Widening participation - Access to Medicine Summer School fund 2017/19 - Health Education England- SoEPS/17.339

NHS South of England Procurement Services, acting on behalf of Health Education England (the Commissioner), are commencing a tender for the delivery of Widening participation - Access to Medicine Summer School fund 2017/19.

Health Education England (HEE) has secured funding to support widening participation in medicine. The fund is intended to encourage and support summer (or Easter) schools that will contribute to diversifying those applying to and studying medicine

Suitably qualified bidders are invited to tender to deliver collaborative summer schools within England. The ITT documents provide the necessary information regarding HEE's requirements as well as providing the vehicle for your tender to be submitted. Applicants are advised to read the guidance documents carefully to ensure they are familiar with the nature and extent of the obligations to be accepted by them if their tender is successful.

HEE will be looking for ways in which projects contribute to the widening participation of medicine. In particular, HEE is looking for projects that work with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, which covers those that are:

• Studying in a school that achieved below the national average Attainment 8 score at GCSE or had attended to the age of 16 • From a school with a high percentage of students receiving free school meals • Living in a geographical area with low levels of progression onto higher education • In public care, have been in public care or are a young carer [check current phrasing] • From a family where the parents do not have a university degree • In receipt of free school meals or the 16-19 Bursary Fund or Discretionary Learner Support

In addition we would expect that participants on the programme: • Have the potential to study medicine • Are capable of achieving the minimum grades required for entry (whether that is for standard entry programmes or programmes with a gateway year) • Have an interest in STEM subjects • Are considering studying science in their post-16 studies and medicine post-18. • Are supported to appreciate the expected values and behaviours of applicants seeking to become a doctor.

All applications will be considered with one partnership/collaborative being awarded up to the value of £260,000 (including VAT). The intention is for HEE to allocate a single project, however HEE reserves the right to amend allocations once all applications have been received.

Please access the procurement documents for further information.

Bidders are invited to access the procurement documentation at https://in-tendhost.co.uk/soepscommissioning

The deadline for submission of completed ITT submissions is Friday 26 January 2018 at 12:00pm (midday). Late submissions will not be accepted. The e-portal system will shutdown at 12:00pm and any un-submitted bids not registered to the system at this time will not be accepted. Therefore, please submit in good time prior to the deadline date and time.

Additional information: Project title: Widening participation - Access to Medicine Summer School fund 2017/19 - Health Education England - SoEPS/17.339, please access the ITT for all documents. Should Bidders have any queries, or are having problems using the portal, they should contact the In-tend dedicated Supplier Helpdesk by calling 0845 557 8079 Monday to Friday (9am to 6pm) or email [email protected].

All communications should be made via the messaging function on the In-tend E-Tendering portal. During the tender exercise the Contracting Authority requests that all communications are channelled through the e-portal system via the appointed procurement specialist on behalf of NHS South of England Procurement Services and not with the Contracting Authority itself. No Bidder, Bidder Member, or any of such Bidder's advisors, consultants or subcontractors may have ex parte communications with the Contracting Authority or any of their employees, advisors, contractors or consultants regarding the ITT, the Procurement, other than as expressly permitted in this ITT.