John Walker
By email
[email address]
Date
8 September 2008
Our reference
12-08-2008-151648-001
Your reference
1666-f8a2fe75
Dear John Walker
Request for Information
I confirm that we have now completed the search for the information which you requested
on 11 August 2008. Your email contained ‘
5’
requests and we have responded below on
each:
1. Details of the general procedures involved in selecting external training providers for
your organisation.
In selecting any external training provider, staff will follow LSC procurement guidance, see
attached ‘
Procurement toolkit’
.
At a corporate level the LSC has a series of framework contracts in place for the provision
of large scale corporate activity, for example management development. These contracts
were awarded following a competitive European tendering exercise carried out by a
procurement lead, including a presentation of services and review of areas such as
financial assurance and equality and diversity.
See attached LSC Procurement ‘
Evaluation criteria’
.
This corporate training provision is monitored on an ongoing basis and is subject to
internal evaluation processes, relative to the size and duration of the contract.
At a local or regional level, regions also have the flexibility to procure much more local
provision, for example one off training events or conferences, which remain subject to
LSC procurement guidance.
Learning and Skills Council
Cheylesmore House Quinton Road Coventry CV1 2WT
T 0845 019 4170
F 024 7682 3675
www.lsc.gov.uk
2. Details of the tendering procedures involved in selecting external training providers for
your organisation.
See response to question 1. Tendering is based on LSC procurement guidance around
the value of the contract/provision.
3. Copies of the tenders issued for all training courses which were eventually won by
Common Purpose.
The LSC has not issued a corporate tender for training courses which has been
subsequently awarded to any Common Purpose organisation. Given the nature of
services offered by Common Purpose, (fundamentally individual development and
networking programmes based on individual location), any procurement of Common
Purpose provision as a result of individual development planning is administered and
funded at a regional/local level.
4. Copies of any and all contracts between your organisation and Common Purpose.
Given the response to question 3, there are no corporate contracts or arrangements for
the corporate provision of training in place with Common Purpose.
5. Details of how your organisation audits the integrity and value of courses run by
external training providers.
The ‘
evaluation criteria’
are defined as part of the tender process (see attached document
referred to above).
The LSC closely monitors the provision of corporate training delivered by external
providers and has individual LSC contract leads for all major training programmes and
corporate suppliers to constantly seek feedback, and monitor and review evaluation data
from delegates on all aspects of the corporate training. The value for money represented
by an LSC corporate programme or individual training supplier (supplying corporate
training to the LSC) is reviewed at regular intervals, specifically at formal contract review
meetings, to ensure value for money is maintained and contracts are re-tendered where
appropriate.
Regional/local training is monitored through individual discussion and evaluation of
development activities between an employee and their line manager, regarding the
benefits, business impact and value for money of the course.
If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please remember to quote
the reference number above in any future communications.
Yours sincerely
Information Rights Manager
Letter to John Walker on 8 September 2008
Request for Information
2 of 2
