HCC August 2026 - The Provision of a framework for Skills Bootcamp

Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) are out to tender, for Skills Bootcamps.

Skills Bootcamps aim to secure benefits for adults by giving them access to in-demand skills training and a guaranteed interview for a more sustainable, higher-skilled job and higher wages over time. The benefits for employers include helping them fill specific skills shortage vacancies, enabling them to become more productive, more quickly.

The overall aims of the Skills Bootcamps are:

• oTo deliver flexible training programmes lasting up to 16 weeks, based on employer / sector ‘in-demand’ skills needs which may be either regulated (i.e. qualification based) or non-regulated (e.g. based on alignment with industry standards) enabling adults to do training around work and other commitments, looking to gain work, additional responsibilities, or access new opportunities and will offer a guaranteed job interview (in the case of a new job) to individual participants on completion of the course.
• oTo address the needs of adults (19+) who are full-time and part-time employed, unemployed, returning to work after a break or self-employed, and provide individuals with wider access to opportunities to retrain, update or formalise their skills or acquire specialist skills.
• oTo address the needs of employers and the wider economy, to deliver targeted interventions to meet short-medium term demand to fill vacancies and drive productivity. They will help fill medium-higher level vacancies and bring individuals closer to better jobs, by linking them with line of sight to a job/ different role, additional responsibilities or new opportunities/contracts
• oTo help fill vacancies and bring individuals closer to better jobs (including those currently in employment), by linking them with line of sight to a job / different role, additional responsibilities or new opportunities / contracts
• c.We initially tested Skills Bootcamps in a range of Digital Skills such as digital marketing, software development and cyber security from Autumn 2020 and have expanded across England to include a wider range of more technical and specialist courses such as construction, retrofit, electro technical, photonics, marine design, electrical installation and more.

There must be evidence of demand for the skills developed through the Skills Bootcamp, including evidence of vacancies in the local labour market.

Providers must cite the evidence they are relying on regarding local labour market needs and demonstrate due regard to the skills analysis and priorities of Local Partners, Skills Advisory Panels, Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCA), Local Authorities (LA), etc and show how they align with Local Skills Improvement Plan(s).

Until now, priority sectors for Skills Bootcamps have been Construction and the Built Environment, Engineering and Manufacturing, Digital, Creative and Design, Business and Administration, Education and Early Years and Transport and Logistics. However, Skills England have identified 8 Industrial Strategy priorities (Advanced Manufacturing, Clean Energy, Digital Technologies, Life Sciences, Creative Industries, Financial Services and more.

Please allow sufficient time to make your return, as Tender submissions cannot be uploaded and submitted after this return deadline.

Please ensure that where possible documents are uploaded as a PDF unless otherwise requested and that file names are succinct. Any questions relating to this procurement must be made via correspondence on the website, in accordance with the procurement documents, and can be addressed to the main contact as shown in the details above.

Tenderers should be aware that due to the nature of the Services provided, any Contract formed as a result of this procurement process shall be executed as a deed. Tenderers should seek independent legal advice on the implications of this prior to submitting their Tender, where appropriate. Please note that the Contract requirements will be subject to available financial resources, supplier performance and flexibility to meet changing demands.

To access this opportunity please visit https://in-

tendhost.co.uk/supplyhertfordshire/aspx/Home.

If you are experiencing problems In-Tend offer a help section which includes a dedicated UK support desk which can be contacted via email: support@in-tend.co.uk or Telephone: +44 1144070065 for any website/technical questions, Monday to Friday, 8:30-17:00.

The Council reserves the right at any time to cease the procurement process and not award the Contract or to award only part of the opportunity described in this notice. If the Council takes up this right, then they will not be responsible for or pay the expenses or losses, which may be incurred by any organisation or tenderer as a result.

In February 2025 the UK Government formally invited Hertfordshire County Council (the ”Council”) and the various district and borough Councils of Hertfordshire (see attached - District and borough councils | Hertfordshire County Council) to develop proposals for local government reorganisation in Hertfordshire which is likely to result in the current two-tier system of local government being reorganised into a single tier of local government with one or more unitary councils for the whole of the Hertfordshire area. If implemented, local government reorganisation is currently expected to take effect in April 2028 and, on that date, the existing two-tier councils will be dissolved and replaced by one or more new unitary authorities. Existing contracts held by the Council and the district and borough Councils of Hertfordshire are expected to transfer to their successor authorities on vesting day in accordance with the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 and the Local Government (Structural Changes) (Transfer of Functions, Property, Rights and Liabilities) Regulations 2008. These reforms will be subject to a decision of the Secretary of State and could be subject to change at any time.

As these reforms may occur during the term of this contract and result in changes to the form, structure, size and shape of local government in Hertfordshire, they are a known risk to the Council within the meaning of paragraph 6, Schedule 8 of the Procurement Act 2023 (Act) in that the reforms could jeopardise the satisfactory performance of the contract but because the nature and extent of the reforms are presently unknown, it is not possible to address the risks in the contract. If these risks materialise, the contract may need to be modified under paragraph 5 of Schedule 8 of the Act. Such modification could include, but not be limited to, the need to replace the contracting authority with a successor public authority and/or vary the structure, scope, nature and/or geographical location/boundary within which the contract is delivered.

Tenderers should note that any variation(s) to the terms and conditions of the contract will be made in accordance with its terms.