Collection

Subcontracting post-16 education and training

Information about subcontracting for providers of post-16 education and training.

This page includes information about subcontracting in the following funding streams:

  • 16 to 19 funding
  • the adult education budget, in non-devolved funding areas
  • apprenticeships
  • European Social Fund

It does not include information about higher education.

Subcontracting funding rules

The Department for Education has a single subcontracting policy which applies to all post-16 education subcontracting, excluding apprenticeships. For apprenticeships, rules on subcontracting are incorporated in the apprenticeship funding rules.

Request approval to subcontract

Lead providers must follow separate approval processes when they seek to subcontract for the first time or get exemptions to the subcontracting policies.

Other guidance

List of declared subcontractors

Published 4 March 2021
Last updated 6 September 2023 + show all updates
  1. Updated the ‘Subcontracting funding rules’ section to remove out-of-date guidance pages. Published 3 new pages in the ‘Request approval to subcontract’ section, and a new page on governance in the ‘Other guidance’ section. Removed a section on reforms, and separate guidance on conducting due diligence on subcontractors and providing external assurance on subcontracting controls. Relevant details from the removed pages are now covered in the new or updated pages.

  2. First published.