CPA1 A4e LTD - Tender Form Redacted FINAL

RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE
EMPLOYMENT RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT MINI COMPETITION FOR THE PROVISION OF MANDATORY WORK ACTIVITY
Invitation to Tender Form
CONTRACT PACKAGE AREA TENDER FORM CPA 1 SOUTH EAST
Tender Round title: Organisation Name: CPA:
Mandatory Work Activity A4e Ltd CPA1 SOUTH EAST
MWA ITT Questionnaire FINAL V0.1
PART 1: ORGANISATION DETAILS

[1.1] Your response to Part 1 is for information purposes only. If any of this information has changed since the Framework Agreement application stage, please state this within the table below including a short explanation as to why. If you cannot provide any of the information below please explain this within the table. DWP will not be responsible for contacting anyone other than the persons named in this part of your form. If any of this information changes during the bidding period you must inform DWP of the changes by email to: CDSOURCING.LONDONHQ@DWP.GSI.GOV.UK Name of the Legal Entity in whose name this tender is submitted and with whom DWP will contract: Trading Name (if different from above): Company Registration Number: Company Registered address: Head Office Address, if different: VAT Registration Number: Website Address (if any): Name, address and company registration number of parent company, where applicable: Name and Job Title of main contact: Address: Telephone no: Mobile telephone no: Fax no: E-mail address: Alternative contact Name and Job Title: Address (if different from above): Telephone no: Mobile telephone no: Contact e-mail: A4e Ltd N/A 02631340 Bessemer Road, Sheffield, S9 3XN Queens House, 105 Queen Street, Sheffield, S1 1GN 598 6496 55 www.mya4e.co.uk Not applicable Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted
PART 2: TENDERER DECLARATION

[2.1] You must complete this Declaration by Tenderer. Failure to include this declaration may result in your bid being disqualified. To: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
For the benefit of the Department for Work and Pensions, we hereby warrant and undertake as follows: 1. We have examined, read, understand and accept in full the proposed Contract documents and all other documents and Annexes provided with this declaration and the clarifications issued during the Invitation to Tender period. 2. We have completed and submitted all information required in the Invitation to Tender Form in the format and order required. 3. We confirm the information set out in our response is complete and accurate to the best of our knowledge and belief. 4. We hereby acknowledge and agree that we have read, understand and accept Mandatory Work Activity Call-Off Terms and Conditions, Mandatory Work Activity Specification and the draft Order Form.
Scanned Signature: Date: 25/02/2011 Name: Job Title:
Redacted
Redacted Redacted
Duly authorised to sign Tenders on behalf of: Name of Organisation: A4e
PART 3: MANDATORY WORK ACTIVITY CALL-OFF CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS - ALTERNATIVE AND/OR ADDITIONAL CLAUSES
[3.1] 3.1 The terms and conditions of Mandatory Work Activity will be the Standard Call-Off Terms and Conditions (set out in Schedule 4 of your Framework Agreement), as modified by Mandatory Work Activity service requirements (Mandatory Work Activity Additional Requirements). Mandatory Work Activity Additional Requirements are set out in the Call-Off Terms and Conditions for Mandatory Work Activity which is supplied with your Invitation to Tender. A document highlighting the modifications made to the Standard Call-Off Terms and Conditions to reflect Mandatory Work Activity Additional Requirements will be issued by Friday 18 February; for ease of identification, the changes made since the draft version issued on 8 December 2010 are shown in boxes within the document. Any proposed amendments to Mandatory Work Activity Additional Requirement must be detailed by completing the section below, giving full details of the clause(s)/Appendix you wish to amend and your proposed amendments. DWP will consider proposed amendments strictly on their merits. Please note that you may only propose amendments to Mandatory Work Activity Additional Requirements; proposed amendments to the Standard Call-Off Contract Terms and Conditions will not be considered.
3.2
3.3
Comments on Mandatory Work Activity Additional Requirements: Redacted Other than those provisions identified above, A4e ltd confirms that it has reviewed the Call-Off Terms and Conditions for Mandatory Work Activity and agrees in principle to each of their provisions.
Name: Scanned Signature: Position: Telephone No: Date: 25/02/2011
Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted
DWP reserves the right to amend any provisions of Mandatory Work Activity Additional Requirements at any time during the mini-competition procurement exercise.
RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE PART 4: SERVICE REQUIREMENT
[4.1] Customer Journey - Process Please describe the end-to-end customer journey through your MWA proposal for this CPA. Your response should include: your process to ensure that the customer will commence placement within 10 working days of the referral by Jobcentre Plus. an explanation of how you will ensure that a customer completes the four week placement; Confirmation that you will issue a completer certificate when a customer successfully completes placement, and when you will issue this certificate
Insert your response in the pre-set, shaded space of the following pages. Your response MUST be limited to 2 sides of A4
RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE 4.1 A4es Mandatory Work Activity (MWA) customer journey: key features A4e will build on our current and extensive experience of sourcing and managing work placements, including Community Task Force, Job Services Australia and A4es FND Work Boost (Mandatory Work-Related Activity), to secure high quality placement opportunities across the South East (SE). We will use our 10 years local delivery experience and strong stakeholder relationships to deliver an end to end journey that supports local JSA customer groups, who have failed to engage with other programmes, to develop the universal employability skills that employers require. Evidence: Since Jan 2010, A4e's Community Task Force has placed 2,062 customers into community benefit placements across Mid/ North and South East Wales. A4es customer journey will: Utilise our experienced Support Centre staff as the one point of contact for JCP Dedicate local Placement Coordinators to source and support Placement Hosts Conduct engagement activities including a 20 minute phone call and issue of notification letters prior to MWA placement start date Ensure customers have clear understanding of participation responsibilities for their Allocated or Balance of Time and sanction consequences of failure to attend From day 1 of contract start, ensure all customers commence placements within 10 days using our extensive network of pre-vetted Placement Hosts across SE Provide accountability through robust, timely reporting of attendance and participation Document all contacts with customers and JCP e.g. start notification letter, timesheets, Completers certificate, feedback forms, DMA form Work with local communities to identify and generate placement opportunities with a clear community benefit by engaging with LAs, charities and community groups. Improve each customers work ethic through placements that build necessary attributes valued by all employers e.g. timekeeping, dress, attitude, team working Increase four week sustainment through choice of placement, where possible. Ensuring all customers commence community benefit placements within 10 days To ensure that the number of placement Hosts continue to increase during the contract term, A4e has three staff roles in place targeted to engage local Host providers: Placement Coordinator: sources and supports Placement Hosts across SE. A4es National Employer Solutions Team: experts who engage national organisations operating community benefit projects/placements e.g. Barclays, Barnardos and Scope. The team will source multi-site, multi-discipline opportunities. In 2010, this team sourced 700 community placements and 1,464 jobs. Partnership Managers: have excellent regional and local links with key stakeholders e.g. LAs and Councils to ensure effective join up with community benefit initiatives. Placement Hosts will sign a Service Level Agreement confirming they will: provide a short placement for 4 weeks, complying with EU Work Time Directive. evidence the customer has attended conduct induction, H&S and Risk Assessments set standards of behaviour, responsibility, attendance & emergency procedures. Added Value: A4e will pay Placement Hosts an admin fee up to Redacted per month to support evidencing requirements and to designate a workplace buddy to participants. Stage 1: A4es MWA Advisors will personally answer 80% of calls from JCP on first attempt. Post-referral activities with JCP Advisors will facilitate seamless entry to MWA by gathering information relating to customer needs and behaviours e.g. repeat returners to JSA, barriers requiring specialist support (deaf/blind/ESOL), we will ensure that Hosts provider offers appropriate levels of support from day one of participation. Stage 2: Within 2 days of PRaP referral, A4es MWA Advisors will re-engage the customer by phone to undertake an initial customer interview. The Advisor will ask a series of informal questions, designed to gain commitment to attend MWA. To maintain
MWA ITT Questionnaire FINAL V0.1 7
RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE 4.1 Continued. momentum, within the 10 day engagement period. MWA Advisors will call customers: Be friendly, but clearly advise the customer of their participation responsibilities, explain the consequences of failure to start, attend or complete MWA hours. Discuss the benefits of participation (to the individual and community). Arrange funding to support child care, travel, clothing and equipment. Discuss conditionality restrictions in individual Jobseekers Allowance Agreements, Fortnightly Jobsearch Reviews, and specific needs e.g. health conditions or cultural Discuss and agree the MWA placements available, best suited to the customers needs. A4e will, wherever possible, give the customer a choice of placements For Balance of Time customers, discuss reasons for failing to complete their initial placement and ensure appropriate strategies are in place to avoid FTA reoccurring. A4e will make three attempts to contact the customer by phone. If no contact is made the MWA Advisor will post a notification letter, as outlined in Stage 3 below. Added value: customers will have access to MyA4ecommunity, a web based customer portal. MyA4e offers on-line training, e.g. Appropriate Workplace Behaviour and Work Experience to Work and links to current local vacancies and social networking. Stage 3: A4e will confirm by letter, placement details including start date, time, address, Host contact name and telephone number. The notification letter will be followed up by a friendly telephone call from the MWA Advisor to ensure travel routes and journey length times are understood. During the call Advisors will confirm that childcare arrangements are in place with a registered provider, and where required, will make provision for the funding and administration of childcare claims. Obligations to attend will be restated. Advisors will liaise with JCP to coordinate fortnightly Job Search Review attendance and with Hosts to arrange work clothing/tools. Innovation: Start letter will be accompanied by a promotional newsletter of community benefit placement successes and an overview of customers obligations to attend MWA. Added Value: The day before MWA start customers will receive a reminder contact. Stage 4: A4e will ensure customers attend and complete their placement by: Ensuring customers receive a high quality induction on day one of their placement Placement Host expectations (e.g. behaviour, dress, attendance times, breaks). Health, Safety and Risk Assessment to meet customer needs. How the placement is benefiting the community and MWA customer. Stage 5: Placement support MWA Advisors will contact customers at the end of the first day and weekly, to: address common difficulties (e.g. fatigue, work/life balance, anxiety and potential drop-out) and support the customer to reflect on the work skills, disciplines and experience they have gained through regular attendance. Placement Coordinators will maintain contact with Hosts, addressing any emerging issues. Added Value: Support is based on A4es successful In-Work Support model, which has helped 68% of our New Deal and Pathways customers to sustain paid work for a year. Monitoring: MWA Advisors, available 7 days per week, 8am to 8pm, will monitor participation. They will use the DMA Form to notify JCP, within 24 hours, when a placement Host notifies us that a customer failed to attend (without prior arrangement) or is dismissed due to misconduct. A4e will record all contacts with the Host and customer on A4es IT system to ensure documented evidence of failure is available. Placement Completion and Completer Certificates Stage 6: A4e will support customers in SE to progress beyond their MWA placement. Within 3 days of placement completion the MWA Advisor will contact the customer to: Issue a Completers Certificate Ensure they include MWA in their CV and market it to employers Gather feedback on MWA to drive A4es continuous improvement Advisors will sign and return the Feedback Form to JCP within 10 days, clearly detailing
RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE customer performance and attendance.
PART 5:
SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
[5.1] Delivery Strategy
Please describe in detail your delivery structure for all elements of Mandatory Work Activity provision across this CPA, in terms of overall percentage of delivery and geographical coverage, and explain why you consider your delivery strategy to be the best approach for customers in this CPA. If delivering of the Service includes by sub-contracting complete the following information: State clearly how you intend to work with your sub-contractors and describe how you will ensure the needs of the customers in this CPA are fully addressed from within your supply chain. Please also complete Annex 1 (Sub-contractor Declaration) for your proposed subcontractors as appropriate. Insert your response in the pre-set, shaded space of the following pages. Your response MUST be limited to 2 sides of A4.
10
RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE 5.1 1. A4es Mandatory Work Activity (MWA) Delivery Strategy for the South East A4e will manage 100% of the customer volume as sole provider across the whole of the SE. We will be directly supported by a network of Placement Hosts who will provide all work placements for customers. Delivery will draw upon A4es pre-vetted regional network of ERSS partners and existing strategic relationships with Local Authorities, Health Services and Local Enterprise Partnerships. Our core delivery structure will comprise of the following three key elements: 1. A robust, scalable and efficient support function through A4es National Support Centre, providing telephone based support to JCP and customers, 7 days a week from JCP referral through to MWA exit. Conducting initial engagement activities, implementing robust monitoring procedures for all customers. 2. Face to face engagement of Placement Hosts by Placement Coordinators working across SE to identify and establish opportunities throughout the contract term. We will engage sufficient volumes of placements to provide each JCP office with adequate numbers of spaces to starts MWA customers onto a placement within 10 days of referral. 3. Accessing community benefit placements across SE through a network of local Hosts receiving payment to support monitoring requirements. This will ensure that A4e is able to access high volumes of community benefit placements from day one of MWA go live and increase the volume of placement opportunities on a continuous basis. 2. Why this is the best approach for the South East This delivery strategy allows A4e to: Drive cost efficiencies through economies of scale, thus allowing us to offer an additional 20% of placements over the life of the contract at the same cost to DWP. Ensure a full service is available, SE-wide from Day 1 capitalising on A4es track record to quickly implement contracts with appropriately qualified staff. Deliver a high level of service across all of SE. Support a wide range of organisations, including small voluntary sector Hosts, that might otherwise be unable to participate by covering their costs. Meet DWP Service Delivery Standards in all instances by ensuring Hosts have sufficient resource to meet participation reporting requirements. Deliver a locally driven solution, promoted by A4e through key strategic relationships, delivering explicit community benefit and wider public service MWA integration. Evidence of A4e effectiveness: Seven of eight customers taking part in our CTF focus groups said they felt more likely to get a job since theyd been doing their placement. It kick starts you looking for work again because, when youve been unemployed for six months, you just start laying in late and sitting around not doing much. When youre up every morning, you feel like you want to get a job. CTF Customer, Rhyl 3.How our approach benefits to DWP/JCP in the South East: A4e will capacity build placement Hosts by cascading funds to local community benefit organisations, generating positive local buy in. A scalable structure that ensures we can accommodate local volume fluctuations. Clear lines of accountability, with A4e providing a single interface between JCP, Hosts and customers, ensuring rapid information exchange and consistent judgements on e.g. legitimate reasons for failure to start A4e is a safe pair of hands, an experienced provider with a proven track record of delivering high profile welfare to work services. 4.How our approach benefits customers in the South East: Services that are responsive to the needs of local customers: A4e has delivered
RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE 5.1 continued services in SE since 2000, including Pathways to Work, JPCSC, Recruit Older Workers (ROW), Train to Gain and Young People and Money. MWA customers will benefit from our in-depth understanding of the needs of local customers. Evidence of A4e effectiveness: In Thames Valley, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight we deliver Launch Pad a motivational and work preparation course for Lone Parents (4 weeks training & 4 weeks job placement) this has achieved a 31% JER Fast access to placement opportunities: A4es payment model for Placement Hosts will generate new placement opportunities more quickly; ensuring customers are able to access placement opportunities across SE within 10 days of referral. Specialist Placement Hosts: MWA customers across SE will benefit from A4es partnerships with niche Placement Hosts; engaged for their ability to provide appropriate levels of support to all JSA customer groups including lone parents, partners, carers, ex-IB claimants and young people. Evidence of effectiveness: Wheatsheaf Trust delivered Future Jobs Fund to 180 young people (6 month+ JSA) who were placed in employment opportunities - 100% on target (in Southampton, Eastleigh and New Forest) Services that prepare customers for the demands of local workplaces: Customers will benefit from A4es extensive knowledge of what local employers require when recruiting, developed through our contact with our network of 20,00 strong national and local employers. A4es Placement Coordinators will ensure that all MWA placements equip participants with work disciplines that enable individuals to complete effectively in the jobs market. Accessibility of placements: A4es existing networks in SE, including relationships with over 100 community organisations and Local Authorities in the area, will ensure that every customer in SE has access to placements accessible by public transport from Day 1 of MWA delivery. Evidence: we engaged with 500+ local stakeholders, including all 4 LEPs, all 33 Local Authorities (LAs), 40 Colleges, and Probation Trusts. 80 local stakeholders attended our 3 stakeholder consultation events (25 from the 3rd Sector). Added Value: Customers will also benefit from access to A4es broader range of services including Community Legal Advice and Money Guidance, supporting them to successfully complete their placements. 5.Benefits to community based Placement Hosts Variety of placement opportunities: Our strategy to pay Placement Hosts will enable A4e to engage a wider range of organisations, including small organisations that would not otherwise have the resources to enable them to host placements. This means customers in SE will have access to broader range of placement opportunities, increasing engagement and participation. Improved support from Placement Hosts: Paying Placement Hosts will ensure that they allocate resource to support the customer throughout their placement, e.g. work buddies. This will increase completion rates and ensure the customer has the best possible opportunity to develop a good work ethic and transferable skills. High-quality support: A4es extensive delivery experience including services similar to MWA (Community Task Force, Job Services Australia, Flexible New Deal Work Boosts) will ensure Hosts, customers and employers in SE benefit from tried and tested service strategies. E.g. our FND Work Boost provision result in more than 20% of participants moving into paid employment.
12
RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE [5.2] Management Structure Please provide: A description of the proposed management structure for this CPA and how the required management skills and expertise, including working with local stakeholders, have been identified and will be delivered. You should also include a description of associated responsibilities and reporting lines ; A description of how you will work with the management teams of any supply chain organisations and key delivery partners; and An explanation why your management structure is appropriate for Mandatory Work Activity within this CPA.
Please include an organisation chart (attach as Annex 2) showing the proposed management structure for Mandatory Work Activity for this CPA. Insert your response in the pre-set, shaded space of the following pages. Your response MUST be limited to 2 sides of A4. Note: Format requirement and page limit does not apply to the organisation chart(s) which you must insert as Annex 4.
13
RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE 5.2 A4es management structure for Mandatory Work Activity (MWA) has been specifically designed to: Ensure a consistent pool of high quality community benefit placements across SE, supporting customers to commence a work placement within 10 days of referral. Engage local stakeholders to embed MWA into the community to generate placement opportunities that provide maximum impact for local residents Implement robust control mechanisms to maximise participation on MWA Provide equal geographic coverage across a large, diverse geography 1. Proposed Management Structure Please find attached A4es Organisational Chart enclosed in Annex 2. A4es management structure takes account of the specific delivery challenges of the large geographic area within this CPA and the need for close partnership working with stakeholders, local organisations and employers. Area Manager: Responsible for A4es operational delivery in SE. Inspirational leader who will drive fairly yet insistently to deliver a flexible, responsive, high quality service. Responsible for the delivery of all contract outcomes, including an ongoing pipeline of high quality community benefit MWA placements. The Area Manager has experience delivering welfare-to-work, our delivery will be enhanced by their existing strategic relationships across SE. The Area Manager represents A4e within local networks and will continue to build upon existing partnership links to ensure a continual pipeline of new placements, with clear community benefits to the local area. The Area Manager line manages local Placement Coordinators and MWA Advisors. Placement Co-ordinator (PC): Will manage the interface between Placement Hosts and A4e. Although Hosts are not formal sub-contractors, Placement Coordinators will agree Service Level Agreements with each Host, to ensure accountability in relation to reporting requirements and overall compliance with Health and Safety. The Placement Coordinator will conduct pre-vetting activities and will effectively track MWA customers ensuring that Allotted Time or Balance of Time is completed. The Placement Coordinator will achieve this through regular communication with the placement Host and will be the point of contact for the Placement Host should any delivery issues arise. Added Value: Support from A4es Group management structure The following roles will support the delivery of MWA. These roles form part of A4es overall management structure. Executive Director: Reports to A4es CEO and Group Board, overall accountability for delivery of the MWA. Line manages the positions below. Customer Services Director: Manages A4es National Support Centres, offering MWA central administrative support through functions in Manchester and London. Business Finance Director: Responsible for commercial and financial management, supported by Financial Controller and Finance Business Partners. Senior HR Business Partner: Oversees all MWA people strategy and related issues including resourcing, recruitment, training and professional development. Regional Delivery Director: Reports to Executive Director, responsible for A4e operations in SE Line manages Area Managers. Has excellent local knowledge and existing links with key stakeholders in SE, which will enable them to promote MWA and ensure effective join up with other relevant initiatives. DWP Account Director will manage the relationship between A4e and DWP across all DWP contracts, including MWA. Partnership Manager: responsible for managing relationships with regional and local
RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE 5.2 continued stakeholders e.g. LAs and Councils to ensure effective join up of A4e services with local initiatives. Added Value: In the SE, our management team have formed an extensive network of stakeholder relationships, specifically, our Local Business Managers (LBM) clear geographical focus ensures localised community, employer and stakeholder integration. E.g. Redacted, LBM Aylesbury, has strategic partnerships with Community Impact Bucks, Bucks Strategic Partnership, Connexions, Next Step, JCP, Learn direct, Rural Mobility Scheme, Aylesbury College, CAB and is engaging with the Council regarding the opening of Aylesburys Enterprise Academy. Identification of required skills and expertise: As the largest UK welfare to work provider, delivering large scale services, A4e has identified and understands the skill and expertise requirements needed to drive quality provision. All A4e managers have proven management experience, the ability to make the quality of judgement needed to deliver contracts/services and technical expertise appropriate to their role. 2.Working with management teams of Host Providers A4es Placement Coordinators will be responsible for developing a strong relationship with all Placement Hosts and managing the overall quality of the MWA customer experience. Due to the large geographical spread of MWA Placement Coordinators will be targeted to maintain a wide mix of community benefit placements, available at short notice, across SE. Hosts will agree to provide activities that develop crucial disciplines. Performance Management of Placement Hosts: Every active Placement Host will receive an administration payment from A4e. To qualify for payment each Host will be required to contribute to managing the customer journey. Placement Hosts will report that a customer has started provision on the agreed start date; contact A4e within 1 hour of the agreed start time if a customer fails to attend and report, within 2 hours if a customer is dismissed through misconduct or leaves without notice. Placement Coordinators will conduct fortnightly reviews with active Hosts to ensure placements develop workplace skills, record attendance and provide evidence of specific tasks. Innovation: Continuous Development - A4e strives for partner relationships based around continual development. A4e will act as a conduit to share what works and to gain local information to create locally relevant community benefit work placements. 3.Why this structure is appropriate for MWA in the South East Our management structure combines A4es management experience with the expertise of our community benefit Placement Hosts. Allows A4e to cover the large geographical area of SE providing coverage to JCP offices. It ensures that customer and Host needs are met through local operational leadership and support from A4es central operational support. The structure has been designed to be highly cost effective and efficient through a combination of empowering local managers to make decisions rapidly and the sharing of support functions with other complementary A4e services across SE. The Management structure will incorporate A4es established management expertise in SE from delivery of contracts such as JCPSP and Pathways to Work. Our strategy is to maximise existing local experience, knowledge and stakeholder network links to ensure MWA is effective from Day 1 This will include the extensive local knowledge and relationships developed by Redacted, Regional Manager and the Area Manager who has over 20 years of welfare to work management experience It delivers cost efficiencies and more money to the front line by using shared support services (HR, IT, Audit). This enables local operations teams to focus on performance and draws on national specialists where needed.
[5.3] Management of Delivery Please clearly describe: How you and your supply chain will manage and monitor the quality of delivery of Mandatory Work Activity to ensure that the whole provision within this CPA is of a consistently high standard and meets the Service requirements; Your approach to performance improvement activities for your supply chain as a whole, outlining how you and your supply chain will act on the findings of any monitoring activity including the resolution of issues from within your own supply chain, partners or other bodies.
Insert your response in the pre-set, shaded space of the following pages. Your response MUST be limited to 2 sides of A4.
16
RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE 5.3 A4es approach to management of delivery is based on ensuring a high performing, high quality service environment which delivers significant customer MWA starts and retention levels throughout delivery. A4e has adopted the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence model to ensure the high quality delivery of all of our services, including MWA. As an overarching quality management framework, the EFQM coordinates the industry standards we have adopted, including Investors in People, the Matrix IAG standard, as well as A4es own quality management tool the Balanced Scorecard. A4es use of the EFQM is overseen by Group Assurance Director, Redacted. It provides us with a comprehensive diagnostic tool for self-assessment, where we can grade our service against detailed criteria under nine headings. The overall score acts as a European benchmark and helps us identify areas for improvement. For MWA, improvement activities will be owned by the Area Manager. 1.A4es Quality Management Framework monitoring the quality of delivery The key EFQM principles that underpin our approach are described below, along with a description of how they will support A4es management and monitoring of the quality of our MWA service: i) Achieving balanced results MWA Performance Management Framework: We are committed to planning and achieving a balanced set of results that meet the needs of our customers and the service standards of MWA. A4es MWA Performance Management Framework will be operated via a balanced scorecard approach used by all operational managers. This will ensure main KPIs linked to minimum service standards are being met e.g. referral times. It will assist us to manage our MWA service by giving consideration to the following critical areas: 1. Customer Perspective - Are we meeting our customers needs and expectations? 2. Financial Perspective - Are we achieving outcomes required? 3. Internal Perspective - Which processes must we improve to maintain excellence? 4. Development Perspective - How well are we developing our service for the future? ii) Ensuring we meet Customer needs on an ongoing basis: A4e is committed to engaging customers in the design of our services through focus groups, individual interviews and online feedback mechanisms. During delivery of MWA, we will continue to monitor and manage the quality of our service from customers perspectives through A4es Service Excellence Programme which includes comprehensive customer Complaints, Compliments and Feedback mechanisms and co-production groups. iii) Ensuring Quality through Process: A4e is managed through structured and strategically aligned processes using fact-based decision making to create balanced and sustained results. A4e is also embedding a new Business Process Management Framework in preparation for ERSS contracts and to support future growth in general. This framework consists of a series of standard business processes that will be rolled out across our entire delivery and that reflect contractual, legislative and industry standard requirements. The Framework enables the oversight to assure the Board and DWP of our delivery against contractual, legislative and industry standard compliance. iv) Quality through People: A4es organisational structure is geared to ensuring the delivery of a service that is consistently high in quality for every customer, across large geographical areas. The separation of delivery and commissioning functions will ensure that frontline staff focus solely on current customers needs and there is creative tension between performance and delivery teams. Investment in expertise in our new Business Solutions & Commissioning team will drive quality through ongoing monitoring and iteration of our MWA service to improve our delivery. A number of staff-focused processes directly support quality monitoring and quality assurance. These are:
RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE 5.3 continued Performance management and professional development (led by HR): Including a practitioner development programme, staff appraisal systems, management against KPIs, core training. All staff will have access to Continuous Professional Development Internal Communications and Dialogue: Including the communication of revised processes and innovative best practice sharing mechanisms (e.g. online forums) Monitoring by delivery managers: Part of the Area Managers role is to monitor and check that key systems are being followed on an ongoing basis. v) Building effective Partnerships: Placement Coordinators will have overall responsibility for management and monitoring of Placement Hosts, monitoring the quality of provision on an ongoing basis and will help partners to develop and improve by sharing information openly and supporting organisations to build new capacity and skills. 2.Performance Management Strategy - Monitoring and Improvement Activities Our MWA service and design will drive the continuous improvement of performance. The rationale is to support the achievement of MWA performance targets. Our Performance Management Strategy consists of the following: i) Ongoing support: We will drive delivery to the highest performance standards through supportive management of MWA delivery. A4e Area Managers will track performance and provide early remedial action as required. The A4e Regional Delivery Director will hold formal monthly performance reviews with A4e Area Managers. ii) Performance Monitoring & Insight: A4es Performance Director will lead a team of analysts responsible for central monitoring of contractual performance. They will provide regular performance reports. iii) Performance Management and Monitoring via technology: A4es new enhanced web-enabled MI platform will allow real-time monitoring and reporting of MWA performance throughout delivery. Demand data will inform of trends e.g. the numbers of customer referrals from all JCP offices, informing of additional placement requirements. iv) Continuous improvement and service iteration: A4es Area Manager will be responsible for devising and rolling-out measures to improve MWA performance. They will work with A4es Placement Coordinators to implement new approaches to continuously improve performance or measures to directly address underperformance. They will work directly with customers, listening to views on what works and designing new solutions as local delivery evolves. v) Acting on findings of performance monitoring: A4es Area Manager will be responsible for acting on issues identified through internal and external monitoring. This will enable MWA Advisors to focus solely on serving our customers on the front line. Evidence of Effectiveness: In Jul-10 following a staff consultation exercise, we reduced Thames Valley New Deal advisor case loads, revised recruiter KPIs and recruited additional quality resource. The JER has increased by 6.88% points (Jul to Nov-10) compared with Jan to Jun-10). Sharing of best practice & jointly creating solutions: A4es Business Solutions & Commissioning Team will host best practice sessions to develop new ideas to improve MWA. These will focus on areas identified to be weak across the whole of delivery. Placement Host staff will be invited to attend with A4e delivery teams. vi) Resolution of Unresolved Issues: A4e has a formal Dispute Resolution Procedure to address any issues that are unresolved. This three stage escalation process includes appointment of a project neutral and ultimately external mediation if an issue remains unresolved.
18
RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE [5.4] Delivery Locations Please provide details of where and how you and your supply chain will undertake the initial customer interview to ensure full geographical coverage of provision for the delivery of Mandatory Work Activity within this CPA.
Insert your response in the pre-set, shaded space of the following pages. Your response MUST be limited to 1 side of A4.
19
RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE 5.4 Undertaking the Initial Customer interview across the South East: A Telephone-Based Service To guarantee high quality, efficient and timely MWA services across SE. A4e will deliver initial customer interviews through a telephone-based service. This recognises the specific geographical challenges of SE, for example over 80% of the South East is classified as rural; many customers have difficulty getting to and from work, especially young people who are four times more likely to be unemployed than older people in rural areas. A 20 minute call will strengthen engagement in these areas. Due to the large and diverse geographical spread of referring JCP offices across SE, Advisors based at A4es National Support Centre will maximise contact between A4e, customers and JCP Advisors. Within the centre, MWA Advisors will contact the Customer up to three times by phone within five days of referral. A telephone based service will enable: Effective recording and documenting of communication between A4e and customers Economies of scale and complete regional coverage even at low volumes A service that can operate 8am 8pm, seven days a week, mirroring the requirements of many voluntary sector placement providers An easily scalable service able to accommodate changes in volumes and provide staffing cover contingency. If a customer does not have a telephone, A4e will confirm, by notification letter, details of the placement including start date, time, address, Host contact name and telephone number. If a JCP have made us aware of a specialist disability need e.g. a hearing impediment, we will offer a range of suitable communication channels e.g. via myA4e.com web chat or face to face. Placement Hosts premises will be on local transport routes e.g. A host in Southampton, Unity 101 radio station is within walking distance of bus and train stations providing transport links to wards. Placements provided by Wheatsheaf Trust are located on major transport links in Hampshire. Furniture re-use network will provide opportunities in a diverse range of outreach locations such as Hastings, Kent and Redhill. Learning Links and Training and Advice Services will provide placements across the Isle of Wight. Evidence of Effectiveness of Telephone-Based Services: in an evaluation of the efficacy of telephone based advice services, (DfES Research Report 833) the Institute of Employment Studies found that telephone guidance is feasible on a large scale, can be provided cost effectively, and that service users are satisfied and experience a range of positive outcomes. This confirms our direct experience and that of A4es Framework partner organisations such as Gingerbread and Turning Point. A4e has invested significantly in telephone-based based delivery over the past 5 years, demonstrating our commitment and confidence in this form of support. We provide national Community Legal Advice (in partnership with Howells Solicitors LLP) by telephone through our National Support Centre. This has resulted in A4e delivering 340,000 telephone assistance interventions each year. Evidence: Customer feedback on the effectiveness of telephone based intervention shows 98% of customers found the support they received helpful with 95% of calls answered first time. This supports the rationale for this approach and allows A4e to provide consistent high quality service across the whole CPA, providing 100%
RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE geographical coverage. [5.5] Volume Fluctuations and Customer Group Changes Describe how you and your Supply Chain will maintain service delivery in the event of fluctuations in customer volumes and changes to the customer group referred including potential alterations resulting from changes to the welfare regime referred to in Annex 6 of the MWA Specification. Your response should include the following: How you will maintain minimum performance levels;
Insert your response in the pre-set, shaded space of the following pages. Your response MUST be limited to 1 side of A4.
21
RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE 5.5 As an experienced welfare-to-work provider in SE, A4e recognises the need for flexibility to meet customer volumes that fluctuate across wide geographical areas. Our MWA delivery model is specifically designed to effectively respond to volume fluctuations whilst meeting the criteria of customers entering work placements within 10 days of referral. Evidence: A4e improved its FND referral to start to 86% between Sept 2009 and Jan 2010, despite a 76% increase in customers. How we will maintain minimum performance levels: 1.Flexibility in the event of fluctuating volumes In the event of change, we will implement robust plans to flex resources to maintain service delivery and performance levels. This includes: Flexible Delivery Support: Whilst our preferred means of communication will be through regular phone-based support from Advisors, if we are unable to contact the customer by phone, A4e will issue a notification letter to the customer, providing full details of their placement including start date and time. Should a customer require face-to-face specialist support e.g. for customers who are deaf, Advisors will be responsible for arranging niche Placement Hosts e.g. Sign Health to ensure specialist inductions are undertaken on day 1 Flexibility within our network of Hosts: We have assumed that a placement will be used 4 times a year, and have built our partner engagement strategy around this, engaging large pre-approved providers across the region such as Enable and NACRO, who can provide placement numbers in excess of the estimated volumes we will need in year 1. Placement Coordinators and Partnership Managers will be tasked with developing a regular pipeline of new placements, targeting smaller local charities Demand Management with JCP: As sole provider A4e is able to take a regional perspective on demand management. We will work with DWP to ensure that customer volumes are evenly distributed over each 12 month period and that MWA placements are available to all JCP offices in SE Staffing Levels: A4e has calculated staff numbers to deal with an increased caseload of 20%. We have budgeted for staff resource to be in place following contract notification to ensure JCP demand is met from day one of contract go live. For long term volume drops, surplus staff will be redeployed to other offices or contracts in the CPA. 2.Demonstrating flexibility due to known or likely policy change / change in customer groups A4e understands that the composition of MWA customers will be influenced by factors including the introduction of Universal Credit in 2013, which will provide greater incentives for people to meet their work responsibilities. Our DWP Account Director, Redacted and Welfare Director, Redacted will be responsible for ensuring MWA staff are updated on future changes in the welfare arena. Approach to changing composition of the customer group: Increasing conditionality under Universal Credit will be introduced across current JSA, ESA and IS customer groups, to encourage recipients to meet the responsibilities associated with claiming benefit. These changes may mean additional benefit claimant groups will be referred to MWA and may need higher levels of specialist support during work placements. For example, increased volumes of ex-ESA customers transferring to JSA are likely to need significant in-placement support. To accommodate this, we will work with Hosts from 2012 onwards in order to develop specialist placements to accommodate the needs of those with disabilities and health conditions e.g. Scope
22
[5.6] Managing the Customer Experience Please describe: How you will evaluate and monitor the quality of the Mandatory Work Activity placement in this CPA; What procedures will be in place for handling complaints as well as feedback from customers of their experiences on the programme; and How you will act on any findings.
23
5.6 Our ultimate goal is for every customer to have a high quality 4 week work placement that gives them a better understanding of the discipline and focus required to sustain paid employment and that leaves them better equipped to access wider support services to help tackle barriers to work. Over the lifetime of the contract we recognise that our service will need to accommodate policy changes and the changing needs of JCP, MWA customer groups and the community. Our quality assurance systems are key elements in ensuring we maintain excellence in delivery. Evidence: A4e has signed the ERSA Customer Charter, Our Shared Promise on Customer Care a critical part of which is Listen to customers and provide support based on each customers circumstances and needs. 1. Strategy to evaluate & monitor the quality of MWA placements in South East Our quality strategy will measure, monitor and evaluate the four generic success factors that will define the quality of our service: performance (placement starts and completions); financial performance; financial probity and the quality of the customer experience. Specifically, we will monitor and measure the quality of MWA through: 1. Customer feedback: through telephone interviews and end-of-placement questionnaires addressing the ease of engagement, the achievement of personal goals and the perceived benefits accrued during the placement. Added Value: Post-placement interviews and feedback, will identify views about work which may have been prompted by the placement and MWA participation. 2. Stakeholder feedback: from Hosts, A4e staff and strategic partners through questionnaires, discussion forums and on-line surveys. 3. Output data: collating numerical data on customer participation, to provide an overall picture of MWA impact. 4. Service quality: the Business Solutions Team will undertake an ongoing programme of case reviews, peer reviews and spot checks of e.g. telephone calls to ensure they conform to A4es quality standards. 5. Document quality checks: systematic checks of customer timesheets, progress reports and all internal records. 6. Community benefit measures: Strategic stakeholders will be regularly canvassed for their opinions on the impact of MWA. 2. Driving improvement- complaints, compliments & feedback A4es Performance Management Framework has been created to ensure that we continually develop and improve our services through listening to stakeholders and acting on feedback. Evidence: During our ERSS design work, we commissioned research agencies to host independent co-production sessions with JSA customers. Customers said they wanted support outside business hours. In response we are offering MWA customers telephone support between 8am and 8pm. Monitoring will be focused on gathering information to assess our performance in meeting the critical success factors of MWA. After taking part in MWA, have customers: understood the responsibilities associated with claiming JSA developed required attitudes and disciplines for workforce participation recognised the contribution they have made to their local community committed to more intensive jobsearch activity increased their knowledge of local support agencies and initiatives. Customer Feedback: As part of their initial engagement, customers will be asked if they would prefer to feedback to us on-line or through a phone interview with an A4e Advisor. Every MWA customer will be required to provide feedback at the end of week
RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE 5.6 continued one, at placement completion and on MWA exit. Results will be monitored through the MWA Performance Management Framework, creating Customer Satisfaction Ratings. Evidence: A4e has piloted this feedback approach, including online surveying of customers, with 1,094 Pathways to Work and Independent Living Service customers. Through feedback we have refined survey content and developed a scalable evaluation methodology for MWA. Stakeholder Feedback: Placement Hosts in the voluntary and public sector are vital to the success of this programme. Our Placement Coordinators will regularly solicit informal feedback to ensure the continuous improvement of the programme. A4es central Customer Services team will request formal feedback on the programme each quarter. We will also communicate innovative approaches by sharing good practice between placement Hosts. Should a Host decide to no longer offer placement opportunities, the Placement Coordinator will contact them to ascertain their reasons, ensuring that any concerns are heard and responded to at the appropriate level. Hosts will also be able to use A4es existing complaints procedure. Complaints Procedure: A4es established complaints processes will be used for MWA customers. All customers will be advised of complaints, compliments and feedback processes. They will be advised that all complaints should be directed to their Placement Coordinator and that there is an Independent Case Examiner (ICE) mediation process if they feel their complaint is not responded to appropriately. Complaints will be handled as follows: 1. The A4e Placement Coordinator (PC) or Customer Services team (if the complaint is about the PC) will log the complaint, send a letter acknowledging receipt and notify the Area Manager (AM) within 48 hours. 2. The AM will contact the customer within 3 days to attempt to resolve the complaint. AMs are trained to resolve complaints and avoid escalation. 3. Unresolved complaints will be fast-tracked to the Regional Director to instigate a formal review. 4. The Regional Director will review the case and write to the customer detailing the outcome of that review. 5. Either party can invoke the ICE mediation and appeals process. 6. A4e will fully support formal ICE investigation if a resolution is not reached. 7. A4e aims to resolve 90% of complaints within 14 days. 3. Acting on findings continuous improvement of our service Area Managers will be responsible for identifying and responding to local trends in customer feedback. They will do this using a Quality Improvement Plan which will record all agreed actions with specific ownership for each item. This will be monitored monthly by A4es Business Solutions Team. Issues such as process failures or staff skills deficits will be addressed by drawing on the expertise of A4es functional specialist teams who will devise and enact remedial action. As MWA is a new service A4e will ensure that its customer and stakeholder feedback analysis is shared regularly with JCP.
25
PART 6:
RESOURCES
[6.1] Staff Resources Staffing Numbers, Job Titles and Roles Please provide: Details of the number of staff, shown as full time equivalents, including job title and key roles you and your supply chain propose to employ to manage and deliver Mandatory Work Activity for this CPA. a description of why you consider this staffing level is appropriate for this CPA at contract start date, together with details as to how you will manage the staffing levels as customer volumes rise and fall over the lifetime of the contract. a detailed description of the number of staff to be drawn from o current resources, o those to be recruited by both your organisation and any supply chain organisations involved.
Details of how you have identified the skills required by staff in your organisation, and your sub-contractors, to deliver the service you have proposed at Section 4. Details of how you will acquire staff with these skills. A resource plan should be provided (attach as Annex 3) showing how staffing, by full time equivalent and job title/role, will be allocated across this CPA and a description of the job roles of staff shown in Annex . Insert your response in the pre-set, shaded space of the following pages. Your response MUST be limited to 2 sides of A4. Note: Format requirement and page limit does not apply to the resource plan which you must insert as Annex 3.
26
RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE 6.1 Redacted
PART 7:
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT]
[7.1] Local Stakeholders Please describe in detail, in relation to this CPA how you and your supply chain will engage with local Partners, voluntary sector organisations and employers to ensure effective on-going relationships with them throughout the life of the contract. Insert your response in the pre-set, shaded space of the following pages. Your response MUST be limited to 2 sides of A4.
27
RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE 7.1 Our vision for stakeholder engagement in Mandatory Work Activity (MWA) With ten years local delivery experience A4e has built strong stakeholder relationships and an understanding of how to work collaboratively to minimise service duplication, maximise performance, and increase customer and community benefit. A4es vision for MWA in SE is to support DWPs Critical Success Factors for MWA to increase off-flow rates from JSA, through integration with the strategic aims of local stakeholders. We will ensure we effectively engage all MWA customers in community benefit placements and have a strong supply of locally relevant placements available. Evidence: in the last six months A4es SE Regional Partnership Team have engaged with over 500 local stakeholders, including six Local Enterprise Partnerships, 71 SE Colleges, and 4 SE Probation Trusts. Four engagement events were held including one in Brighton. These were attended by 120 stakeholders, 25% were voluntary sector and 40% public sector. Our teams regularly attend local events, e.g. A4e is part of Eastbourne Councils Worklessness Group and Brighton and Hoves Major Provider Group. We sit on SEEDAs 40 -70 Taskforce. Engaging with key local stakeholders A4es MWA strategy Our strategy starts with the employability needs of MWA customers and with key stakeholders aims to support local communities and employers. Our local strategy is designed to: support local stakeholders, particularly from the public or third sector, to Host MWA placements through targeted support, including financial. provide jobseekers with the disciplines associated with employment, through generating MWA placements that provide local community benefit and do not replace paid work opportunities. encourage increased job search activity by ensuring that A4e provides sufficient information, guidance and support during the placement provide customers with a joined-up, efficient and effective service. Evidence supporting our approach: Our customers also benefit from giving something back to the local community. People are really thankful that youre doing the work in that place where they live. It makes a difference to them. It makes you feel good when youre doing a good job CTF Customer, Cardiff Stakeholder engagement will be supported by a Community Action Plan that will include engagement with local stakeholders such as the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Foundation (HIOWCF), participation in community events and activities to generate placements; capacity building activities e.g. How to workshops, to support stakeholders to employ MWA customers. We will continue to attend Local Stakeholder meetings in Reading, organisations that attend include Nacro, Single Homeless Service and the Probation Service. 1. Engaging and working with Jobcentre Plus JCP District Managers will be invited to monthly management meetings with A4e as an integral part of our extended delivery team, creating seamless customer service, and facilitating improved demand-planning, fast and effective engagement of customers. A4e will provide JCP with MWA promotional materials to enable Advisors to explain the types of placements and support available to customers when they enter MWA.. Added Value: In the SE we have a strong relationship with JCP, for example Eastbourne JCP Advisor spends Thursdays in our office. Brighton JCP staff regularly hold initial work focused interviews in A4es office and we work closely with our JCP Account Manager, Heather Prescott, e.g. to provide interview space. 2. Engaging and working with Local Authorities (LAs) A4e recognises the important role that LAs have in MWA, both as a key beneficiary of
RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE 7.1 continued community benefit related activities, and as a potential source of significant numbers of MWA placements. A4e has already met with LAs in SE, including all unitary authorities, establishing quality collaborative relationships that will help drive MWA in SE. A4e will work with LAs to support local regeneration activities through MWA and to test that all MWA activities provide a benefit to the community. E.g. We have partnerships with Southampton City Council, Wycombe council, South Buckinghamshire Council and Portsmouth Council who will provide opportunities in Administration, Retail, and regenerating parks and green spaces. A4e Innovation: As part of the governments Big Society agenda, A4e has been selected to mentor public sector organisations seeking to become mutuals. Where possible, A4e will offer MWA customers to participate in these for their placement. 3. Engaging and working with voluntary sector organisations A4e sees it as a critical success factor that voluntary sector organisations embedded in local communities contribute to and benefit from MWA in SE. A key feature of A4es MWA delivery will be supporting voluntary sector organisations to create work placements for MWA customers, including financial support to cover administrative costs associated with this (e.g. induction, reporting of participation). This will allow larger numbers of small voluntary sector organisations to effectively participate in MWA, benefiting their organisations and the broader community e.g. Southampton City Council will generate MWA placements in park and green spaces regeneration that will benefit the community. Through our partnership with Training and Advice Services we will provide work placements in 3rd Sector Organisations such as Oxfam, The Community Fruit and Vegetable Project, St Anthonys Care Home and Community Wood Recycling Initiative to understand how MWA can support them, and to generate placements within their organisation. Evidence of our existing links: A4es sister charity, the Foundation for Social Improvement (FSI), runs a programme of 40 training sessions a year for small not-forprofit organisations. In partnership with the FSI, we will 1) encourage local voluntary organisations to provide MWA placements 2) identify complementary funding streams to provide additional support services to MWA customers. 4. Engaging and working with social enterprises A4e recognises the importance of working with social enterprises in SE to: ensure MWA placements build the work ethic and skills valued by local employers thus improving the chances of MWA customers moving into paid work generate MWA placements with employers where there is a community benefit Evidence: Our SE team has ten years local experience and active relationships with 20,000 local and national employers. This includes a number of local employers who can deliver MWA placements that benefit the community To support this A4e has invested in developing a professionalised employer engagement function based around local labour market needs. Our offer includes a National Employer Solutions Team, supported by local Placement Coordinators. Evidence: Our National Employer Solutions Team has strong partnerships with national community benefit organisations e.g. British Heart Foundation, Barnardos and Scope. Relationships will form a foundation for generating MWA placements in SE. Through our National FND delivery A4e has successfully tested a model for working with employers to deliver work experience placements. A4e Work Boosts (FND MWRA) provide customers the opportunity to trial work without affecting their benefits, enable individuals to learn new skills, build their capacity for work and understand workplace cultures. A4e Work Boosts routinely result in more than 20% of customers entering paid work with the host employer. We will use this model as part of our MWA delivery.
PART 8: CONTRACT PERFORMANCE

[8.1] Performance Please explain in detail; The types of work placements you will provide; How you will source placement opportunities, often at short notice, for customers on the programme; How these placements are of Community Benefit; How you will tell JCP if a customer signs off benefit; How you will raise a sanction doubt with JCP.
30
8.1 A4e and our network of placement types have successfully delivered programmes that incorporate work experience placements and community benefit projects. For example, A4e has delivered: Community Task Force 13 week work placements for young people providing community benefit New Deal 18-24 Voluntary Sector, Environmental Task Force and FTET Options. New Deal 25+ Intensive Activity Period Job Service (Australia) placement work experience & vocational training. Apprenticeships placement based pre-apprenticeship vocational training. Skill Build for Adult (Wales) Placement Types: Our strategy is to engage local organisations to Host community benefit work placements across a variety of sectors. Previous experience of delivering placement based interventions has enabled A4e offer a comprehensive selection of placement types. We have engaged with the following types of Placement Hosts: Charities and Third Sector organisations: A4e has existing links with A4e has existing links with voluntary, community and environmental organisations in SE for the provision of placement opportunities e.g. Furniture Re-Use Network supports families to access affordable white goods and furniture by developing charitable re-use organisations. Local Authorities and Councils: A4e has agreements in place Wycombe and Slough Borough Councils to deliver Work Placements in a variety of roles. Social enterprises: Blue Sky is a Social Enterprise that support ex-offenders in grounds maintenance roles Environmental Agencies: By linking with the Real Time Training Group (RTT Group), we will deliver work placements on the Hastings Recycling Project. Examples of types of placements we have arranged with local organisations that provide community benefit are identified in the table below: Organisation Placement type Southampton City Council Regeneration of Parks and Green Spaces South Bucks Hospice Retail Hearing Dogs Office Work / Fundraising Unity 101 Community Radio Media and the Arts Gateways Various volunteering projects The core criteria we will use to measure the suitability of placements are outlined below: Mandatory requirements: A pre-vetting process that requires the employer to meet minimum standards in relation to health and safety, environmental impact, equality of opportunity, liability insurances and risk assessment. Labour market: As part of the Employer Charter, we will ensure that the participant becomes a member of the workforce and maintains the same standards of behaviour, hours of attendance and social development within a team. By placing them with a work-buddy they will engage in a working culture without feeling isolated or overwhelmed. Geography: We will provide consistent CPA coverage offering reasonable commuting distances/times covering areas with high concentrations of claimants e.g. Our partners have offices located coastal deprivation belt in Sussex & Kent. Through A4es telephone support service MWA Advisors will to be able to reach rural communities E.g. Wealden and the Mole Valley.
RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE Customer: Focus will be on providing jobseekers with the disciplines associated with 8.1 continued employment. However, where possible we will meet or contribute to the employability aims of the customer group. Through MyA4e community we facilitate forums and discussion groups to offer peer support and networking. How we will source placements at short notice A4e has a national, regional and local strategy for engaging employers and Placement Hosts. For ERSS we engaged an extensive number of placement opportunities in readiness to replace FND workboost. Our Partnership Managers are currently agreeing capacity and conducting pre-vetting exercises with Host organisations to deliver MWA. Ensuring we have the ability to deliver a wide variety of work placements across large geographic areas. Examples of the varied cross section of relationships we already have in place within SE, that will provide voluntary and community work placements, are: Furniture Re-use Network: An organisation which supports charitable re-use organisations across the UK to reduce poverty by helping in need of furniture. Delivering placements in sectors such as retail, logistics, IT and Admin in areas such as Woking, Rochester, Shoreham by Sea and Gosport. RTT Group: Providing 1000 placements in SE each year, linking with organisations such as Shelter, Barnados, Local Government, Community Centres, Libraries, Training Providers, Hastings Recycling Project, YMCA, YWCA, PDSA, and Salvation Army. RBLI: Providing Catering and Warehouse placements, RBLI is an organisation involved in providing employment related services e.g. placement brokerage to anyone with a disability or health condition, particularly those in the ex-service community in Kent Through extensive links, Placement Co-ordinators (PC) are able to facilitate placements at short notice. All placements will be pre-vetted by the PCs to ensure that CRB checks are not required. Ensuring all placements provide Community Benefit As a first choice, we will place customers with third sector organisations that offer a placement, providing a positive impact for the local community. Placements will provide a meaningful experience for the customer enabling them to better understand work disciplines e.g. completing tasks, attending regularly/on time, increasing employability. Added Value: For customers who are furthest away from sustaining a placement we will arrange experience within sheltered environments. This will include real work environments within specialist charitable organisations and social enterprises, such as Banardos, Shelter and YMCA (through our partner RTT group) Notifying JCP if a customer signs off benefit or leaves provision early Should a customer sign off benefit during MWA, we will provide a Feedback Form to JCP; this will be uploaded onto PRaP and also sent to the local JCP office. We will maintain constant communication with JCP, including for all Allocated Time and Balance of Time customer referrals and Leavers. Raising sanction doubts with JCP A4e will ensure the customer attends the placement in accordance with the conditions outlined in their Job Seekers Agreement, making the consequences of failing to participate clear, both verbally and in the notification letter. If a customer fails to start or loses a place due to non-attendance or misconduct, A4e will inform JCP within 24 hours by completing the DMA with evidence of the failure. JCP will consider whether a sanction is appropriate. We will issue a letter to the customer informing them that they are no longer required to participate in MWA. Our accurate centralised record keeping will ensure thorough documentation of all failures to comply.
PART 9:
IMPLEMENTATION
[9.1] Implementation Plan Please provide: An Implementation Plan for Mandatory Work Activity in this CPA clearly stating the date on which you are proposing to commence delivery of the service. The plan, which must be in the form of a Gantt chart (insert as Annex 4), must include the key activities required to put provision into place by the service commencement date. It must include key milestones, timescales for activities including start and end dates and who is responsible for each activity including the expected start date for delivery. It should also show the critical path and interdependencies. A narrative to expand on the implementation plan which must identify and address all the key risks, including the impact of winning multiple Mandatory Work Activity contracts and how these risks will be mitigated.
Insert your response in the pre-set, shaded space of the following pages. Your response MUST be limited to 1 side of A4. Note: Format requirement and page limit does not apply to the Gantt chart which you must insert as Annex 4.
33
RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE 9.1 Ability to implement multiple Mandatory Work Activity (MWA) contracts: A4e has a proven track record of implementing large scale contracts with concurrent timescales across extensive, varied geographies. In 2009, we implemented three new services, with a total value of 913m 12 FND and JCPSC contracts in the UK and internationally Job Service Australia. This included the mobilisation of a supply chain consisting of 117 delivery partners. Our existing infrastructure in CPA1, CPA3, CPA4, CPA5, CPA7, CPA8 AND CPA9 means ready resources are in place to implement MWA in multiple CPAs on 21st April, receiving the first referral from JCP on 16th May. Our aim is to deliver MWA in 3 CPAs, this will enable DWP to assess the impact in different locations by one prime. Overview of A4es Implementation Plan: Our full Plan, in the form of a Gantt Chart details all preparation work that has already taken place. It illustrates key milestones and the names of individuals responsible for reaching target dates. A4e has significant infrastructure in place to support our MWA Implementation Plan. Our 80m investment in people, property, technology and established processes will be available at the point A4e is appointed preferred bidder. This infrastructure means resources to commence implementation from preferred provider notification on 22nd March, enabling customers to receive MWA initial interviews from 16th May. 1) Commencing Delivery of the MWA: A4e and our placement Hosts have established staff and placement opportunities across the SE region. This existing infrastructure will enable us to commence delivery from 16th May. 2) Key Stages: A4es MWA Implementation Plan is segmented into logical stages, to ensure that the correct experience and expertise is utilised at the correct time. These are as follows, with full details in Annex 4: NB Timeframes are contingent on DWP delivering in accordance with its published milestones. Key Stages Timeframe Stage 1: Service Design & Tendering: Solution Design, 14th Feb 2011project/implementation planning including plans for multiple CPAs 16th May 2011 Stage 2: Initiation: Pre-emptive implementation activities e.g. 1st Mar 2011 Placement Hosts, H&S checks and security planning. 30th Mar 2011 Stage 3: Preparation: Refine implementation plans, post tender 18th Feb 2011 discussions and negotiations. 16th May 2011 Stage 4: Implementation: Full implementation commences. 22nd Mar 2011 27 May 2011 Stage 5: Operational: Service commencement and refinement 16 May 2011 30th Aug 2011 3) Implementation Management & Resources: A4e Executive Director, Redacted will have overall responsibility for MWA implementation. A4es MWA Implementation Plan will be overseen by a professional, experienced team of project management staff and A4es Project Management Office (PMO), accountable for ensuring all deliverables are met within agreed timescales using Prince2 methodology. Risks & Mitigating actions: A4e has mapped potential risks and planned mitigating actions as part of its implementation preparation and business readiness programme: Risk Mitigating Actions Delays e.g. in Announcement of Implementation plan is fully adjustable, use preferred bidders by DWP existing systems as contingency Hosts: Placement Host Readiness Plan in place, consisting of withdraws / fails H&S check. alternative Hosts in city centre locations. Management Capacity: impact on Implementation structure includes national, existing contract performance function and CPA-specific resource Security: Plans not in place. A4e plan drafted pre-bid.
RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE 9.2 Contingency Arrangements
Please describe: How your proposals for delivery of services within this CPA will be put in place without adversely affecting your organisations or your Sub-contractors ability to deliver existing and recently won contracts as well as other contracts you are bidding for. Describe your contingency plan for maintaining the entire scope of your proposal within your bid should members of your supply chain withdraw at any point during the delivery of this contract.
35
RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE 9.2 1) Implementing Mandatory Work Activity without impacting on other services A4es Mandatory Work Activity (MWA) Implementation Plans include specific contingency measures to ensure effective roll-out of the service in multiple CPAs without impacting on the delivery and performance of other contracts. We understand the danger of overstretch and the potential consequences of failure, to our customers and business strategy, and have planned accordingly. Existing Business: We currently deliver 44 DWP contracts. 32 of these contracts will be replaced by the Work Programme (WP) or will have ended by the WP contract start date. This provides existing staff capacity in each CPA, meaning A4e has unrivalled capacity to implement the MWA in multiple CPAs with minimal or no impact to other services performance. We have chosen not to sub-contract delivery to partners but to engage with organisations on an ad-hoc Placement Host basis. This approach has enabled A4e to engage a much wider pool of partners, minimising any risk of an individual provider not being able to cope with demand. Future Business: A4e has detailed plans to support our growth ambitions. This includes bid pipelines for new services. We are planning for potential concurrent implementation of several contracts in 2011 including: Work Programme, DWP. Ministry of Justice Unpaid Work, as part of a joint-venture with MITIE Disability Employment Programme, (DENVRS) Australia National Money Guidance (financial literacy), Consumer Financial Education Body. Full plans for the implementation of these services, along with MWA have been put in place by A4es Corporate Services Division, which includes A4es Project Management Office function accountable for contract implementation in multiple CPAs. This function is resourced to implement this business fully in a timely way in line with contractual customers requirements. In addition, the business has a network of associate programme and project managers that we can call on to increase capacity at short notice. Financial Capacity: A4e has been proactive in financial planning to ensure we have the resources and capacity to implement MWA alongside existing and other potential new contracts. A4e expects to call on one lead bank to fund its working capital requirements. However, we have worked with six clearing banks and several equity providers to ensure we are in the best possible position and have the required funds in place at the time of contract signing and for the peak working capital requirement. Full plans and contingencies have been formed by a Finance Steering Group, a sub-set of the Group Board led by Mark Stanley, A4es Group Financial Director. Placement Host Implementation Capacity: Our Placement Hosts have been assessed for their ability to provide MWA placements alongside existing contracts, any new business, or contracts coming to an end. Placement Coordinators will continue implementation discussions with Placement Hosts post-tender submission and through bid evaluation to ensure momentum is maintained and relationships are built to last. 2) Contingency Plans for a Supply Chain Partner withdrawing pre-start As A4e will manage 100% of end-to-end delivery in SE, working with a high quality range of Placement Hosts, contingency plans for supply chain partner withdrawal are not required for this programme.
36
PART 10: OFFSHORING PROPOSAL (including Landed Resources and Nearshoring)

Are you and/or your subcontractors proposing to use Offshoring, Landed Resources or Nearshoring in delivery of this Contract YES NO
(indicate where applicable) (indicate where applicable) No
If you have answered YES to this question, you must complete a DWP Offshore Proposal Template and include with your tender. Please refer to paragraph 1.42 of the MWA Instructions to Bidders if you need the template.
37
Protect - Commercial
ANNEX 1 SUB-CONTRACTOR DECLARATION

A declaration should be signed and submitted on letter headed notepaper by each proposed sub-contractor (with the exception of ad-hoc suppliers) and attached to this Tender Form. Please note by attaching these declarations, tenderers will be deemed to agree to their contents. To: Date: I confirm that we have agreed in principle with [name of bidding organisation], to deliver the following elements of the service described in their tender:Please list below elements of service to be delivered. Department for Work and Pensions
I have read and understood the specification for the elements of provision, which my organisation will deliver. I have agreed in principle terms of delivery for this provision and am content that reasonable and appropriate price and payment terms have been negotiated and agreed for delivery of these services. I confirm I have seen the full tender document (excluding any Commercial in Confidence information relating to other Providers) and am content with my role as described and with the terms I have agreed with the Prime Contractor. I confirm that the agreement in principle allows for my organisation to implement the appropriate level of planning and investment to deliver the service. In addition to the above I confirm that the agreement made is consistent with the general principles set out in the DWP Code of Conduct and the Merlin Standards. Signed: Name: Name of Sub-contractor: Note: the person signing the letter should be authorised to sign contractual agreements on behalf of their organisation.
38 MWA ITT Questionnaire final V0.1
Please submit the following as separate documents: ANNEX 2 PART 5.2 MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE ORGANISATION CHART ANNEX 3 PART 6.1a STAFF RESOURCES RESOURCE PLAN REDACTED
ANNEX 4 PART 9.1 IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
39

CPA1 A4e LTD - Tender Form Redacted FINAL

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

CPA1 A4e LTD - Tender Form Redacted FINAL

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE

Invitation to Tender Form

CONTRACT PACKAGE AREA TENDER FORM CPA 1 SOUTH EAST

Tender Round title: Organisation Name: CPA:

Mandatory Work Activity A4e Ltd CPA1 SOUTH EAST

MWA ITT Questionnaire FINAL V0.1

RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE

PART 1: ORGANISATION DETAILS

MWA ITT Questionnaire FINAL V0.1

RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE

PART 2: TENDERER DECLARATION

Scanned Signature: Date: 25/02/2011 Name: Job Title:

Duly authorised to sign Tenders on behalf of: Name of Organisation: A4e

MWA ITT Questionnaire FINAL V0.1

RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE

MWA ITT Questionnaire FINAL V0.1

RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE

Name: Scanned Signature: Position: Telephone No: Date: 25/02/2011

Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted

MWA ITT Questionnaire FINAL V0.1

RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE PART 4: SERVICE REQUIREMENT

MWA ITT Questionnaire FINAL V0.1

RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE customer performance and attendance.

MWA ITT Questionnaire FINAL V0.1

RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE

SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

[5.1] Delivery Strategy

MWA ITT Questionnaire FINAL V0.1

MWA ITT Questionnaire FINAL V0.1

MWA ITT Questionnaire FINAL V0.1

RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE

MWA ITT Questionnaire FINAL V0.1

MWA ITT Questionnaire FINAL V0.1

MWA ITT Questionnaire FINAL V0.1

MWA ITT Questionnaire FINAL V0.1

MWA ITT Questionnaire FINAL V0.1

RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE

MWA ITT Questionnaire FINAL V0.1

RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE

MWA ITT Questionnaire FINAL V0.1

RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE

MWA ITT Questionnaire FINAL V0.1

RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE 6.1 Redacted

MWA ITT Questionnaire FINAL V0.1

RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE

PART 8: CONTRACT PERFORMANCE

MWA ITT Questionnaire FINAL V0.1

RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE

RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE

MWA ITT Questionnaire FINAL V0.1

RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE 9.2 Contingency Arrangements

MWA ITT Questionnaire FINAL V0.1

MWA ITT Questionnaire FINAL V0.1

RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE

PART 10: OFFSHORING PROPOSAL (including Landed Resources and Nearshoring)

(indicate where applicable) (indicate where applicable) No

MWA ITT Questionnaire FINAL V0.1

ANNEX 1 SUB-CONTRACTOR DECLARATION

38 MWA ITT Questionnaire final V0.1

RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE

ANNEX 4 PART 9.1 IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

MWA ITT Questionnaire FINAL V0.1

You might also like