Developing your AEB Dynamic Purchasing System

If you are considering establishing a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) to manage your Adult Education Budget (AEB), we would like to have a conversation with you.

Place Group is an independent public sector procurement consultancy which has been procuring goods and services for central government, local and combined authorities, schools, trusts, colleges and universities for twenty years. We specialise in devising and delivering complex procurement exercises, from specification through to contract mobilisation and management, and we have current and very relevant experience in establishing AEB Skills DPSs.

With your own AEB DPS, you are able to build capacity to deliver a wider package of skills provision to support your residents build the skills employers need. Helping to secure new innovative provision which will align with the developments in the job market, ensuring there is a responsive and flexible training and skills offer which can respond to market shifts and by strengthening the current training offer and approaches. The DPS will enable you to procure services relating to any future funded Adult Skills/Education programmes and respond flexibly to skills and training needs in the region.

The DPS will deliver significant advantages, including:

Futureproofing adult skills procurement requirements with a fluid and flexible route to market
Streamlining procurement for both providers and your AEB team
Removing the need to continually demonstrate suitability and capability of the supply chain for each tender requirement
Providing quicker award of individual call-off contracts
Establishing Lots for different skills package categories, for example:

– Basic Skills qualifications and training
– Pre-Employment training and qualifications
– In Work training and qualifications
– Higher Level Skills training and qualifications
– Community Learning & Engagement
– Innovative Skills training
– General Skills training and qualifications

Developing the strategy and scope is fundamental in ensuring the DPS is fit for purpose and offers flexibility and efficiency.

Place Group can also assist in ensuring providers meet your social value commitments, for example performance and evidence-based approach to social value based on the National TOMs (Themes, Outcomes and Measures) developed by the Social Value Portal. Bidders will be required to propose credible targets against which performance (for the successful bidder) will be monitored.

Fully managed DPS solution

Once the procurement phase is completed, the DPS is required to administered in full compliance with Public Contract Regulations.

The DPS will also require promotion and regular communications to ensure all permitted ordering bodies fully utilise it, as well as provide ongoing development and management of tenders. DPS frameworks differ from traditional frameworks and need a more managed approach to comply with regulations, and to maximise the benefits it offers. Place Group is experienced in the requirements of DPS management, as well as successfully facilitating contracts through frameworks.

Managing the DPS requires expert capacity and capability, and the ability to access additional support at short notice. This is exactly what Place Group provides to the clients that choose to outsource components, or the entirety of their procurement and contract management functions.

Place Group has the procurement, framework management, communications, compliance and administration skills, experience and resources to really maximise the use of your AEB DPS, ensuring it is used correctly, provides value for money and efficiency for all parties, and that it remains highly effective in helping people reskill/ retrain to achieve employment and increase their personal value and contribution.

Its important that the DPS continues to be innovative and useful otherwise it can become irrelevant and more of a burden than an asset. Administration alone is not enough in our experience, DPSs need to be invested in and managed so that they are truly ‘dynamic’.

We add significant value to the purpose of the AEB DPS – providing a fully managed solution at a cost-effective price.

Onboarding new suppliers

DPSs provide the opportunity to continually onboard new providers, keeping the DPS fresh and relevant for the emerging requirements as policies, programmes, budgets and outcome imperatives naturally change over time.

Dealing with supplier details

The registration process asks providers to self-assure that they have all the relevant policies, certificates and insurances to meet the DPS requirements. Place Group’s procurement administrators and data handlers are trained in this and make sure processes that have been set out will be met and reported upon.

Supplier performance management

Guardians of the DPS will monitor the performance of providers that have been awarded contracts, and support any remedial or intervention measures. This will take experienced facilitation and management. Place Group is ideally placed to provide this having managed the procurement and establishment of the DPS and its call-off terms and conditions.

Ensuring compliance

DPSs fall under Public Contract Regulations so it’s particularly important that registrations, tenders and awards are managed compliantly. Our team is experienced in all aspects of tender regulations and will help ensure full compliance.

Electronic communications

Regulations require that DPS communications are electronic, and Place Group can provide full integration with our CRM system as well as linking with our electronic portal.

Promoting the DPS

Place Group has extensive experience in promoting and marketing procurement hubs and frameworks, and can help ensure a broad range of commissioners can fully utilise the DPS to save time and money.

Managing commissioners and stakeholders

Place Group is experienced in managing the demands and requirements of commissioners and communicating with stakeholders.

Extending its use

Place Group will promote the service and demonstrate its effectiveness to encourage usage from all entitled commissioners across skills and education.

Reporting

It’s important to understand what is working, and what improvements can be made to the operation and attractiveness of the DPS.