Consortium & Subcontracting
Overview
Whether you are a new consortium formed in reaction to the introduction of SFA Minimum Contract Levels or are already established; we can provide the software you require to manage these more complex relationships. We understand that subcontracting and consortium arrangements do not all work the same and therefore we provide a broad toolset that can be applied to the way you work.
Broadly speaking the options we offer break down into data control, subcontractor sensitive financial reporting and a collection of remote access options. We also offer a bespoke data management service, allowing you to outsource the extra work related to multi-partner data management to our team of highly experienced staff. This flexible approach allows you to choose the tools that fit your workflow.
There are many ways of managing the data flow of a consortium or subcontracting arrangement, one of the most flexible is for all partners to have an individual dataset that is then joined for export to the SFA/YPLA. This structure allows your partners to keep a single dataset for all of their delivery, and allows them to easily manage delivery for multiple contract holders. Individual providers running PICS are able to export only the learners relevant to a particular consortium head. It also allows data entry to be managed by your partners with no requirement of internet access, and with no need for you to increase your network infrastructure.
Our PelControl product allows you to easily manage these multiple datasets and join them into a single dataset ready for submission. Whilst there are many advantages to running a consortium based on a single MIS, PelControl does not require all consortium members to be running PICS. PelControl is compatible with both PICS consortium export - which will include more detailed learner information, and the industry standard batch ILR format.
PelControl goes further however than simply joining data and from a single interface - it enables you to run a range of the core PICS reports across all or a selected number of members. We are also soon to be enabling a wider range of the more advanced PICS features for use in this environment.
PelControl - bringing your consortium together. Please contact us for further details.
All PICS datasets have access to a full range of financial reports giving real-time analysis of you past, present and future funding. However for subcontractor relationships our reporting goes event further, allowing you to easily manage funding relationships between partners.
As with all of our products the subcontracting financial system has been designed with flexibility in mind in order to fit your company structure. PICS allows you to define either top slicing percentages or fixed value payments for your subcontractors and further allows these be set either for each program of learning or a per aim basis.
Once you have entered the subcontracting structure into the system PICS will respect your financial relationships for all of the core financial reports; enabling you to clearly see funding that you will be receiving from the SFA/YPLA and the top-sliced funding linked to each subcontractor. This gives you the ability to quickly and easily monitor your expected income throughout the month, based on the latest data within PICS.
Whilst we have a full system to manage a consortium structure that is based on multiple datasets; we also have the facility for training providers who join to become one legal entity to maintain a single dataset partitioned and accessible across multiple sites. This allows the systems analytical features to be run on real-time live data with no need to wait for an end of month join process. Our fine grained access permissions can restrict a partner's access to only their learners and other data, whilst a senior partner or consortium head can view all data.
In order to best utilize PICS ability to work in this way we have developed the system with a number of remote working options in mind. Firstly PICS is fully compatible with terminal services, remote desktop and Citrix allowing the full PICS MIS to be hosted in an environment accessible through the internet. This can be setup on your own servers or alternatively, if you do not have sufficient network resources this can be hosted by Pellcomp.
Additionally we offer web applications in the form of eAssessor and eRecruitment. These modules provide a web friendly interface allowing customer relation staff, internal officers and learners across all partners to interact in real-time with the core data from anywhere in the world. There are many benefits of using these two modules, please visit their respective pages for further details.
With the introduction of MCL many providers will have to enter into consortium and subcontracting relationships, and will be required to adapt their workflow respectively. We understand however that for many of our customers who wish to focus upon excellent delivery of learning in the workplace that this move places a considerable administrative burden outside this remit.
In order to make the transition to these new structures as smooth as possible for our clients, Pellcomp are launching a bespoke data management service. Our service is entirely flexible ranging from simple data collation and submission to hosting a consortium PICS dataset, with data entry, reporting and submission all offered by our extensively experienced staff.
If you would like further details of this exciting new service please contact mcl@pellcomp.co.uk.