Latest Opportunities for Providers - ERSA

In order of deadline, please find a selection of market engagement, prior information notices and open tenders relevant to the Employment Support Sector.

This page is under development, in the meantime, ERSA members can email the team via membership@ersa.org.uk with additional areas of interest in terms of people, partners or places across the UK. Do also have a look at the bottom of the page where we are developing a number of organisations with funding and grant opportunities.

Wave 4 Skills Bootcamps Procurement Market Engagement Session

Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority

Published: 09/05/2023
Deadline: 08/06/2023
Value: £-

The Authority is seeking to award service contract/s with a principal purpose of engaging adults aged 19 and above to provide them with the required skills that will enable them to enter, and/or gain employment; apprenticeship/traineeship; or progress their employment with their existing employer; or progress their self-employment through the provision of Skills Bootcamps in accordance with the following requirements.

Provision of high-quality and in-demand Level 3-5 (or equivalent and unless otherwise stated in the specification) training across the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Area.

Skills Bootcamps aim to secure benefits for adults by giving them access to in-demand skills training and a guaranteed interview for a more sustainable, higher-skilled job and higher wages over time. The benefits for employers include helping them fill specific skills shortage vacancies, enabling them to become more productive, more quickly.

Wave 4 Skills Bootcamps Procurement

Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority

Published: 08/05/2023
Deadline: 08/06/2023
Value: £1,120,000.00

Provision of high-quality and in-demand Level 3-5 (or equivalent and unless otherwise stated in the specification) training across the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Area.

Provision of Autism Support Advice and Inclusion Service across North West London

NHS North West London Integrated Care Board

Published: 22/03/2023
Deadline: –
Value: £-

NHS North West London requires the provision of an Autism Support Advice & Inclusion Service to deliver a peer-led support, advice & signposting service for autistic people without a learning disability aged 14 & over. One of the key features of this service is that it will be delivered by people with lived experience of autism, & shaped, tested, & evaluated by the autistic people & families who use it.

The contract term is for a three (3) year period, with an optional extension period of two (2) years, starting 1st July 2023 with an estimated contract value of £450,000 per annum, inclusive of VAT. A mobilisation period of 1 month will be applied prior to the commencement of the start date.

NHS NW London is looking to tender this opportunity via an Atamis portal in the coming weeks. This procurement process is subject to the so-called light touch regime as set out in regulations 74-76 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (“PCR”) as the procurement concerns health services which are social & other specific services according to the PCR. This opportunity is likely to be of interest to an organisation from the voluntary, community & social enterprise (VCSE) sector.

The service will:
-Provide direct face-to-face & virtual pre & post diagnostic support to autistic adults delivered as 1:1 & group sessions. This will include support with communication, executive functioning tasks, budgeting & navigating services.
-Deliver group sessions to young people aged 14 to 17.
-Offer specialist training & advice to families, employers & professionals (including but not limited to those working across statutory, voluntary & community services within health, social care, education, criminal justice system & advisory settings) to improve autism awareness & acceptance within communities & the wider system.
-Develop mechanisms & facilitate sessions to provide opportunities for autistic people to share their views & experiences & contribute to plans to improve specialist & mainstream services & pathways.

Key features of the service include:
-Delivery of a flexible & responsive service, which will develop according to the emerging needs, preferences & life experiences of the autistic people who use it.
-Needs-led drop-in & drop-out service which people can access & take time to explore at their own pace.
-A flexible referral route which includes self –referrals.
-At least one base in NW London to ensure the service is accessible for our residents & to support strong community connections & links with local providers. If needed, the provider will be expected to work with local partners to identify community venues in other boroughs across NW London which can be used for holding local drop-ins & meetings.
-Operation of flexible working hours including the delivery of some 1:1 & group sessions during evenings & weekends.
-A strong website presence to publish up to date information on autism & the support available.

The overarching aims for the service are to:
-Improve the quality of life for autistic people & their partners & families in NW London.
-Promote the right to independence, relationships, employment, & education.
-Improve awareness & acceptance of autism amongst our communities.
-Improve access to services through reasonable adjustments.
-Provide early intervention to avoid crisis.
-Promote the safety & wellbeing of autistic people.
-Reduce health & wellbeing inequalities faced by autistic people.
-Continue to test the service model based on the principles of co-production, user led service design.

Learning and Development Council Wide Training
TELFORD AND WREKIN COUNCIL FOR VOLUNTARY SERVICE
Published: 09/11/2022
Deadline: 30/06/2025
Value: £2,000,000.00

Other additional information: The contracting authority considers that this contract may be suitable for economic operators that are small or medium enterprises (SMEs). However, any selection of tenderers will be based solely on the criteria set out for the procurement.

Please note this is a Dynamic Purchasing System which opens on 31 May 2022 and will run until 30 May 2025 (unless
this date is revised). Applications can be received to join the DPS at any time
Telford & Wrekin Council wants to develop a pool of Approved Providers capable of delivering high quality training for our workforce, whilst also demonstrating exceptional value for money to us as the employer. By selecting a mixture of local, regional and national providers, we have ensured that our DPS provides the flexibility required, without compromising on the high quality Learning and Development Council Wide Training on offer.

The DPS opens on 31 May 2022 and will run until 30 May 2025 (unless this date is revised). Applications can be
received to join the DPS at any time during its lifetime.

The DPS is a 2-stage process:
Stage 1 – All providers who meet the selection criteria within the online Questionnaire and are not excluded will be
admitted to the DPS.
Stage 2 – Contracts are awarded during the second stage. A Mini Competition will be held inviting each Approved
Provider on the DPS list relating to the particular Lot to bid for work.

Dynamic Purchasing System for Employment and Health Related Test and Learn Provision

DEPARTMENT FOR WORK AND PENSIONS

Published: 16/12/2022

Deadline: 17/09/2024

Value: £20,000,000.00

Suppliers Instructions:
How to Express Interest in this Tender:
1. Register on the eSourcing portal (this is only required once):
https://dwp.bravosolution.co.uk & click the link to register – Accept the terms & conditions & click ‘continue’ – Enter your correct business & user details – Note your chosen username & click ‘Save’. You will receive an email with your password (keep this secure)
2. Express an Interest in the tender – Login to the portal with the username/password – Click the ‘PQQs / ITTs Open To All Suppliers’ link. (These are Pre-Qualification Questionnaires or Invitations to Tender open to any registered supplier) – Click on the relevant exercise to access the content. – Click the ‘Express Interest’ button at the top of the page. – This will move the PQQ /ITT into your ‘My PQQs/ My ITTs’ page. (A secure area reserved for your projects only) -You can now access any attachments by clicking ‘Buyer Attachments’ in the ‘PQQ/ ITT Details’ box
3. Responding to the tender – Click ‘My Response’ under ‘PQQ/ ITT Details’, you can choose to ‘Create Response’ or to ‘Decline to Respond’ (please give a reason if declining) – You can now use the ‘Messages’ function to communicate with the buyer and seek any clarification – Note the deadline for completion. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the PQQ/ ITT – There may be a mixture of online & offline actions to complete (detailed online help available). To submit your reply use the ‘Submit Response’ button (top of the page).
For further assistance please consult the online help, or the eTendering help desk.
DWP expressly reserves the rights(i)to use a reverse auction; (ii)to cancel this procurement at any stage; (iii)to not award any contract as a result of the procurement process commenced by publication of this notice; (iv)and in no circumstances will DWP be liable for any costs incurred by potential suppliers.

Dynamic Purchasing System for Employment and Health Related Test and Learn Provision

DEPARTMENT FOR WORK AND PENSIONS

Published: 16/12/2022

Deadline: 30/09/2024

Value: £-

NB: The closing date for this DPS is open ended and not 1 November 2018 as stated on this Opportunity Notice.

As set out in the Green Paper ‘Improving Lives: Work, Health and Disability’ , published in October 2016, the department is looking to deliver a number of new proof of concept’ (PoC) to improve the support that it can offer and to understand what best works.

This is a Contract Notice for social and specific services in accordance with Directive 2014/24/EU Article 24. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) intends to establish a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) to procure these activities in in England, Scotland and Wales. The DPS is for the procurement of social and other services referred to in Regulation 74 of the Public Contracts Regulations (2015) and as such, the intention is to use a light touch regime, rather than the full regime described in Regulation 34 (Dynamic Purchasing System).
This DPS will present opportunities for organisation, with a focus on innovation and local specialist support, to be involved and test the development of new approaches for employment and health related activity. This will be key to building evidence to support the delivery of future provision at both national and local level.
DWP cannot confirm or guarantee any future business through the DPS, but it is anticipated that there will be some limited numbers of proof of concepts / test and learn projects over the duration of the DPS.
The Test & Learn (T&L) DPS commenced on the first date that DWP signed the first DPS Contract, which was on 09 November 2018. The T&L DPS will be open ended with a nominal End date of 30 September 2024 (which may be extended further) but can be terminated by the Authority with twenty (20) Working Days’ notice.

This DPS Contract will be for the use of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and other contracting bodies (listed below), their Executive Agencies and those Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) sponsored by them. Further information including a list of such Agencies and Public Bodies can be viewed by selecting “Ministerial Departments (link is external)” on the Departmental website (link is external):
– The Department for Work and Pensions,
– Ministry of Justice,
– Department of Health and Social Care,
– The Department for Education,
– Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government,
– Home Office,
– Scottish Government,
– Welsh Government,
– Local Authorities in England, Scotland and Wales.

All relevant documentation is available via our Procurement Portal. https://dwp.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.shtml

Published in OJ / S at on 2018/S 205-468119.

Links to open grants and funding opportunities

DWP Test and Learn DPS: how to register and apply
Apply for Youth Opportunity Funding – Contact your council about the the Youth Opportunities Fund (YOF) – money for young people to use on activities and projects that are of benefit to them and their local community. Visit https://www.gov.uk/apply-youth-opportunity-funding
Paul Hamlyn Foundation Youth Fund – Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, there is an information webinar available via this link
Youth Futures Foundation
The Prince’s Trust – referring young people
- Prince’s Trust have listed other support for young people here