Partnership Department Policies and Procedures Sub-contracting (fees and charges) Policy /2015 Review May 2015 Scope The policy applies to all supply chain activity supported with funds supplied by the Skills Funding Agency, the Education Funding Agency, European Social Fund or any successor organisations. Context The policy is now a mandatory requirement that must be in place prior to participating in any subcontracting activity from 1 August. Overarching Principle The College will use its supply chains to optimise the impact and effectiveness of service delivery to the end user. The College will therefore ensure that: a. Supply chain management activities comply with the principles of best practice in the skills sector. In particular they will be guided by the principles given in the LSIS publication Supply Chain Management a good practice guide for the post-16 skills sector (Nov 2012 and subsequent iterations). b. The College will at all times undertake fair and transparent procurement activities, conducting robust due diligence procedures on potential and existing subcontractors to ensure compliance with the Common Accord at all levels and to ensure the highest quality of learning delivery is made available, demonstrating value for money and a positive impact on learner lives. c. Where disputes between supply chain partners cannot be resolved through mutually agreed internal resolution procedures, the college will submit to independent outside arbitration or mediation and abide by its findings. Contract documents will require both parties to agree that the achievements of supply chains are attained through adherence to both the letter and spirit of contracts or partnerships. Signatories therefore commit that all discussions, communications, negotiations and actions undertaken to build, maintain and develop supply chains will be conducted in good faith in accordance with the Overarching Principle.
Rationale for sub-contracting The College engages with sub-contractors to better meet customer needs. Reasons include: To temporarily expand provision to meet a short term need. To provide immediate provision whilst expanding direct capacity. This might include working with sub-contractors to explore and learn about new frameworks or sectors prior to investment in resources. Providing access to, or engagement with, a new range of customers. To ensure delivery intention is met where there is a recognised risk in direct provision (e.g. through JCP referrals not being realised). To support another provider to develop capacity/quality. To provide niche delivery where the cost of developing direct delivery would be inappropriate. To support employers with a wide geographic requirement. Quality Assurance Sub contracted activity is a fundamental part of the College s provision. The quality of the provision will be monitored and managed through the existing College QA processes and procedures, as amended in order to fully encompass all sub contracted activity. This policy positions sub-contracted provision as a core part of College activity to enable continuous improvements in the quality of teaching and learning for both the college and its subcontractor s. This will be achieved through the sharing of effective practice across the supply chain, for example through the Self-Assessment Report process. Publication of information relating to sub-contracting In compliance with Skills Funding Agency and other agency funding rules that apply, the College will publish its sub-contracting fees and charges policy and actual end-of-year subcontracting fees and charges on its web-site before the start of each academic year (and in the case of actual end of year data, as required by SFA). This will only relate to provision subcontracting i.e. subcontracted delivery of full programmes or frameworks. It will not include the delivery of a service as part of the delivery of a programme (for example, buying the delivery of part of an Apprenticeship framework or outreach support). Provision subcontracting lists will be agreed with local SFA Officials prior to publication. Communication The College will ensure all actual and potential subcontractors have sight of this policy. This policy will be reviewed in each summer term and updated as required. It will be published on the college web site prior to the start of the academic year in which it will be applied and will be discussed at 1-1 partner meetings. Potential sub-contractors will be directed to it as the starting point in any relationship. The Fees and Charges /2015 Standard college management fee is 20% of all funding drawn down against the provision to be delivered if a sub-contract is responsible for all elements of the contract. If a partner uses the colleges awarding body accreditation this increases to 30%. These figures represent the total cost that the College incurs in effectively identifying, selecting and managing all subcontracted provision. This includes the minimum amount of QA activity that the College would attach to the lowest possible risk sub-contractor.
Further charges to cover additional costs may be added to the base fee to cover the cost to the College of any additional support that the College deems necessary to ensure the quality of teaching and learning and the success rates of any sub contracted provision. Additional cost is determined on a case by case which may include: Additional site visits Additional learner visits Additional lesson observation Additional assessor/tutor support More rigorous verification Additional charges per learner The College may also retain funding to cover the cost of any funded activity that it might undertake on behalf of the sub- contractor such as: Awarding Organisation fees and charges Hiring of facilities/equipment within/from the College Internal Verification A step-by-step approach to selection and appointment of Sub-Contractors Step 1 - Developing the business case Prime contractor To meet our customers needs do we need to: expand our provision? diversify our provision? grow our provision? Can we achieve this: with our own resources? by allocating some of provision to a provider(s)? by purchasing a specialist service from a provider(s)? Decision point: What are the costs/benefits of an internal solution (investment) vs an external solution (subcontract)? Sub-contractor To meet our customers needs should we gain: a direct Agency contract? a sub-contract with a provider? Decision point: What are the costs/benefits of a direct contract vs a sub-contract? Step 2 - Establishing the selection process As a prime contractor, deciding on the process to select a sub-contractor(s) will be determined by your answers to some key questions:
Are you allocating part of your provision? Are you purchasing services to support the delivery of your provision? Is the combined value of sub-contracts above the EU procurement directives threshold? Have you been approached by a provider as a potential sub-contractor? Do you know a provider you wish to approach? Decision point: Which selection process will best meet the business need to be determined by the prime contractor? Step 3 - Assessing the capacity and capability It is an important part of building a winning relationship to ensure that the sub-contractor has both the capacity and capability to deliver their (tender) promise. All three selection methods shown in step 2 will include the same assessment components. A) Information memorandum This is ideally requested by the prime as part of the tender/base documentation and includes: organisation overview structure - legal and operational rationale for contract request demand-led evidence added value to prime contractor and sector current offer QA systems financial health check completed Agency Register (online due diligence process) references. The desktop assessment involves a detailed evaluation of information by an experienced contract manager and other specialists. This informs the decision as to whether or not to proceed with a sub- contract request. It is also good practice to have a transparent process, whether that is to ensure you comply with EU directives (http://www.ojec.com/) and/or remain objective in your judgement. The prime contractor has to determine the risk status.
B) Due diligence site visit Following the desktop assessment, a due diligence site visit is arranged to those providers the prime wishes to proceed with. An experienced team will visit the sub-contractor s premises (and other sites). The desktop assessment will be used to inform the depth and breadth of examination. The team will: consider the capability and capacity assessment thoroughly examine the information provided conduct a financial audit interview the management team and a sample of staff conduct a health, safety and safeguarding assessment identify strengths, potential risks and development needs. C) Approval After all the evidence has been collated, a judgement is made with three possible outcomes: approved unconditional = you are fully satisfied with the provider s capacity and capability approved conditional = you are satisfied with the provider s capacity and capability but have highlighted some areas for improvement or potential risk not approved = you are not satisfied with the provider s capacity and capability, so decide not to proceed. (Offer a formal feedback meeting.) Decision point: The prime contractor has to determine risk e.g. as high/medium/low, or red/amber/green. D) Contract Based on the approval level, through discussion or negotiation, both the prime and the sub will agree their contract content and value. The following core contract components will be agreed: sub-contractor profile sub-contractor duty (and QIPs) prime contractor duty prime contractor service offer prime contractor management and service charges based on due diligence results a contract volume and value. Step 4 - Managing performance SCM starts with ensuring that you have selected the right provider(s) as sub-contractor(s) and that this is agreed using a formal and legal contract, which mirrors or makes reference to the Agency Contract Terms and Funding Rules. Once a sub-contractor(s) is selected, the prime uses a dedicated and trained contract management team (depending on the size of the contract issued). The management of subcontractor performance is based on level of approval and risk status. The prime will monitor, review and evaluate in order to inform corrective, preventative and improvement actions and manage risk through contingency planning. Monitoring can include: having monthly conference calls and/or visits examining MIS and claims
support visits. Review can involve: quarterly formal meetings an examination of all aspects of the contract planning future actions. Evaluation can include: annual assessments/audits looking at contract performance the contract renewal decision-making process. The level of contract management and service provided by the prime to the sub-contractor would have been determined at approval stage. In all cases, it makes good business sense for risk management and contingency plans to be in place by the prime contractor and sub-contractor. Step 5 - Contracting fees It is accepted that the prime contractor will incur costs to manage the sub-contracting process, such as pre-contract assessment, performance management and risk management (accountability). In addition, depending on the type of contract and its requirements, the prime may charge for the support of a sub- contractor, or set out a tariff to purchase services. It is not possible to set one fee, given the permutations that are possible to meet the needs of both parties. However, fees can be divided into the two sub- contracting areas and there are formulae for charges: allocated provision contract = management fee % of contract value (% determined by level of activity and risk band) purchased services contract = fixed tariff per service; varies by type of service
Carlisle College Sub-Contracted Payments for Contract Year 2013/ Provider Payments Made and/or due for approval Retained UKPRN Contract Start and End Date Appleby Heritage Centre 36725 9090 10006580 August 2013 July CTS Limited 40056 10778 10029247 August 2013 July Deaf Vision 4940 1510 10001801 August 2013 July Equestrian Training Limited 72616 18914 10038196 August 2013 July Taylor Made Training 51794 16479 10036956 August 2013 July Age Uk 22355 3945 10032745 August 2013 July Cumbria County Council 1352 238 10001800 August 2013 July Furness College 24791 4409 10002599 August 2013 July Gen2 4454 786 10002655 August 2013 July Kendal College 19647 3467 10003558 August 2013 July Lakes College 20844 3685 10003753 August 2013 July System People 30439 5371 10040334 August 2013 July Cumbria Chamber of Commerce 2365 417 10001798 August 2013 July CVS 925 163 10020095 August 2013 July Stand and Deliver 1097 193 10044956 August 2013 July Provision Apprentices and Apprenticeships and Traineeships ASB Apprenticeships Apprenticeships
Provider Payments Made Retained UKPRN Contract Start and Provision and/or due for approval End Date Appleby Heritage 58837 14006 10006580 August July 2015 Apprenticeships / Centre Free2Learn 80119 33729 10030935 March 2015-July 2015 ASB System People 594,144 105,781 10040334 August July 2015 ASB /Apprenticeship/ Equestrian Training 69033 18544 10038196 August July 2015 Apprenticeships Limited Taylor Made Training 73090 23082 10036956 August July 2015 Apprenticeships Age UK 173,429 30,605 10032745 August July 2015 Cumbria County 9,335 1,647 10001800 August July 2015 Council (Adult Ed) Furness College 132,327 23,352 10002599 August July 2015 Gen2 136,054 24,010 10002655 August July 2015 Kendal College 270,310 47,702 10003558 August July 2015 Lakes College 269,077 47,484 10003753 August July 2015 Cumbria Deaf Vision 10,775 1,901 10001801 August July 2015 Cumbria Chamber of 9,960 1,758 10001798 August July 2015 Commerce Barrow Training 49,471 8,730 10000545 August July 2015 Partnership Askham Bryan 10,633 1,876 10000415 August July 2015 Cumbria CVS 1,455 257 10020095 August July 2015 Stand and Deliver 37,771 6,665 10044956 August July 2015 Carlisle College Sub-Contracted Payments for Contract Year /2015