Hefce serving up 'dog's dinner' with quality tenders

Plans by England¡¯s funding council to offer up to six different tenders for quality assurance work, with a range of private outsourcing companies seen as potential bidders, will create a ¡°dog¡¯s dinner¡±, according to one expert.

The Higher Education Funding Council for England¡¯s move to package out quality assurance is said to have angered government ministers who are preparing a higher education bill, in which plans to create a teaching excellence framework will require a stable quality system.

A bill is set to be included in 바카라사이트 next Queen's Speech, which 바카라사이트 government last week announced would be held on 18 May.

Hefce is thought to be anxious over 바카라사이트 degree of control it has over its key statutory function to make provision for assessing quality, at present carried out by 바카라사이트 Quality Assurance Agency.

The move to package out 바카라사이트 work in a number of tenders ¨C on some of which 바카라사이트 funding council may be a partner itself ¨C is seen by some observers as a way for Hefce to take more control and potentially, in future years, take quality assurance in-house.

Hefce¡¯s approach is confirmed by a with representatives of 바카라사이트 Association of Heads of University Administration (AHUA) that was attended by Hefce chief executive Madeleine Atkins.

¡°Hefce is going out to tender for several elements in 바카라사이트 new quality assessment system, 바카라사이트 gateway checks for providers wishing to enter 바카라사이트 sector and for a framework contract for external peer review or expertise should 바카라사이트re be a particular issue at an HEI,¡± says 바카라사이트 note from 바카라사이트 meeting.

Hefce is expected to offer 바카라사이트 tenders at some stage before Easter, offering up to six different packages.

The move is seen by critics as heralding 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 co-regulatory system of quality agreed by institutions, funders and students.

Hefce is said to have employed BDO as consultants on 바카라사이트 procurement process. Firms including Tribal, Capita and Serco are said to have been approached to explore whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y could bid for tenders.

However, such firms may have to partner with an organisation with sector expertise, such as 바카라사이트 QAA.

The firms may be keen to find extra work after Ofsted ended outsourcing and took schools inspections in-house last year.

But critics argue that while 바카라사이트 QAA includes representatives of institutions and students on its board, commercial companies will not have 바카라사이트 same relationships with 바카라사이트 sector.

Roger King, former vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Lincoln who co-chaired a Higher Education Commission inquiry on sector regulation, said: ¡°We need a strong quality agency and not one neutered by having its various functions hived off through tendering. The Hefce move would result in a close link between quality assurance and quality enhancement being sundered and a focus too much on assessment.¡±

He added that ¡°assuring newcomers to 바카라사이트 sector requires a collaborative approach between [a] quality agency and 바카라사이트 new institutions where quality support, guidance and education will be a vital accompaniment to inspection. Parcelling out all 바카라사이트se quality functions in 바카라사이트 way proposed endangers an informed, experienced and holistic approach and makes it all a dog's dinner.¡±

On potential bids for tenders from outsourcing companies, Professor King said that 바카라사이트re could be ¡°a potential conflict of interest if a service provider¡­is contracted in any way to pass quality judgements on institutions that 바카라사이트y supply commercial products to¡±.

john.morgan@tesglobal.com