To approve an exemption from the Council’s Procurement Procedure Rules and to enter into an agreement with SDN Mesma Group (Strategic Development Network) for consultancy support to strengthen apprenticeship governance, quality and compliance.

The agreement will cover the academic year 2026/2027.

This agreement will strengthen apprenticeship governance and scrutiny, build confidence and capability across the Apprenticeship Board, maintain Ofsted readiness under the revised inspection framework, provide light?touch compliance assurance, and support future?proofing of provision in anticipation of policy and register changes. An exemption from the Council’s Procurement Procedure Rules is granted because SDN Mesma Group is a specialist independent organisation with expertise that is not readily available elsewhere. A like?for?like alternative provider has not been identified, and therefore an exemption is the appropriate route to secure the specific support required.

The Council’s Corporate Director (Finance and IT) & Section 151 Officer has been consulted and has concurred with this decision being made.

No suitable alternative provider offering the required combination of apprenticeship governance, quality assurance and Ofsted?readiness expertise was identified. The Work Based Learning Manager was unable to locate a like?for?like further education support provider that meets DfE, DWP and Ofsted requirements.

SDN Mesma Group has previously supported Career Track successfully, including in its applications to join the National Apprenticeship Provider Register. Based on this experience and the absence of an equivalent provider, SDN is considered the most suitable solution.