Content

Salford City Council – Record of
Decision
 
I Councillor Youd, Lead Member
for Finance and Support Services and chairman of the Procurement
Board, accept the recommendation of the Procurement Board and in
exercise of the powers contained within the Council Constitution do
hereby approve:
 
·    
to Award the Contract for Multiverse Apprenticeship
Training Scheme, as detailed in the table below:
 

Detail
required 

Answers 

Title/Description of Contracted
Service/Supply/Project 

Multiverse Apprenticeship Training
Scheme 

Procurement Reference numbers (DN and CR number
supplied by Procurement) 

N/A 

Name of?Successful
Contractor 

Multiverse 

Supplier Registration
Number 
(to be supplied by
Procurement 

10027474 (Company Registration
No.) 
10055902 (UK Provider Reference
No.) 

Proclass Classification
No. 
(to be completed by
procurement) 

171010 

Type of organisation 
(to be supplied by
Procurement) 

??Private Limited Company? 

Status of Organisation 
(to be supplied by
Procurement) 

??Non-SME? 

Contract Value
(£) 

£349,000 

Total contract value £ (including
extensions) 

£349,000 

Contract Duration 

24 months 

Contract Start Date 

??02/03/2026? 

Contract End Date 

??01/03/2028? 

Optional Extension Period
1 

0 months 

Optional Extension Period
2 

0 months 

Who will approve each Extension
Period? 

??Procurement Board

Contact?Officer (Name &
number) 

 Andrea Marshall 07591 352461

Lead Service Group 

??Resources and Transformation

How the contract
was procured? 
(to be supplied by
procurement) 

??Direct Award/ Call off? 

Framework Details (where
applicable) 
(procurement body, framework reference &
title, start/ end date 

YPO
Framework 
Apprenticeships and Associated
Training 
Ref
1086 
01.08.23 to 31.07.27 

Funding Source 

??Revenue Budget? 

Ethical Contractor (EC): Mayor’s Employment
Charter 

??No? 
 

EC: Committed to sign The Mayor’s Employment
Charter 
 

??Yes? 
 
 

EC: Committed to the principles outlined in the
Mayor’s Employment charter 

??Yes? 
 

EC: Accredited Living Wage
Employer 

??No? 
 

EC: Committed to becoming Accredited Living wage
Employer 

??Yes? 
? 

 
 
The Reasons are:
1.
Meets Critical Workforce Skills Needs
The programme equips employees
with advanced digital, data, and AI skills—capabilities the
council urgently needs to modernise services and meet future
workforce demands.
 
2.
Aligns With Key Council Strategies
The award directly
supports:

The Apprenticeship
Strategy
The Council’s
broader digital transformation ambitions

 
3.
Prevents Skills Gaps and Organisational Risk
Without this award, the council
risks:

Falling behind in
data literacy and AI capability
Reduced operational
efficiency
Disengagement from
employees expecting development

 
4.
Maximises Use of Apprenticeship Levy Funds
The programme is fully
levy?funded.
If funds are not used within 18 months, they are returned to
HMRC, meaning the council loses budget it has already
contributed.
Approving this award avoids levy clawback.
 
5.
Unique and Tailored Provision Unavailable Elsewhere
Multiverse offers a bespoke,
employer?tailored programme aligned to SCC’s specific AI
and data requirements—something our strategic providers can
not currently provide.
 
6.
Compliant and Low?Risk Procurement Route
The YPO Framework is fully
compliant with Public Contracts Regulations.
A direct award is:

Legally
sound
Aligned to
Contractual Standing Orders
Lower risk than
running a full tender

 
7.
Supports Organisational Transformation
The programme
enables:

Modern service
delivery
Increased automation
and efficiency
Workforce
adaptability and resilience
Employees to focus on
higher?value, resident?facing work

 
8.
Contributes to Social Value Outcomes
Multiverse brings:

AI taster sessions
and digital inclusion activity
Support for Step into
Salford and careers pathways
Wider community
learning benefits

 
9.
Environmentally Responsible Delivery
Training is primarily delivered
online or blended, reducing travel and emissions.
Multiverse also embeds ethical and sustainable AI
practices.
 
10.
Supports Employee Confidence, Culture & Career
Progression
The programme
strengthens:

Confidence in using
digital and AI tools
Employee development
aligned to new and emerging job roles
Internal culture of
continuous learning

 
Options considered and rejected
were:
Strategic Partnership was
considered but wasn’t able to offer the full suite of
apprenticeships programmes required.
 
A full tender was considered
but this is a unique offering from Multiverse, which will be
customised to address out digital, data and AI requirements. It
would mean multiple providers would be brought in and a disjointed
offer to the cohort.
 
Assessment of Risk:
There is a risk losing a
critical opportunity to equip our employees with the advanced
digital skills?required?in a rapidly evolving technological
landscape. Those already engaged in the process will face
disruption, potentially leading to disengagement and diminished
confidence in our commitment to workforce
development.?? 
? 
Without access to structured
learning pathways and expert-led programmes, our organisation will
fall behind in building capabilities such as data literacy, AI
awareness, and digital problem-solving?skills that are essential
for future-proofing our operations.?? 
? 
This gap not
only?impacts?individual career progression but also compromises our
ability to remain competitive and agile in delivering services
aligned with modern digital standards.? 
 
Enrolment of the next open
cohorts are March 2026, and if we do not proceed by this
date, we will not be able to fund this scheme
this financial year and will result in delays
to skills development and momentum for those already
engaged.  
 
The source of funding is:
Apprenticeship Levy Funded
 
 
 
Legal Advice
obtained:
When commissioning contracts
for the procurement of goods, services or the execution of works,
the Council must comply with the requirements of the Public
Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR) which require that contracting
authorities treat candidates equally and in a non-discriminatory
way and act in a transparent manner as well as its own Contractual
Standing Orders (CSO’s) failing which the decision may be
subject to legal challenge from an aggrieved provider. Whilst the
new Procurement Act 2023 came into force 24th February 2025, the
Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation’s Apprenticeships and
Associated Training Framework was let under the PCR
which remains the relevant regime for the apprenticeship
services let under this framework.
 
CSO’s stipulate that
where a suitable framework exists, this must be used unless there
is an auditable reason not to do so.
 
The Council can comply
with the requirements of the Regulations by carrying out its
own procurement exercise or relying upon another contracting
authority's compliant procurement exercise. In that regard,
contracting authorities may procure goods, works or
services through a ‘central purchasing body’ (and
are deemed to have complied with the
Regulations to the extent that the central purchasing body has).
The definition of ‘central purchasing body’ includes an
authority that concludes framework agreements for works, goods or
services intended for one or more contracting authorities, here the
YPO.
 
The proposed award of the
contract follows a direct award from the framework which is fully
compliant from a legislative perspective available for the Council
(and other local authorities) to use. The Council should follow the
procedure set out in the framework agreement to reduce any risk of
challenge.
 
Financial Advice
obtained:
The report is seeking approval
to award the contract with Multiverse
Apprenticeship Training Scheme in line with the
councils Apprenticeship strategy.
 
The council would like to
partner with Multiverse to offer AI and data apprenticeships to
staff. These programmes are designed to future-proof the
workforce. The initiative aligns with Salford’s AI and
Data Blueprint and supports the council’s broader goals of
improving service delivery, enhancing operational efficiency, and
fostering a culture of continuous learning.
 
This contract will be funded via the apprenticeship levy.
As per the apprenticeship levy rules set out by His
Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, employers must pay into
the apprenticeship levy if they
have annual payroll £3 million. The
contribution is 0.5% of
the total payroll and should an organisation
not use funding within 18 months of it its addition to the
accumulating fund, it is returned to HMRC, so maximising the use of
the apprenticeship levy is a key role to developing the
workforce.
 
When considering value for
money on this project, all apprenticeship programmes are a set
fee, so added value and social value are considerations
when choosing a supplier. Other strategic partners were considered,
however, neither currently offers courses aligned
with the needs, limiting the options within the
existing supplier framework.?? 
 
 
 
Procurement Advice
obtained:
Contractual Standing Orders
states that when commissioning goods and services the use of a
suitable framework should be considered.  
 
The route to market via direct
award from YPO Apprenticeships and Associated
Training Framework is compliant with the call-off procedure as
laid out in the terms of the framework. 
 
The YPO Apprenticeships
and Associated Training Call-Off Order
Form should be completed to form the contract between the
parties and a Confirmation of Award From should be sent to
YPO to confirm the details of the
contract.  
 
The details of the contract
should be entered onto the
Council’s contracts register and a contract
award notice should be published on Contracts Finder / Find a
Tender. 
 
HR Advice obtained:
There are
a small number of apprenticeship providers who
offer the apprenticeship standards, but Multiverse have
been able to tailor a varied programme of all four
standards of learning to specifically meet Salford City
Council digital, data and AI requirements. Learning tailored to
both employer and employee is of vital importance and provides us
with an opportunity to ensure that we effectively equip our
workforce with the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed for new
and emerging job roles which is in-line with our
culture, values and operating requirements.
 
We need to ensure that the
apprenticeship programmes provide confidence to employees in the
space of digital, data and AI, and that it is an extra
‘tool’ that equips them to do their roles more
efficiently and effective where possible and driving service
improvement across the organisation.
  
This award contributes towards
the following apprenticeship strategy delivery
objectives:
·    
Utilising apprenticeships within learning now to
future-proof the workforce. 
·    
Develop the digital capabilities of our workforce
through apprenticeships 
·    
Providing opportunities for existing employees to
utilise apprenticeships, to gain the professional skills needed
both for now and in the future. 
  
We are not currently returning
any unspent levy funds to the treasury. Our levy contributions are
based on a percentage of our overall payroll. Many employers’
levy contribution costs, like ours, are annually increasing due to
their increasing payroll costs (cost of living) and rises in NLW,
however the costs of apprenticeship courses
have remained static and our overall annual starts
are similar per year, so our risks of levy clawback are
increasing. We are not at risk of overspending our apprenticeship
levy or having to ration apprenticeships in other areas of the
Council with this award at this stage.
 
 
 
Climate Change Implications
obtained:
The training programmes focus
on digital, data and AI capability building for the existing
workforce and are delivered primarily through blended and online
learning approaches, which support reduced travel and associated
emissions compared to traditional face?to?face delivery
models.
 
Notwithstanding this, the
Council recognises the broader environmental impacts associated
with the use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence,
including energy consumption. As part of contract management
arrangements, the Council have engaged with the
provider to understand how responsible, ethical and
sustainable practices are embedded within programme design and
delivery, including awareness of environmental considerations
linked to AI technologies.
 
It is confirmed that learners
will cover the ethical and responsibility issues surrounding
the use of Generative AI in the organisation. Enhance personal
productivity using digital technologies while adhering to ethical
principles. And explore sustainable practices in the deployment and
use of Generative AI technologies.
 
Multiverse track their CO2
emissions in their annual report and accounts each year, and have
an Environmental, Social and Governance Policy, which covers
climate change, natural resources, pollution and waste, and
environment opportunity.
 
This programme will
support the Council’s broader ambition to build digital
capability in a way that is both innovative and responsible,
ensuring employees are equipped to use emerging technologies in a
manner that is conscious of environmental, ethical and
social impacts.
 
The following documents have
been used to assist the decision process:
·    
Apprenticeship Strategy.
·    
Procurement Policy.

Contact Officer: Andrea
Marshall
Telephone number: 07591
352461
 
Please delete from the bullets
below any which are not relevant
This matter is not subject to
consideration by another Lead Member.
 
 

Signed:    Cllr J
Youd         Dated:    23 February
2026.
         
    Lead Member
 

FOR DEMOCRATIC SERVICES USE
ONLY:
 
*         This
decision was published on 24 February 2026.
*         This
decision will come in force at 4.00 p.m. on 3 March 2026 unless it is called-in in accordance
with the Decision Making Process Rules.