Application to Be Considered to Provide a Contract for Subject Experts Service

Dear Colleague

APPLICATION TO BE CONSIDERED TO PROVIDE A CONTRACT FOR SUBJECT EXPERTS SERVICE

SUPPORTING QUALIFICATIONS WALES TO ESTABLISH WHETHER A DRAFT SPECIFICATION AND SAMPLE ASSESSMENT MATERIALS SUBMITTED FOR APPROVAL ARE FIT FOR PURPOSE AND MEET REGULATIONS

APPLICATION REFERENCE:QWT151605

Qualifications Wales wishes to award a contract for assisting Qualifications Wales to assess and establish whether a draft specification and sample assessment materials (SAMs) submitted for approval are fit for purpose and meet our regulations.

Description of the Goods or Services

The regulator for qualifications in Wales, Qualifications Wales, regulates qualifications for 14-19 year olds. We are currently looking for subject experts across a range of subjects to review draft specification and specimen assessment materials (SAMs) submitted for approval by the awarding body, ensuring they are fit for purpose and meet our regulations.

Subject experts will be required to work the equivalent of between 3 and 10 (non-consecutive) days between May 2016 and March 2017 depending on specific subject scheduling. Subject Experts will be paid at a rate of £300 per day and any other costs incurred for T&S will also be paid (See Terms & Conditions for further information).

We are currently looking for subject experts in:

• GCSE Welsh Second Language
• GCSE Business
• GCSE Computer Science

• GCSE and A Level Design & Technology
• GCSE and A Level Media Studies
• A Level Mathematics and Further Mathematics
• A Level Government and Politics
• A Level Law

The full specification and criteria to be met in considering the awarding ofthesecontracts are attached inAppendix A.

Qualifications Wales invites you to submit yourapplication in line with the instructions contained herein.

Before submitting your application, please ensure that you have read the instructions and the requirements carefully.

1. Award of Contract

Any application that is accepted will be awarded the contract based on scoring adequately against the evaluation criteria and weightings.

We will look at your application and judge how it meets our requirements for:

• Qualifications and experience;
• Analysis and critical review; and
• Written and oral communication skills.

We will score each of these requirements on a scale of 1 to 5. To be considered, applicants need to score at least a 3 for each of these requirements and be able to meet the other requirements listed in the specification for services.

*Qualifications Wales reserves the right not to award any contract.

Ranking of Applications

Applications achieving at least a score of 3 for each of the three criteria will be ranked for each subject area. It is anticipated that the top three applications for each subject area will be awarded a contract; however, there will need to be an emphasis on the review team consisting of individuals who can bring a balance of skills and experience to the process.

1. Application Instructions

• Application does not constitute an offer and Qualifications Wales does not undertake to offer a contract on any application received.
• Qualifications Wales reserves the right to accept any part of any application or offer. Qualifications Wales will not reimburse any costs incurred in the preparation of a response to this application.
• Individualsshall not discuss the application they intend to make other than with professional advisers or jointapplicants who need to be consulted.
• Applications shall not be canvassed for acceptance or discussed with the media or any other organisation or member of staff or Board Member of Qualifications Wales.
• All proposals received shall be unconditional offers i.e. you agree to comply with all of the contents of this application including the specification of requirements and the terms and conditions of contract (QW short form terms and conditions of contract for services – subject experts).
• Qualified applications may be rejected. Qualifications Wales’ decision as to whether or not anapplication is in an acceptable form will be final.
• Individualsare responsible for all information necessary for the preparation of their application.
• Information supplied to interested individualsby Qualifications Wales’ staff is supplied only for general guidance in the preparation of the proposal application. Individualsmust satisfy themselves as to the accuracy of any such information and Qualifications Wales accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage of whatever kind and howsoever caused arising from the use by applicants of such information.
• No application will be accepted if it is received after the date and time stated below unless there is a justifiable reason for its lateness.
• All individualsshall be notified of the outcome. Individualsmust not undertake work until they have received written notification that they have been awarded a contract.

1. Deadline for Submission of Proposals

Applications must be received via email to y17:00pmon 29th April 2016.

The requestor will not access the applicationsuntil the date and time above has passed.

Further clarification via telephone may be required to further establish the suitability of Subject Experts expressing an interest in these contracts. This will take place in April and Qualifications Wales expects to award the contract(s) for each subjectby early May with a view to holding an assessment training session with successful individuals soon after.

1. Documents to be Completed and Returned by Interested Individuals

Interested individualsmust provide their response to this request for anapplicationusing the templates provided at the end of this letter:

• Appendix A Specification
• Response templaterelating to the quality criteria

We look forward to receiving your submission.

Yours sincerely

Delyth Jones

Senior Regulator – Recognition and Approval

Qualifications Wales

APPENDIX A: SPECIFICATION / CUSTOMER REQUIREMENT

Qualifications Wales, as the regulator for qualifications in Wales, accredits GCSE and GCE qualifications for delivery in Wales. Subject experts assist Qualifications Wales to establish whether draft specifications and sample assessment materials (SAMs) submitted for accreditation are of an appropriate standard.

Aim of the Contract(s)

To commission subject experts with knowledge, understanding and experience of teaching and / or assessment to assist us in our GCSE and GCE accreditation programme and ensure that our judgment of WJEC’s draft submissions is informed by appropriate subject expertise.

Objectives

Between May 2016 and March 2017 depending on specific subject scheduling, Qualifications Wales is seeking to accredit WJEC’s GCE and GCSE qualifications for first teaching in Wales from September 2017.

Subject experts will be provided with relevant specification(s) and SAMs electronically and required to submit their report electronically. They will also be required to attend a panel meeting(s) to discuss the qualification with other experts and Qualifications Wales officers and may be required to participate in discussions with WJEC officers.

Subject experts are required to make judgements about the quality of draft specifications and SAMs submitted by WJEC using their own knowledge and understanding and with reference to published criteria and principles. All materials, including the report, must be treated as confidential and not shared with anyone outside of the panel.

Training

Training will be provided to successful applicants. The training will include:

• Relationship between specification and SAMs / assessment materials;
• Accessibility of SAMs / assessment materials including linkage to awarding organisations; and
• Expectations of reporting outputs.

Requirements

Qualifications Wales is currently looking for a number of Subject Experts who will be required to work the equivalent of between 3 and 10 days’ work, commencing in May 2016 and completing around March 2017 depending on specific subject scheduling.

The work will entail a subject expert reviewing:

(i)specification content;

(ii) specimen assessment materials for their subject.

Details of the work are outlined below:

• Attending one or two days of training

• Attendance of reviewer meetings with QW/WJEC
• Work on documents and provision of feedback

The fee to be paid will be £300 per day to include travel and overnight accommodation if required. Additional expenses incurred for T&S will be paid in addition to this.

For work undertaken by teachers in your employer’s time, Qualifications Wales will pay the school a teacher release fee at a rate of £189 per day. It is your responsibility to ensure that your school is happy to release you for approval related work prior to accepting any associated contract which you may be offered by Qualifications Wales.

We are currently looking to award contracts for subject expert services in:

• GCSE Welsh Second Language
• GCSE Business
• GCSE Computer Science
• GCSE and A Level Design & Technology
• GCSE and A Level Media Studies
• A Level Mathematics and Further Mathematics
• A Level Government and Politics
• A Level Law

• GCSE

Other Requirements

• Applicants must be able to deliver work to tight deadlines and have access to and be proficient in the use of IT equipment.
• Applicants should demonstrate flexibility as you may be required to travel and occasionally stay overnight.
• Applicants may be required to work some evenings and weekends.

Changes to the Specification

This specification sets out Qualifications Wales’ current service requirement. It is possible during the life of the contract changes, for example, in the nature and volume of the work and the timescales or other requirements will arise.

Changes to the Specification will be implemented by issuing written amendments to all those affected by the changes.

Qualifications Wales Point of Contact

The contract manager for Qualifications Wales will be Inga Bevan who can be contacted at

The contract manager will be the point of contact for the successful applicant during the course of the contract. She may elect to meet a named representative of Qualifications Wales as and when necessary to discuss any issues which may have arisen during the provision of the service.

Performance

In the event of non-compliance with the Specification, the following procedure will be followed:

• notification of complaint and requirement to comply;
• notification of unacceptable practices and / or substantial non-compliance to the Specification of services;
• recourse to the conditions of the contract.

Independent ContractorStatus

It is the express intention of the Qualifications Wales and the Subject Expert that the Subject Expert is an independent contractor and not an employee, agent, joint venture or partner of Qualifications Wales. Nothing in this agreement shall in any way be interpreted or construed as creating or establishing the relationship of employer and employee between Qualifications Wales and the Subject Expert or between Qualifications Wales and any employee or agent of the Subject Expert.

To ensure that the correct payment mechanism is set up and is in accordance with the HMRC regulations on Employment Status, all individuals will be paid by Qualifications Wales payroll, unless otherwise determined. This may result in tax (PAYE) and National Insurance contributions being deducted from the gross payment. These arrangements do not confer employment rights.

For further information, you should seek advice from your accountant and / or the HMRC website a link to the HMRC employment status toolkit:

APPLICATION RESPONSE TEMPLATE

To be completed by the interested individualand returned by email to by the date and time specified in the preceding letter:

APPLICATION TO BE CONSIDERED TO PROVIDE A CONTRACT FOR SUBJECT EXPERTS SERVICE SUPPORTING QUALIFICATIONS WALES TO ESTABLISH WHETHER A DRAFT SPECIFICATION AND SAMPLE ASSESSMENT MATERIALS SUBMITTED FOR APPROVAL ARE FIT FOR PURPOSE AND MEET REGULATIONS

APPLICATION REFERENCE: QWT151605

1. I / we hereby offer to provide the service described in the application in accordance with the terms of the application
2. I / we agree that the insertions by us of any conditions qualifying this application tor any unauthorised alteration to any of theapplication documents shall not affect the agreement and may cause the application to be rejected.
3. If this proposal is accepted by Qualifications Wales we undertake to enter into a formal contract in the form of the agreement provided by Qualifications Wales.
4. I / we understand that Qualifications Wales is not bound to accept the any application they may receive nor to pay any expense incurred by us in connection with the preparation and submission of this application.
5. We agree that unless and until a formal contract is prepared and executed, this application together with Qualifications Wales’ written acceptance thereof shall form a binding contract.
6. Applicants must declare any connections they have with any Awarding Bodies recognised by Qualifications Wales.

Are you or any of your directors, partners, shareholders, owners, officers, employees, agents or associatesrelated or connected to any Board Members or employees of Qualifications Wales involved in the procurement of this contract?

Yes / No

If yes, please provide details:

Qualifications Wales may not contract with an interested individual without first having taken steps to avoid or mitigate any conflicts of interest.

NOTE: In the event that you fail to declare a potential conflict of interest Qualifications Wales may cancel any contract awarded.

If you are a member of a consortium, you should check with all members of the consortium whether any conflicts of interests apply. Select “Yes” if this applies to any consortium member.

Criteria

Applicants are asked to complete the following section in full. Where academic qualifications, or information about subjects taught are required, applicants must provide full details, including level, subject and grade.

NB: We will shortlist only on the information provided in this section.

Please ensure you provide a comprehensive account of how you meet each criteria giving dates, examples and any other details as appropriate.

We are looking for specific experience, characteristics and qualities in our Subject Experts listed below. Please outline below how you demonstrate against each criteria, using no more than 1500 words per section.

Please provide details and examples of:

• Up to date subject knowledge with a degree or higher in the relevant subject area(s);
• Relevant subject-specific experience in teaching;
• Experience of working with 14-19 qualifications in the relevant subject areas;
• Knowledge and understanding of curriculum, assessment and pedagogy; and
• Evidence of regular and recent CPD in your area of expertise.

Please provide details and examples of:

• Analytical skills when reviewing materials;
• The ability to scrutinise a high volume of information in a systematic manner;
• The ability to take an objective, confident and practical approach to reaching conclusions and findings outside personal preferences;
• The ability to identify examples and evidence to support each finding, judgement or conclusion; and
• Ability to identify interdependencies and linkages.

Plase provide details and examples of:

• The ability to provide constructive written or verbal advice that we can use to inform our decisions;
• The ability to contribute constructively in meetings with other subject experts, senior regulators and awarding body representatives; and
• The ability to prepare formal and detailed reports.

Please give the name, address, occupation and email address of one responsible person (not related to you) to whom reference will be sought. The referee should be your current or previous line manager (permission should be sought prior to application) where the application is being made by an employed individual.

Where the application is being made by a self-employed individual the reference should relate to recent similar work / contract undertaken.

*Must be completed