Consultancy brief: Developing and delivering a pilot Action Learning programme to allow small archive services to apply for Archive Service Accreditation.
Consultancy Brief: Developing and delivering a pilot Action Learning programme to allow small archive services to apply for Archive Service Accreditation
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Introduction – Archives and Records Association (ARA)
ARA is the lead professional body for archivists, archive conservators and records managers in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The ARA aims to support its membership through training, continuous professional development, identification of employment opportunities, professional help and advice, and by providing a community to which the membership can belong and from which they draw benefit through open discussion and debate, as well as through gathering of information and advice.
Our strategic aims and further information about ARA is available in full on our website www.archives.org.uk
The Archive Service Accreditation Standard and programme launched in 2013. In April 2026 an updated Standard replaced the previous version. Archive Service Accreditation is overseen by a UK partnership of the Archives and Records Association, National Records of Scotland, Scottish Council on Archives, The National Archives, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Archives and Records Council Wales and the Welsh Government through its Culture Division.
As a partner in Archive Service Accreditation, ARA is seeking to commission an experienced provider of action learning to develop and deliver a pilot action learning course to support smaller archive services, including lone professionals, to enable them to apply for Archive Service Accreditation.
Context
Archive Service Accreditation tests how far archive services meet the Accreditation Standard based on the application and supporting documentation submitted by the archive service, and on a site validation visit. Archive Service Accreditation is the quality mark for UK archive services and two hundred services have achieved accreditation.
Archive Service Accreditation is designed to be scalable and to work for archive services of many types and sizes. However, the majority of awards to date have been to larger archive services. Smaller services, although usually successful when they apply, often struggle with the resources to enable them to work through the process and apply for Accreditation. Many services have told us that they would like to apply and are working within the context of Accreditation as a development framework, but lack confidence or support to deliver an effective application.
Aims and Objectives
The ARA wants to deliver support to smaller archive services so that they can benefit from the Archive Service Accreditation and the knowledge, experience and feedback gained in going through the formal application process. We believe this will help to upskill the sector and to raise the profile of smaller archive services as successfully delivering to professional industry standards.
We want to use Action Learning Sets to enable individuals to benefit from doing the work themselves, each individual participating in the context of a service which is committed to working towards Archive Service Accreditation, but to undertake this work with structured support. The Action Learning Sets will be designed and delivered by a consultancy to bring together a small number of individuals from diverse archive services to offer collaborative support.
This tender is to develop a pilot Action Learning Set design to take one cohort of five individuals from different archive-holding organisations through an 18 month period which should then enable the five organisations represented to apply for Accreditation.
At the conclusion of the pilot it will be reviewed and recommendations made to adapt it. Our intention will be to then launch a multi-year project to enable up to three cohorts a year to complete Action Learning.
The Archive Service Accreditation Committee has the capacity to deal with a maximum extra 12 new applications a year from organisations who have completed Action Learning Sets which is the reason for this target.
Evidence from other initiatives supporting Accreditation applications is that it takes 18 months from a complete fresh start to being in a position to apply. We also suggest each Action Learning Set should meet once every 2 months for 2 hours.
Each archive service participating in the Action Learning Set must be eligible to apply for Archive Service Accreditation, so in a position to start to develop an application. We also recommend that before joining an Action Learning Set each service must complete the Resilience Indicator. See below for a link.
Deliverables
Develop an Action Learning Set to enable smaller organisations to apply for Archive Service Accreditation at the end of 18 months.
Deliver the Action learning Set across a period of 18 months. We envisage the members will meet every two months.
Work with relevant staff at The National Archives and the Archives and Records Association in developing the Action Learning Set to an agreed work schedule and deadline, providing updates on progress as agreed to ensure effective co-ordination and delivery.
Review the Action Learning Set after delivery and recommend amendments to the models and supporting material where required.
The successful consultancy may be offered the opportunity to deliver subsequent Action learning Sets for four years up to three times a year.
The IP in the Action Learning Set will be owned by the ARA.
Key sources of information
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archives-sector/archive-service-accreditation/
https://www.archives.org.uk/resilience-indicators
Methodology
Please tell us in your proposal how you will plan and deliver the work to achieve the aims and objectives described above.
Product
Pilot Action Learning Set design to enable smaller archive services to apply for Archive Services Accreditation.
Delivery of the Action Learning Set.
Following completion of the pilot review and update the Action Learning Set design.
Costs
The total budget available for delivery of this piece of work is £9,000.
Liability Insurance
Please include a copy of your professional liability cover with the proposal.
Contractor Personnel
Please include in your proposal details of who would be working on the project with a clear indication of who will be leading.
Monitoring
John Chambers, Chief Executive, Archives and Records Association and Melinda Haunton, Programme Manager (Archive Service Accreditation), The UK National Archives will be your contacts for this project.
Quotations and timings
Completed proposals should be sent by e-mail to John Chambers, Chief Executive, Archives and Records Association, john.chambers@archives.org.uk by 23rd October 2026.
The appointed consultant is expected to start work in December 2026.
For an informal discussion contact: Melinda Haunton Telephone 020 3908 9280 or email Melinda.Haunton@nationalarchives.gov.uk