The Greater Manchester Combined Authority has revealed the providers that have made it through to the final round of its adult education budget tender.
Ahead of its takeover of the AEB for its region in 2019/20, the authority is undertaking a two-stage process for procurement.
The first stage was completed in December where providers submitted a “supplier assessment questionnaire”. From this, 36 bidders met the GMCA’s minimum scoring criteria and have made it through to stage two.
They will now be invited to tender for a slice of Manchester’s AEB funding, with the results expected to be revealed in April.
Although Greater Manchester’s devolved annual adult education budget will be over £90 million, only £20 million of it will be tendered for.
Like the last national AEB procurement, colleges and local authorities will be let off the hook as the rest of the budget will be grant funded to them.
A letter from the GMCA to one unsuccessful provider in stage one of the tender, seen by FE Week, points out that those who did not make it through to stage two still have the “opportunity” to be a part of the winning “organisations supply chains for their upcoming tender”.
Five other combined authority areas, plus London, will have the AEB devolved to them in September.
The 36 providers to make it through to the final stage of GMCA’s tender are:
- Access to Music
- Aspire Education Academy
- Babington Group Ltd
- Back 2 Work Complete Training
- Best Practice Training & Development Ltd
- Blue Apple Training Ltd
- Busy Bees Training Academy
- Gateshead College
- Gloucestershire College
- Groundwork
- HCT Group
- HIT Training Ltd
- Interserve Learning & Employment
- Jarvis Training Management Ltd
- LD Training Services Ltd
- LMR Recruitment
- Mantra Learning Ltd
- MAXIMUS People Services Limited
- Novus
- Pathway First Limited
- PeoplePlus Group Ltd
- Proper Job
- Rathbone
- Rochdale Training
- Seetec Business Technology Centre Limited
- Standguide Limited
- System Group Limited
- The Education and Skills Partnership Ltd
- The Growth Company Limited
- The Training Brokers Limited
- TMP Studios CIC
- Total People Ltd
- UK Curriculum and Accreditation Body (UKCAB)
- Warrington & Vale College
- White Rose School of Beauty and Complementary Therapies
- Workers Educational Association
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