Alternative Procurement Business Case guidance

[sahmeepee]

If anyone is interested, here are the guidance notes for producing an Alternative Procurement Business Case (attached). Shame it took a FoI request and 22 days' wait to get them, but that's typical of this scheme I suppose.

 

Thank you for your email of 26 February 2009, requesting information

under the terms of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000, for

documentation and guidance on producing an Alternative Procurement

Business Case (APBC) for ICT services as part of the Building Schools

for the Future (BSF) Programme.

 

You have requested all the documentation and guidance (or links directly

to it) which would be provided to a school when producing an APBC for

ICT services as opposed to taking on their Local Education Partnership's

(LEP) proposed ICT managed service.

 

You have also requested any supporting documents which would need to be

supplied by the school when submitting the APBC, as well as any other

requirements, such as fixed deadlines for submitting the documentation.

 

The Department's response is as follows.

 

I attach the BSF - ICT Alternative Procurement Business Case template.

This must be completed where a school wishes to opt out of the managed

service, as set out by the Local Authority for their BSF programme, and

triggers the requirement for an APBC.

 

Guidance for schools for producing an APBC for ICT. This sets out the

process for BSF - ICT APBC which will help to ensure that there are not

different levels or incompatible ICT provision across schools in the

authority, and that ICT is employed effectively to transform teaching

and learning.

 

ICT Output Specification. This sets out the key criteria that should be

used to inform the design and development of the BSF ICT provision. The

specification is divided into four main sections. Section 1 -Design and

Installation Requirements, Section 2 - Transition and Implementation

Requirements Section 3 - Operational Requirements and Section 4 -

Financial and Management

 

Timescales and Adjudication: The school has 42 days (six weeks), from

the date on which it receives the APBC documentation, to prepare and

submit the business case and appendices. Further details and the process

of submission are outlined in the guidance.

 

I hope you find this response useful. If you have any queries about this

letter, please do not hesitate to contact me quoting the reference

number below in any future communications.

 

...

 

Gursham Singh

SCHOOLS CAPITAL DIVISION

Department for Children, Schools and Families

 

 

So there you have it. If your school is looking to make a start you should at least have a little more than the ridiculous 42 day deadline to put something together. Obviously I have seen the likes of Villiers in Ealing and Notre Dame in Sheffield getting turned down despite having excellent ICT in place and a very clear vision so I am not particularly hopeful, but I hope it at least levels the playing field a smidgen.

APBC Template.doc

APBC - School Guidance.doc

APBC - Appendix 2 - ICT Output Specification.doc