be found on The Chest by following the below link:

https://procontract.due-north.com/Advert?advertId=9502cf02-287e-e811-80ed-005056b64545&p=e0cc5631-4690-e511-80fb-000c29c9ba21

Based on GM's indicative allocation of AEB, the value of procured activity for the 2019/20 academic year will be an estimated £25m, with the final value expected to be confirmed early in 2019 following DfE confirmation of GM's overall AEB budget.

However, GMCA is keen to develop effective, high trust relationships with providers, delivering positive long-term impact for GM residents. This will enable providers to plan and build capacity with greater surety. We expect providers to develop a place-based curriculum offer and wrap-around support with a clear focus on learner progression.

With this in mind, GMCA's intention is that contracts awarded from this procurement will initially last for one year (academic year 2019 to 2020), with an option to extend for a further 2 years. GMCA reserves the right to extend contracts for a second and third period of up to 12 months subject to funding availability, the provider's delivery and performance against the contract, and skills policy (including any changes to the overall GM budget arising from the Spending Review or adjustments to the way in which GM's allocation is calculated by central government).