UK ENIC

This notice is for market engagement purposes and is not being used as a call for competition. The publication of this notice does not signify the commencement of any procurement process and does not constitute any commitment by the Department for Education to undertake any procurement exercise.

This notice is intended to:

1. Advise of the forthcoming virtual market engagement event which will be held on 4th March 2022; and

2. Ask suppliers to complete a short questionnaire; and

3. Assess market interest and capability to deliver UK ENIC requirements.

UK ENIC (The European Network of Information Centres) is the UK's National Agency responsible for providing information, advice and expert opinion on vocational, academic and professional qualifications from over 200 countries. UK ENIC provides the sole official source of information on international education, wide-ranging international qualifications and skills attained from outside the UK and does so on behalf of individuals with overseas qualifications, Government departments, academic institutions and commercial companies.

It is envisaged that any resulting contract(s) would be a concession contract(s) and that the procurement will be governed by the Concession Contracts Regulations 2016.

Details of Market Engagement:

This notice has been issued with a reasonably detailed overview of the service requirements and proposed market engagement activities. The market engagement will consist of two separate activities:

1. A supplier questionnaire

2. A Virtual Market Engagement Event (4th March 2022, 11AM-12PM)

The overall aim of these engagements will be to:

- Provide the opportunity to engage with the market and assess market interest in delivering UK ENIC requirements; and

- Advise of potential next steps in the process; and

- Allow interested parties to ask questions about the UK ENIC service.

Supplier Questionnaire:

Suppliers are invited to complete the questionnaire ahead of the Virtual Market Engagement Event on 4th March 2022. Responses to the questionnaire will be used to inform the content of the Virtual Market Engagement Event.

This is the link to the questionnaire: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=yXfS-grGoU2187O4s0qC-dzy4Cxt-FlHpG2Q4kPpAC9UNDNURzI2Q0VBNU5ITk9VMzI3TFFMMDQwTy4u

Virtual Market Engagement Event:

Suppliers are invited to attend a Virtual Market Engagement Event on 4th March 2022, 11AM-12PM (max two per organisation). The virtual session will be run via Microsoft Teams. The virtual session will offer an introduction to UK ENIC, an overview of the service and a Q&A session.

To book your attendance at the Virtual Market Engagement Event (max two per organisation), please email [email protected] no later than 4PM on 3rd March 2022.

Please note that DfE does not in any way intend for this market engagement to trigger a competition. Any potential future competition is subject to internal Departmental approvals.

Additional information: The high-level objectives of UK ENIC are to:

- Enable the UK to meet its obligations under the Lisbon Recognition Convention.

- Provide qualification recognition information to individuals and organisations both in the UK and globally.

- Represent the UK in international forums.

- Support the Department for Education and other Government Departments as required.

- Promote the service of UK ENIC to achieve maximum visibility with a range of promotional material and media including a website for information.

Currently the high-level requirements of UK ENIC are to deliver the UK National Information Centre for the Recognition of Professional Qualifications.

The demands on UK ENIC are constantly evolving and there will be a continuing need for the supplier to invest not only in improving the delivery of the services to its users, but in ensuring that international data is kept fully up to date and comprehensive in its coverage and that UK ENIC is able to respond flexibly and effectively to policy needs of Government departments. The rapid expansion of higher education in all parts of the world, the accompanying proliferation of qualifications and the greater international mobility of highly skilled workers will pose a series of major and, in some cases, new challenges to UK ENIC.

The supplier will provide comprehensive and up to date information on the education systems of other countries, and the equivalence of foreign qualifications to those of the UK. The supplier will be expected to provide advice about qualifications and to evaluate foreign qualifications, dealing with enquiries by telephone, letter, fax and e-mail as a minimum. The provision of services will include information and advice on academic and vocational qualifications and professional titles including:

- Comparisons of level of achievements between those of the UK and those of other countries.

- Benchmarking overseas vocational qualifications.

The supplier will also be expected to provide input into and support for public policy, including the provision of advice to, and representation of, the UK Government and Devolved Administrations. This includes:

- Attending network meetings and providing briefing and information on request for the Department for Education, working cooperatively with other Government departments, the Devolved Administrations and other relevant organisations.

- Provision of advice, responses to, and representation of, the UK Government and Devolved Administrations concerning international processes and developments.

- Providing regular feedback on the delivery of the service, trends in demand, progress in meeting objectives and the current strategic approach and thinking to the NARIC Executive Council, Department for Education and other relevant bodies.