Clarifications
There are 251 clarifications for this DPS
56. Regarding question 129 "Do you meet the minimum level of economic and financial standing and/or minimum financial threshold specified within the evaluation criteria for this procurement?", I cannot find where this has been specified in the evaluation criteria. Where can I find the evaluation criteria?
The financial threshold score for the RM6102 Apprenticeships Training Dynamic Marketplace is 35. Please refer to (section 8 - Economic and Financial Standing) of the DPS Needs document within the bid pack for further information regarding financial requirements/ guidance to support the RM6018 Apprenticeships Training Dynamic Marketplace.
Answered
10/05/2019 15:12
55. Hello, the Apprenticeship Market Place DPS documentation that requires completing mentions EPA services, in Wales there is no requirement for EPA - is there a separate section for Apprenticeship provision to CCS Employees in devolved countries?
CCS can confirm that there is no separate section for Apprenticeship provision to public sector Employees in devolved countries as any requirement will be specified separately and agreed between the contracting customer and provider.
Answered
10/05/2019 15:03
54. We have completed the DPS Registration 2 section and named the apprenticeship standards and frameworks that we wish to offer. We have, since then, reviewed this and wish now to make some changes. Can you please advise how we go about this? It is not clear whether and how we are able to edit previously submitted responses.
CCS can confirm that you will need to add some information in any outstanding fields which will progress your submission to 'Agreeing' stage. Once you have entered 'Agreeing' stage and accepted the CCS Terms and Conditions to become 'Appointed' as detailed in section 5 of the READ First DPS Needs document which forms part of the bid pack. CCS can then temporarily reject your submission which will then enable you to be redirceted to the DPSQ where you will be able to update your service offerings; resubmit your questionnaire and become reappointed to the DMP.
Answered
09/05/2019 20:37
53. We deliver a large number of programmes and would like to prioritise a number of our programmes as forming part of our initial application to the Dynamic Marketplace. At DPSQ stage, we had selected all the programmes we currently deliver. However, in order for us to prioritise programmes and complete the Programme Prospectuses, we will need to 'deselect' a number of programmes originally 'ticked'. Owing to the portal's functionality and our 'qualified' status thus far, we are unable to 'back-track' to amend our selections. Please can you advise us on how we can achieve and resolve this?
CCS can confirm that you will need to add some information in any outstanding fields which will progress your submission to 'Agreeing' stage. Once you have entered 'Agreeing' stage and accepted the CCS Terms and Conditions to become 'Appointed' as detailed in section 5 of the READ First DPS Needs document which forms part of the bid pack. CCS can then temporarily reject your submission which will then enable you to be redirceted to the DPSQ where you will be able to update your service offerings; resubmit your questionnaire and become reappointed to the DMP.
Bidders should only complete a prospectus for those services which they are able to provide and which they have selected in their DPSQ. All prospectus information should be fully compliant with the requirements and bidders should NOT complete non-compliant prospectus's with the aim to update at a later date. In the event that a bidder wants to add new services with the corresponding compliant prospectus information at a later date, bidders can do this as per the instructions in the READ First DPS Needs document in the bid pack. In the event that a bidders submission is rejected as an interim measure to allow the bidder to update their service offering, CCS will reappoint the bidder to the DMP as soon as the necessary changes have been made by the bidder. CCS will aim to complete this action on the same day the bidder resubmits their Selection Questionnaire.
Answered
09/05/2019 20:49
52. Recognising that Cyber Essentials is a must and the certification is required to validate this, can CCS confirm whether we can move on from this stage to complete the remainder of the selection stage and return to upload the Cyber Essentials Certificate once this in place, at a later date? We are concerned that if we move on our submission will fail as non-compliant.
CCS can confirm that your organisation can complete the standard Selection Questionnaire (SQ) and the DPSQ (procurement specific questions - i.e. service filter offerings). If you have not uploaded your Cyber Certification as part of the DPSQ, your submission will enter into 'assessing' stage. Bidders can only remain in the 'Assessing' stage for a maximum of 15 working days, and if the bidders cyber certificate is not uploaded during that timescale the submission will be rejecetd an an interim measure until the bidder is able to provide a copy of their certificate in their SQ. This can be done by re-applying for the DMP, using all previous responses. Please refer to the READ First (Updating Answers section) for full details. Bidders will not be able to progress to Qualified stage to complete their generic and apprenticeship standards/ framework specific prospectus data until the selection criteria for the SQ and DPSQ has been successfully met.
Answered
08/05/2019 14:36
51. Q.131 asks for whether the parent company would be willing to provide a guarantee if necessary ? Can you clarify if this is not possible, will it be a mandatory exclusion from the DPS market place ?
CCS can confirm that question 131 of the standard selection questionnaire is not a mandatory exclusion question.
Answered
09/05/2019 12:36
49. Dear sir/madam, On the SSQ "Part 3: Steel", we do not manufacture or supply steel so are we required to complete the questions within this section? Many thanks in advance.
CCS can confirm the Part 3 questions relating to Steel 'Supply Chain Management' question 147 - 149 are not applicable and a response is therefore NOT required. Please refer to section 9 of the READ First DPS Needs document for all 'Not Applicable' questions.
Answered
02/05/2019 16:08
47. What is the process for uploading the evidence requested (listed below) in response to the SQ as below: • Audited accounts for the last two years • A statement of the cash flow forecast for the current year • A bank letter outlining the current cash and credit position • Forecast of turnover for the current year • A statement of funding provided by the owners and/or the bank, charity... • Parent company accounts • Parent company guarantee • Employer's (Compulsory) Liability Insurance • Public Liability Insurance • Professional Indemnity Insurance • Product Liability Insurance • Skills and Apprentices - documentary evidence to support supplier's c... • Skills and Apprentices - documentary evidence to demonstrate suppli... • Suppliers' Past Performance - a list of relevant principal contracts for ... • Suppliers' Past Performance - a certificate for each principal contract ... • A statement of the turnover • Profit & loss account • Current liabilities and assets • Cash flow for the most recent year of trading for the organisation.
All evidence related questions detailed align to a response the bidder has provided in the standard Selection Questionnaire. For example, question 180 relates to Past Performance evidence to support questions 150 - 154 in the standard selection questionnaire, which as detailed in the READ First DPS Needs document in the bid pack (Section 9) is not applicable. N.B. Section 9 details all not applicable questions.
Bidders can submit evidence where applicable following completion of their RM6102 submission, CCS would therefore recommend that bidders continue to progress with their submission and disregard the evidence requests in the interim.
Bidders will however as part of the award process be requested to provide evidence of insurance certification.
In addition, suppliers will only be required to provide financial evidence in the event they fail to meet the financial threshold score of 35, full details of this process can be found at (section 8 - Economic and Financial Standing) of the DPS Needs document within the bid pack.
Answered
29/04/2019 23:02
46. Please could we seek follow-on clarification regarding this Q&A: Question: In respect of Attachment 5 and with regard to integrated degrees, are applicants to include the cost of the End-point Assessment in the "Cost of delivery per apprentice" fields? Answer: For those suppliers providing End Point Assesment services, they are required to complete Attachment 6- Pricing Matrix for End-Point Assessment. For providers including integrated degrees in their application, should they submit an application only to the Apprenticeships element of the DPS (completing the equivalent of Attachment 9c for the Standard in the online application); or must they also apply to the EPA element of the DPS (completing the equivalent of Attachments 9c and 9d for the Standard in the online application)? Also, with regard to the price for an integrated degree; should the application include the full cost of the integrated degree, including EPA, in Attachment 5; or must they split the total price across Attachments 5 and 6?
Please disregard the previous response provided in error. CCS can confirm that bidders should include the cost of the End-point Assessment in the "Cost of delivery per apprentice" fields in Attachment 5 - Pricing Matrix for Apprenticeship Training Providers. Completion of Attachment 6 - Pricing Matrix for End-Point Assessment Providers and the generic and EPA prospectuses do not require completion.
Answered
29/04/2019 22:24
45. Dear sir/madam, in the Standard Selection Questionnaire suppliers are asked whether they will use subcontractors. As a large-scale multi-category opportunity, it may be possible to use subcontractors at a later stage. If suppliers tick no to using subcontractors in the SSQ, would this preclude the bidder from using subcontractors at future stages of procurement?
Bidders should list all known sub-contractors as defined in DPS Schedule 1 of the DMP Agreement which forms part of the RM6102 bid pack, which states 'means any person other than the Supplier who is a party to
a Sub-Contract and the servants or agents of that person'. The sub-contractors listed as part of the supplier SQ (where applicable) will for part of the suppliers 'Contract Order Form' as detailed in DPS Schedule 4, if awarded a contract under the DMP.
Bidders are able to use different sub-contractors during the lifetime of their DPS Agreement, however any changes to sub contracting arrangements are subject to the obligations under clause 18 ( Supply Chain Rights and Protection) of the Contract Terms which form part of the RM6102 bid pack.
Answered
29/04/2019 23:54
44. Regarding the financial stand of an organisation, a SME with an overdraft arrangement with the bank, would that be sufficient as a financial evident in this contract. Thank you.
Bidders Dun and Bradstreet number provided as part of their submission will generate a financial threshold score. The financial threshold score for the RM6102 is 35 or above. In the event your organisation fails to meet or exceed this score, further financial assessment will be undertaken as detailed in Section 8 (Economic and Financial Standing) of the READ First DPS Needs document within the bid pack. Please refer to this document for full details.
Answered
29/04/2019 23:14
43. Cyber certificate from our inquiries will take up to three to six months to obtain, should a certification for an individual be sufficient for a SME in this bid. Thank you
CCS can confirm that cyber certification for an individual is NOT sufficient, and must be provided for the supplier organisation. Additionally, CCS can confirm if the supplier organisation has the required information in place to support the cyber certification process, certification can be obtained within a week at the earliest.
Please refer to the following website to obtain further information regarding cyber essentials and how to obtain appropriate certification: https://www.cyberessentials.ncsc.gov.uk/getting-certified/
Answered
29/04/2019 10:50
42. Can you confirm that the closing date for applications to this opportunity is 29th April 2023.
CCS can confirm that the DPS remains open for the lifetime of it's duration, meaning suppliers can join at anytime. The intended duration period of the RM6102 DMP Agreement is for 4 years (48 months). However the DMP will go live to customers on 30th April, therefore delay in uploading offers may result in missed opportunities.
Answered
28/04/2019 21:28
40. Dear sir/madam, in the Standard Selection Questionnaire suppliers are asked whether they will use subcontractors. As a large-scale multi-category opportunity, it may be possible to use subcontractors at a later stage. If suppliers tick no to using subcontractors in the SSQ, would this preclude the bidder from using subcontractors at future stages of procurement?
Bidders should list all known sub-contractors as defined in DPS Schedule 1 of the DMP Agreement which forms part of the RM6102 bid pack, which states 'means any person other than the Supplier who is a party to
a Sub-Contract and the servants or agents of that person'. The sub-contractors listed as part of the supplier SQ (where applicable) will for part of the suppliers 'Contract Order Form' as detailed in DPS Schedule 4, if awarded a contract under the DMP.
Bidders are able to use different sub-contractors during the lifetime of their DPS Agreement, however any changes to sub contracting arrangements are subject to the obligations under clause 18 ( Supply Chain Rights and Protection) of the Contract Terms which form part of the RM6102 bid pack.
Answered
29/04/2019 23:53
39. Good Afternoon, In a previous CQ response you have stated that the character count for each question in the prospectus is 300, this is approximately 45 words. Question 86 alone (coped below) is 353 characters, I would suggest it would be impossible for providers to be able to write a response to the question posed and each bullet point in enough detail to provide CCS confidence in our ability to deliver Apprenticeship Training. Question 86 Please provide the following information about your Organisation. • What your organisation does in the Apprenticeship Training context • How your organisation does this, where and who for • How you ensure high standards in apprenticeship training are delivered • Unique Selling Point - what makes the business unique and valuable to the public sector market It would be appreciated if you could review this requirement and consider an adjustment to the character count available to enable bidders to fully respond and provide CCS with confidence in our ability to deliver.
CCS can confirm the word count limit is 300 for all fields in the prospectuses, and not 300 characters (a previously published response has since been amended to reflect this).
- Apart from one of the text fields, in the Generic Apprenticeship / EPA Prospectus Template - where a Supplier is requested to provide following information about their Organisation:
What your organisation does in the Apprenticeship Training / EPA context
How your organisation does this, where and who for
How you ensure high standards in apprenticeship training are delivered
Unique Selling Point - what makes the business unique and valuable to the public sector market
The word count for this field is 500.
Each of the text fields have a counter for the number of words available, so you can keep track of your responses.
Answered
26/04/2019 14:32
38. Could you please confirm if the 300 character limit is correct for the narrative responses within the prospectus sections? We are conscious that this is insufficient for answering, for example, the Company Information response following Question 86 - the bullet points of which total over 270 characters in themselves. 300 characters would only provide us an opportunity to write c.50 words to cover these 4 bullet points. Similarly, 300 characters would be restrictive for the narrative responses thereafter.
CCS can confirm the word count limit is 300 for all fields in the prospectuses, (a previous response stating 300 characters has been amended).
- Apart from one of the text fields, in the Generic Apprenticeship / EPA Prospectus Template - where a Supplier is requested to provide following information about their Organisation:
What your organisation does in the Apprenticeship Training / EPA context
How your organisation does this, where and who for
How you ensure high standards in apprenticeship training are delivered
Unique Selling Point - what makes the business unique and valuable to the public sector market
The word count for this field is 500.
Answered
26/04/2019 14:30
37. Please can you confirm if we are calculating a price for the apprenticeship delivery or the whole apprenticeship, including EPA?
CCS can confirm that bidders should include the cost of the End-point Assessment in the "Cost of delivery per apprentice" fields in Attachment 5 - Pricing Matrix for Apprenticeship Training Providers.
Answered
28/04/2019 21:17
36. Good afternoon, Can you confirm if there are any word limits/character counts for each of the questions where a narrative response is required? Many Thanks.
CCS can confirm the word count limit is 300 for all fields in the prospectuses, and not 300 characters (a previously published response has since been amended to reflect this). - Apart from one of the text fields, in the Generic Apprenticeship / EPA Prospectus Template - where a Supplier is requested to provide following information about their Organisation: What your organisation does in the Apprenticeship Training / EPA context How your organisation does this, where and who for How you ensure high standards in apprenticeship training are delivered Unique Selling Point - what makes the business unique and valuable to the public sector market The word count for this field is 500. Each of the text fields have a counter for the number of words available, so you can keep track of your responses.
Answered
26/04/2019 12:19
35. Please could you advise the nature of the changes from v2 to v3 of the Read First document in v4 of the Bid Pack; is it just reference to the four attachments in place of the previous single attachment numbered 9?
CCS can confirm v3 of the READ First DPS Needs document has been uploaded to the bid pack, the revision made is to include references to Attachments 9a, b, c and d. All of which are PDF Information only documents detailing the generic and apprenticeship and End Point Assessment prospectuses.
Answered
25/04/2019 10:27
34. With reference to question 21 in Attachment 9, will the list be updated to reflect the current progression routes used by the Institute for Apprenticeships?
CCS can confirm Attachment 9 has now been amended in the bid pack, please refer to Attachments 9a-d as applicable. In addition, CCS can confirm all Apprenticeship Standards filters within the DMP have been update to align with IFA. Attachment 1a and 1b has been updated to relflect this with a subsequent messaged issued to all registered bidders on 25/04/19.
Answered
25/04/2019 11:35
