Memorandum submitted by Capita
EDUCATION MAINTENANCE
ALLOWANCES
Capita responded to the invitation to tender
issued by the Department for Education and Skills for a partner
to provide the national Assessment and Payment Body (APB) service
in support of the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) scheme.
In bidding for a contract of this nature Capita
undertakes a very robust process to ensure that the opportunity
is compatible with the Company's capacity, competencies and experience;
to test the commitment and capacity of the client and the achievability
of its requirements; to ensure the commercial viability of the
potential contract; and to test whether Capita can add value to
the programme. In the case of the EMA APB Capita was, and is,
of the opinion that this was an appropriate opportunity to bid
and that the requirements are consistent with capita's strengths.
Capita was selected by the DfES through a robust
and competitive process.
Capita's responsibilities as APB are to process
applications; make payments to students following confirmation
of attendance from the learning centre, requests for bonus payments
or instructions to withhold payments from learning centres; operating
information services for stakeholders including a contact centre
and web site; and providing management information for the Department.
Capita's role is only part of the overall EMA programme. The roles
and responsibilities of Capita, the Department, the Learning and
Skills Council, schools and colleges, and students and their parents/guardians
are clearly defined by the Department.
The project received a green light in its Office
for Government Commerce (OGC) Gateway Four review in April 2004.
Implementation including registering students and the commencement
of assessments of applications is progressing well. Capita is
confident that it will continue to meet the Department's specifications
and requirements in order that the successful implementation of
the EMA Assessment and Payment Body services will contribute to
the success of the overall programme.
4 August 2004
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