Turing Scheme Administration Services

The Department for Education previously issued a Prior Information Notice (PIN) informing the market that it is considering its strategy for the longer-term delivery of the Turing Scheme administration services.
That notice was issued on the Find a Tender Service (Publication reference: 2021/S 000-006906) and Contracts Finder (Publication reference: tender269847/950297). Purpose This PIN is for the purpose of initiating the direct engagement with the market with regards to the Turing Scheme as referred to in the previous PIN. The Department will engage with the market, initially, by way of an introductory webinar on 28 April 2021, followed by 1-2-1 engagements with interested market suppliers. Information about how to take part in this webinar and the 1-2-1 engagement sessions is provided below. This PIN is for market engagement only. It does not signify the commencement of any procurement process and does not constitute any commitment by the Department for Education. If the Department for Education decides to commence any procurement process(es) as contemplated by this notice, a separate notice(s) will be published at the relevant time. Turing Scheme On the 24 December 2020, the UK Government announced the introduction of the Turing Scheme, a new programme to support students to study and undertake work placements across the world. The Turing Scheme has funding of £110 million for the first year, to enable around 35,000 students in UK universities, colleges and schools to travel on placements and exchanges overseas, starting from September 2021. The Turing Scheme is particularly focused on students from disadvantaged backgrounds, making life-changing opportunities accessible to students across the United Kingdom. The Department for Education (DfE) is responsible for the delivery of the Turing Scheme. Following the initial announcement in December, on the 6 February 2021 the Turing Scheme website launched, and on the 12 March 2021, the application window for funding for universities, schools and colleges was opened. Further information about the Turing Scheme can be found here: turing-scheme.org.uk Following the launch of the Turing Scheme and the opening of the application process, the Department is now considering its strategy for the longer-term delivery of the Turing Scheme administration services. The new service is likely to be required from the beginning of 2022. How to engage The Department for Education is holding an introductory market engagement webinar via Microsoft Teams at 12.30 on 28 April 2021 which will run for approximately 45 minutes. To participate in this opportunity and register your organisation’s interest in attending the webinar, please register for an account and view the “current opportunities” page at Jaggaer https://education.app.jaggaer.com and search for: “Project5470 Turing Scheme Administration Services”. Once you have located Project_5470, please confirm your interest by selecting “Express Interest” to receive full access to the opportunity. All relevant documentation will be made available in the Data Room and this can be accessed via the “Buyer Attachments” section, under “ITT Details”. Please note, you must answer the question within the “My Response” section and submit your response to ensure registration at the webinar. You can then use the messaging function to provide attendee details.

The Department for Education will hold 1-2-1 engagement sessions with market suppliers on the 5, 6 and 7 May 2021. The sessions will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams and will run for up to 1hr each. There will be a maximum of 12 engagement sessions available over the three days and therefore allocation of these sessions will be on a first come first served basis and will be limited to 1 session per supplier organisation.