CO0299 Multiply · UK public procurement notice

The purpose of this competition under Lot 1 “Businesses and supporting people into work” is to invite bids to create and deliver a training provision that will enable people in employment and job seekers to improve their numeracy skills for work.

Bidders are expected to work together with businesses to identify specific numeracy skills required in the workplace. More specifically, bidders are expected to:

a) work with businesses to develop and deliver training courses that are bespoke to the sector the business operates in, or the business itself.

b) develop courses aimed at people who cannot apply for certain jobs because of lack of numeracy skills and / or to encourage people to upskill in numeracy in order to access a certain job/ career.

c) Develop additional relevant maths modules embedded into other vocational courses.

Eligible target learners are adults 19+ who have not previously attained a GCSE Grade 4/C or higher maths qualification. They can either be working towards a maths GCSE or Functional Skills Qualification or need specific numeracy skills for their work or progression.

Expected duration of training courses is between 6 to 10 guided learning hours.

Only substantive learning will be accepted for this tender and will be recorded in the Individualised Learner Record (ILR). Substantive learning (formal or informal) is learning being delivered in two or more hours.

Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed that Multiply training / learning will not be subject to Ofsted inspections in Year 2 (2023-2024).

Outreach activities (a.k.a. non-substantive learning) should not be recorded in the ILR. Instead, contact details (name, address, email, phone number & date of birth) should be collected from those engaged to enable follow up and marketing at a later date.

We welcome bids that deliver courses for parents wanting to increase their numeracy skills in order to help their children with schoolwork, and also help with their own progression. Working in schools, nurseries and community settings, we would like to enhance and scale up the family learning offer in Essex, whilst providing opportunities for parents to learn some valuable skills for life too.

We welcome bids under this theme that help people to manage their money and build confidence with numbers. These could be stand-alone modules or bolted on to existing (vocational) courses or support. We would also be interested in opportunities that are developed in partnership with community organisations and other partners, and aimed at engaging hardest to reach, e.g. unemployed or economically inactive people, people on low incomes, care leavers, people who are in or have recently been released from prison.

We welcome bids that will deliver new intensive and flexible numeracy courses targeted at people without Level 2 maths, leading to a Functional Skills Qualification.