Award

Tackling Bogus Degree provision and Degree Fraud in England

UK SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

21 Mar 2018 at 12:24

Award Notice
Tender

18 Nov 2016 at 20:17

Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The procurement process titled "Tackling Bogus Degree provision and Degree Fraud in England" is initiated by UK Shared Business Services Limited, representing the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS). The procurement is classified under the research and development consultancy services category, with a total contract value of £50,000. The procurement stage is currently at the Award phase, with the contract period commencing on 17 March 2016 and concluding on 17 March 2017. The primary focus of this tender is on addressing issues related to bogus degree providers, referred to as degree mills, which target the reputation of the UK's higher education sector. The delivery address for the project is located in London, United Kingdom, and the initial tender period ended on 10 March 2016.

This tender presents significant business growth opportunities for firms specialising in consultancy services related to education quality assurance, legal compliance, and research. Businesses that can provide innovative solutions for monitoring and tackling degree fraud will be particularly well-suited to compete for this contract. As degree mills continue to pose challenges in the UK and globally, companies with expertise in identifying fraudulent practices and strengthening the integrity of educational credentials are likely to find this procurement a valuable prospect to enhance their market presence.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Tackling Bogus Degree provision and Degree Fraud in England

Notice Description

The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) is seeking a contractor for the delivery of services to enhance the Department's activities to tackle bogus degree provision and degree fraud in England. BIS is responsible for promoting and protecting the reputation of the UK higher education (HE) sector. An important part of this work is concerned with dealing with issues that arise from activities carried out by bogus degree providers, also known as degree mills. In order to seek to better protect the reputation of the UK HE sector, the Department commissioned a service in 2015 for an initial one year period to expand its activities in this area by taking a more proactive approach to tackling degree mills and also the related area of degree fraud. The Department is now looking to continue the service for another one year period. BIS is responsible for maintaining lists of recognised UK degree course providers. This comprises institutions who have their own degree awarding powers (known as Recognised Bodies) as well as institutions who deliver degree courses that are awarded by a 'Recognised Body' through validated or franchised arrangements. Under sections 214-216 of the Education Reform Act 1988, it is an offence for a body to award a UK degree or offer a UK degree course unless that body is already recognised and officially listed. BIS has no direct enforcement role (this being the responsibility of Trading Standards Departments). BIS's role is to advise the public about legitimate degree providers and to liaise with the enforcement authorities where appropriate where bogus degree providers appear to be operating in the UK. Degree mills have been a growing concern, not just here in the UK, but worldwide. Their expansion has been fuelled by the World Wide Web. This has enabled degree mills to take on a virtual presence and to give the appearance of an actual HE institution even though no such institution actually exists. The strong reputation of the UK HE sector means that the UK is a target for bogus operators who purport to operate a UK based "university". Degree fraud is a closely related area. The "qualifications" offered by bogus providers tend to be used by applicants seeking to gain employment under false pretences. This has the potential to disadvantage students with genuine qualifications who are competing for labour market opportunities with candidates with false qualifications because employers have not made the necessary checks. Additional information: As part of the strategic alliance between UK Shared Business Services Ltd (UK SBS) and Crown Commercial Service (CCS), UK SBS can use the CCS eSourcing Suite for future procurements. If you have not yet registered on the eSourcing Suite, this can be done online at https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk by following the link 'Register for CCS eSourcing'. Please note that, to register, you must have a valid DUNS number (as provided by Dun and Bradstreet) for the organisation which you are registering, who will be entering into a contract if invited to do so. Once you have registered on the eSourcing Suite, a registered user can express an interest for a specific procurement. This is done by emailing Expressionofinterest@crowncommercial.gov.uk. Your email must clearly state: the name and reference for the procurement you wish to register for; the name of the registered Bidder; and the name and contact details for the registered individual sending the email. Crown Commercial Service will process the email and then enable the Bidder to access the procurement online via the e-Sourcing Suite. The registered user will receive a notification email to alert them once this has been done. The Sourcing documents can then be accessed on the eSourcing Suite at: https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk using the instructions detailed in the Specification documents within Contracts Finder. As a user of the e-Sourcing Suite you will have access to Emptoris email messaging service which facilitates all messages sent to you and from you in relation to any specific RFX event. Please note it is your responsibility to access these emails on a regular basis to ensure you have sight of all relevant information. For technical assistance on use of the e-Sourcing Suite please contact Crown Commercial Service Helpdesk : Telephone: 0345 010 3503 Training documents to support Bidders utilise Emptoris CCS eSourcing are available in the Contracts Finder Tender documents section.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-5e7167c9-adc9-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/daa1dbeb-c1ee-4ecf-8047-37c160d6cf70
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not applicable
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

80 - Education and training services

98 - Other community, social and personal services

CPV Codes

73200000 - Research and development consultancy services

79000000 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

80000000 - Education and training services

98100000 - Membership organisation services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£50,000 Under £100K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£50,000 Under £100K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
21 Mar 20187 years ago
Submission Deadline
10 Mar 2016Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
16 Mar 20169 years ago
Contract Period
17 Mar 2016 - 17 Mar 2017 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Not Specified
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
UK SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
SWINDON
Postcode
SN2 1FF
Post Town
Swindon
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK7 Gloucestershire and Wiltshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK71 Swindon
Delivery Location
TLI London
Local Authority
Swindon
Electoral Ward
Rodbourne Cheney
Westminster Constituency
Swindon North

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

HIGHER EDUCATION CAREERS SERVICE UNIT

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts. 

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