Thursday 17th Nov 2022

Call for submissions for research project into land-based sector

Cumbria Chamber has been tasked with producing an LSIP this year and continuing to refresh, build on and implement this over the following two years.

LSIPs are intended to be employer-led and locally owned, putting employers at the heart of skills provision. They will set out the key priorities needed to make technical education and skills provision more responsive to the changing needs of employers and the local economy. In essence LSIPs are about ensuring we have the right provision to enable people to do their current and future jobs better. More information is available in the following guidance: Local skills improvement plans – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Cumbria Chamber of Commerce has been designated by the Department for Education (DfE) to lead on the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) for Cumbria as part of the national roll out.

This follows in from the Cumbrian LSIP produced as part of the Trailblazer pilot earlier this year. You can read a copy of the report here: https://www.cumbriachamber.co.uk/local-skills-improvement-plan-lsip.

As for the Trailblazer, other employer representative bodies partnering in this delivery: Britain’s Energy Coast Business Cluster, CBI, CITB, CLA, Cumbria Tourism, Farmer Network and the NFU.

As we did for the Trailblazer, we’ll be working with employers, partners and other stakeholders (such as Cumbria Woodlands and Cumbria Local Nature Parntership) to identify and clearly articulate employer needs, issues and opportunities and set out how these can be addressed, and, where we can, act on that directly.

The approach taken for the LSIP Trailblazer, which worked well and which we intend to implement for the roll out, is to engage with specialist partners and consultants to lead the work on specific sectors, bringing to bear their specialist knowledge, links, engagement and experience.

We are now looking to commission a piece of work on the land-based sector in Cumbria, which builds on the work already undertaken in the Trailblazer.

Activity Required

This work needs to:

Cover the breadth of the land-based sector as relevant to Cumbria.
Identify and draw on any relevant research/skills needs identification undertaken, underway or planned (within the timescale of this LSIP plan) elsewhere, in addition to that undertaken for the Trailblazer.
Identify and agree with us the gaps left by the above and the further work needed.
Engage directly with employers of all sizes across the sector, working with our relevant partners and key stakeholders to identify and engage.
Engage with other relevant stakeholders, in particular but not limited to providers, the Steering Group and the Employer Representative Body Group.
Clearly articulate current and future skills needs and any gaps in provision, including detailed curriculum requirements and wider issues and suggest appropriate actions. This should include upskilling and reskilling or the current workforce and other adults, as well as young people.
Consider skills gaps/issues at a granular level – what exactly do we mean by x, what activities/attributes? at what level?
Consider also engagement with education and young people and encouraging young people into the right training and our future workforce, as well as engaging more adults in learning and development.

Note that we may decide to split this work into more than one package, depending on the proposals received.

The research piece for 2022/23 needs to be completed by 10^th March 2023 to enable time for consolidation into and consultation on the full report. Timing of the scoping work needs to fit with this.

There is an indicative budget of up to £20,000 including VAT available for this work.

Information needed from bidders/instructions for submission

Brief summary of relevant experience, expertise and engagement in the land-based sector
CV for anyone to be involved in carrying out the research and analysis
Contact details for two relevant referees
Hourly rate and indicative price (actual cost and payment arrangements to be agreed once we have agreed the work with the successful bidder or bidders)

Instructions for Submission

Submissions should be sent by email to Suzanne Caldwell, suzanne@cumbriachamber.co.uk, marked ‘Confidential – Tender Enclosed’ to reach us by no later than 9am on Friday 2^nd December 2022.

The Chamber’s rights

The Chamber reserves the right to:

Waive or change the requirements of this service from time to time without prior, or any notice, being given
Seek clarification or documentation in respect of a tenderer’s submission
Disqualify any tenderer that does not submit a complete tender in accordance with the instructions within this tender brief
Disqualify any tender that is guilty of serious misrepresentation in relation to its tender or the tender process
Withdraw this service at any time or re-invite tenders on the same or any alternative basis • Choose not to award any contract or accept the lowest or any tender as a result of the current procurement process
Choose not to award a contract to any organisation it views as a competitor or to have another conflict of interest
Make whatever changes they see fit to the timetable, structure of content of the procurement process
To split this work into more than one package, depending on the proposals received

Bid Costs

The Chamber will not be liable for any bid costs, expenditure, work or effort incurred by a tenderer in proceeding with or participating in this procurement, including if the procurement process is terminated or amended by the Chamber.

Project Funding

The Local Skills Improvement Plan is a Department for Education initiative, funded by the Department for Education.