ITT ref 2841: Invitation to Tender Notice for DfE: The UK ENIC Service & Adjacent Services and for Home Office: The Provision of Qualification Equivalency and English Proficiency Assessment Services

The high-level requirements of UK ENIC for the Department for Education are to deliver the UK National Information Centre for the Recognition of Professional Qualifications to: enable the UK to meet its obligations under the Lisbon Recognition Convention, chiefly relating to the equivalence of foreign qualification to those of the UK.

The DfE Specification included with the tender documents provides details of the requirements. The main elements of UK ENIC Service are:

1. Implementation Services: - The Supplier shall build the UK ENIC database and build the UK ENIC portal during the Implementation Period. 2. Operational Services (following the Implementation Period): - operate, maintain and update the UK ENIC Database and a website dedicated to the Services; - provide Statements of Comparability; - operate a contact centre; - support to departments of the UK government and the devolved governments of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales - conference services.

In addition to the UK ENIC Service, the supplier will be required to deliver Adjacent Services for DfE of: - An advisory and assessment service to Applicants holding UK and non-UK Qualifications on whether their qualifications enable them to work as qualified members of staff within early years settings in England. - A service that enables the Teaching Regulation Agency to request verification checks directly with a non-UK Higher Education Institution which issued the relevant Qualification. Either of these Adjacent Services (independent of each other) may be commenced or terminated during the contract period. The Secretary of State for the Home Department, acting through UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), is the Authority procuring The Provision of Qualification Equivalency and English Proficiency Assessment Services. UKVI is a department within the Home Office. whose customers include but are not limited to: - those seeking to extend permissions to work or study, or stay or settle with family in the UK; - those seeking to evidence their rights as European Economic Area nationals and family members; and - those progressing from earlier immigration permissions to British nationality. The Home Office Specification included with the tender documents provides a detailed set of requirements. In summary, the main service elements include: - Verification of Customer identity & checks to establish overseas qualification provenance & equivalence to UK qualifications - confirm if taught or researched in English. - Confirm equivalency relevant to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages level & whether the qualification academic, professional or vocational. - Develop, maintain and update an English Comparability database. - operate, maintain and update the public website for the Services. - Manage a range of case complexities & changes in demand

Additional information: To support the delivery of a UK national information centre to implement the Lisbon Recognition Convention and the Global Convention (the UK ENIC), the Department for Education requires a range of Services in relation to the Assessment of Qualifications and/or the recognition of Qualifications and comparability of non-UK Qualifications with those of the UK as set out in this Schedule. The Services will be provided to a variety of users, including individuals with non-UK Qualifications/skills, government departments both in the UK and internationally, academic institutions, professional/regulatory bodies, commercial companies and employers. The Supplier will also be responsible for the provision of information on the education and training systems in the UK to support the international recognition of UK Qualifications.

The Secretary of State for the Home Department, acting through UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), seeks to award a Service Contract to a supplier for the Provision of UK Visa Qualification Equivalency and English Proficiency Assessment Services. The Contract will be for an initial 5-year term including 2 optional 12-month extension periods (5+1+1). This service will evaluate and assure evidence from customers who hold International educational qualifications. The service will also check and assure International educational qualifications for equivalency to UK educational standards and levels, assuring the credibility and authenticity of the certificate and qualifications as required under Home Office immigration policy as part of a UK visa application process.

A single successful supplier shall be awarded both the DfE contract and the Home Office contract.

The procurement process that will award both contracts will be carried out electronically through the DfE's profile on Jaggaer, an online e-Procurement Solution portal. Potential bidders should therefore ensure they are registered on this portal, under the name of the legal organisation that intends to enter into the contracts to deliver the services. It can be accessed at https://education.app.jaggaer.com. For full details of the instructions to tenderers and the terms of participation, refer to the Invitation to Tender documents which are available in Jaggaer.

The Department is planning to host a Bidder Briefing Session on or around 17 April 2024 hosted via Microsoft Teams. If you would like to attend, please raise a clarification via Jaggaer with the representative's name, job title and email address.

The closing date for bids is 04/06/2024 @ 11:59 AM