Doncaster learning and development provider secures two national public sector contracts worth £400m

Premier Partnership, the learning and development provider, has been awarded positions on two contracts to deliver managed training services and new apprenticeship standards to public sector organisations across the UK.

Both contracts are potentially four-year long framework agreements and have a combined value of over £400m.

The Doncaster-based company has retained its place on the Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO) Framework.

This appointment follows a four-year tenure as the sole supplier of general and specialist training services to 42 organisations, delivering over 19,000 days of training to Oxfordshire County Council, HS2, the Metropolitan Police Service and Essex Fire Service, amongst others.

Premier Partnership has the capability and supply chain to deliver a range of services including niche packages for the emergency services relating to counter terrorism, digital security, ballistic first aid and some unusual topics such as how to escape from submerged helicopters.

Diplomats receive hazardous environment courses, with detectives schooled in forensics and the royalty protection group supported with leadership development.

Premier Partnership has also won a place on the Crown Commercial Service’s (CCS) Apprenticeships Framework to deliver apprenticeships in management and leadership, operational delivery, customer service and business administration across the public sector.

This framework will apply to customer-facing staff in organisations such as the DWP, HMRC, Border Force, the Foreign Office and the Office of the Public Guardian.

ESPO, which was established in 1981, is jointly-owned by six Midlands and East Anglian councils. The procurement organisation also supports the NHS, emergency services and housing associations, managing sales of £1.46bn from its Leicester head office in 2015/16.

The government-owned CCS works with the civil service to select apprenticeship training providers who are skilled in meeting the learning and development needs of public and third sector bodies to UK standards.

Premier Partnership has been providing people services to government departments and agencies, private sector employers, NHS trusts and local authorities for over 20 years.

Now the biggest provider of apprentices to the public sector and delivering 14,000 training events annually, with an average of 300 per year per client, the company has boosted payroll by more than 500% in the last 12 months, from 20 to 130 staff.

David Pearson, Premier Partnership managing director, said: “Our experience, national network of associates, approved supply chain, specialist capability and personal approach make us the training provider of choice for a wide range of public sector organisations.

“We are delighted to renew our highly productive relationship with ESPO, whose values we share and for whose clients we have already saved money, increased productivity and improved services.

“With public spending scrutiny only set to become keener in future years, we also look forward to the challenge of supporting CCS’s demanding continuous improvement programme.”

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