058. cpa11 rehab jobfit - tender form redacted final

RESTRICTED – COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE

MWA ITT Questionnaire FINAL V0.1 1

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 11 – WALES

Tender Round title: Mandatory Work Activity

Organisation Name:

Rehab JobFit LLP

CPA:

CPA11 WALES



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: [email protected]

Name of the Legal Entity in whose name this tender is submitted and with whom DWP will contract:

Rehab JobFit LLP

Trading Name (if different from above):

N/A

Company Registration Number:

OC361645

Company Registered address:

145 Great Charles St Birmingham B3 3LP

Head Office Address, if different:

N/A

VAT Registration Number:

880999749

Website Address (if any):

N/A

Name, address and company registration number of parent company, where applicable:

The Rehab Group Roslyn Park, Sandymount, Dublin 4 02989817

Name and Job Title of main contact: Andrew Conlan-Trant Director Redacted

Address: Redacted145 Great Charles St Birmingham B3 3LP

Telephone no: Redacted0121 200 1140

Mobile telephone no:

Redacted07974981619 – UK 00353862597157 - Ireland

Fax no: Redacted0121 233 0573

E-mail address: [email protected]

Alternative contact Name and Job Title: RedactedSteve Jones

Address (if different from above):

RedactedInterserve PLC, Interserve House, Ruscombe Park, Twyford, Reading, Berkshire, RG10 9JU

Telephone no:

Redacted0207 0149615

Mobile telephone no:

Redacted07979 933 980

Contact e-mail:

[email protected]

Formatted: Font: Bold, Highlight

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



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:

28/02/11

Name: Redacted Andrew Conlan-Trant

Job Title:

Redacted Director

Duly authorised to sign Tenders on behalf of:

Name of Organisation:

Rehab JobFit LLP



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”).

3.2 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.

3.3 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.

Comments on Mandatory Work Activity Additional Requirements: -

MINI COMPETITION – ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS (For Framework Supplier Comments only)

No. of the clause(s)/Appendix you wish to amend

Proposed amendment with proposed wording

Other than those provisions identified above, [Tenderer to insert name] 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:

Redacted Andrew Conlan-Trant

Scanned Signature:

Redacted

Position:

Redacted Director

Telephone No:

Redacted 0121 200 1140

Date:

28/02/2011

DWP reserves the right to amend any provisions of Mandatory Work Activity Additional Requirements at any time during the mini-competition procurement exercise.



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



4.1 The Customer Journey – Overview: The Rehab JobFit (RJF) delivery model for MWA in CPA 11 draws on Rehab and Interserve‟s shared values of customer commitment, our open culture and commercial soundness and experience of delivering cost-effective, customer-focused solutions. Each customer‟s journey will be:

Designed to maximise the value of the work placement to the customer, ensuring to the extent possible that it matches the abilities and aspirations of the customer and challenging them to see and experience the holistic benefit of work

Specifically designed to re-enforce the responsibilities associated with claiming Jobseeker‟s Allowance – through comprehensive induction, in-placement support and effective tracking to identify, and address, failure to attend;

Timely – with all customers starting placements within 10 working days of referral.

Focused to deliver community benefit, – through a range of placements that includes charity shops, environmental projects & business administration within the 3rd sector.

Ensuring the Customer Commences Placement Within 10 Working Days: Referral: Jobcentre Plus (JCP) Advisors will telephone our Referral Team (RT) to inform us of the referral. The RT, which will be managed directly by RJF, will be based in Swansea and staffed with both Welsh and English speakers in accordance with the Welsh Language Act (1993). The RT will have access to electronic diaries for all Work Placement Co-ordinators (WPCs) and will book an Initial Telephone Interview for the customer within 2 working days, and an Induction within 7 working days. The RT will then provide the JCP Advisor with the time for the Initial Telephone Interview and the time, date and location for the Induction. JCP Advisors will send customer details to the RT via PRaP and the RT will use this to send key information regarding the customer (e.g. if the customer has a disability, childcare requirements or employment restrictions) to the WPC via our secure Management Information (MI) system, PICS. This will enable the WPC to immediately start identifying potential placement opportunities for the customer. Engagement Activity: Initial Telephone Interview – This will take place within 2 working days of the referral from JCP and is designed to give the customer some information about the programme, as well as to highlight their responsibilities whilst participating on the provision and the consequence of failure to start, attend, or complete MWA. The WPC will also discuss possible placement opportunities with the customer and will confirm the time, date and location of the Induction. Following the Initial Telephone Interview, a Welcome Pack (containing a formal notification letter in line with DWP requirements, information about the programme, contact details and directions to the venue for the Induction) will be posted to the customer. The WPC will use this information to source a placement for the customer so that placement activity can be agreed in the Induction (within 7 working days of referral). Welcome Call - The WPC will call the customer 1 working day prior to their Induction in order to ensure that they know how to get to the Induction venue and to check that their situation hasn‟t changed. Induction – This will take place within 7 working days of referral. It will last between 1- 2 hours and will take place in a jobcentre (where space is available), in RJF‟s mobile training unit (MTU) or in a local community venue or hotel. At this appointment the following will be covered: Induction onto the programme; Requirements of the programme; Consequences of not adhering to the programme; Health and Safety awareness; How to use timesheets; “Keeping your Placement” session; How to claim



travel and childcare expenses; Appointment for pre-placement interview; Who the placement will be with, travel directions and time to start. All details regarding the placement will be confirmed in writing with the customer signing 4.1 continued to confirm that they accept and understand. Pre-placement Interview – Where possible the customer will attend a pre-placement interview with the employer. The aim of this is to smooth the transition into the placement and reduce the likelihood of the customer not attending on day one - thereby offering the customer a “soft landing”. Placement – The customer will start on placement within 10 working days of referral. The work placement will last for 4 weeks, for 30 hours per week, over a seven day period (unless restrictions have been agreed in the customers Jobseeker‟s Agreement JSAg), and will be of benefit to the local community. We will build from a bank of national employers we are currently working with through Rehab‟s subsidiary, TBG Learning (a Prime Contractor for 2 CTF contracts). These include Oxfam, BTCV, Wildlife Trust and British Heart Foundation and have demonstrated from previous contracts our ability to transfer our offer and relationships to other parts of the country. All placements will accommodate the customer‟s signing arrangement. PRaP will be updated within 24 working hours to confirm customer start, in line with the requirements of the specification Ensuring The Customer Completes The Four Week Placement: This will be achieved by clearly outlining the purpose of the programme and the consequence of non-attendance (i.e. possible sanctions). We will also support customers to understand and overcome their concerns by undertaking a “Keeping your Placement” session as part of the Induction. We will also ensure strong communication is maintained with both the customer and the employer. Customers and employers will also be given a freephone landline number to use to contact RJF at any point during the MWA placement. In addition we will carry out the following:

Day 1 “Wake up call” to ensure customers are ready for their placement and to ease any nerves.

Day 1 The employer will receive a call at the end of the day to ensure everything went ok and to highlight if any actions are needed to be taken.

Day 2 Customer “wake up call” to smooth transition whilst customer adjusts to new routine

End of Week 1 Customer debrief/ Employer debrief

Start of Week 2 Customer “wake up call”. To ensure that after their first weekend “off” they are ready for placement on Monday morning.

Weekly Customer debrief/ Employer debrief at the end of each week

Tracking – RJF will use its "OnTrak" automated tracking system to check customer attendance. This places an automated call to the employer during each placement day to the landline or mobile of their preference. They will then be given 3 options - “Press 1 to confirm your placement has arrived for work today, Press 2 to confirm a no show, Press 3 to be put through to one of our Work Placement Co-ordinators”. All failure to attend will be followed up immediately by the WPCs who will contact the customer to find out if there is any just reason for the non-attendance. We will also raise a sanction doubt to JCP within 24 hours, so that JCP can consider if a sanction is appropriate. Completer Certificates: We can confirm that each customer will receive a Completer Certificate within 10 working days of completion. This will confirm their attendance and the activities they have undertaken. RJF will also complete and return the customer feedback form within 10 working days of the customer leaving MWA. This will document how the customer has performed during the placement and verify the customer‟s attendance. PRaP will be updated within 24 working hours of the customer leaving their placement.



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 sub-contractors 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.



5.1 Rehab JobFit (RJF) is a joint venture between Rehab, a not-for-profit organisation that delivers training, employment, health & social care and commercial services for over 50,000 people each year, and Interserve, a major UK support services and construction sector employer with a strong established presence in Wales. Our delivery strategy for MWA in Wales is to deliver 100% of the contract directly. This will meet our principle of ensuring that any customer, from any location within CPA 11 is able to access all the services and support needed. This delivery structure is designed to provide cost effective delivery of services – ensuring that the maximum amount of funding follows the customer rather than being used for tiers of contract management throughout a supply chain. This enables RJF to offer value for money, a key driver behind DWP‟s procurement of MWA. Delivery Structure: We will have a team of Work Placement Co-ordinators (WPCs) working across Wales. Each of these will have responsibility for a specific geographical area (e.g. Mid-Wales) but they will operate peripatetically so that they can respond quickly to increased throughflows across the CPA, if required. The WPCs will be responsible for:

Sourcing placements through developing a “bank” of placement providers. They will also develop relationships with key stakeholders such as Welsh Assembly Government‟s Third Sector Partnership Council, Wales Council for Voluntary Action and the Black Voluntary Sector Network Wales (BVSNW). This will enable RJF to quickly identify and access placement opportunities across the CPA.

Vetting all placements to ensure that they reflect the requirements of „real‟ work and can not be construed as „make-work‟ activities. This will be achieved through a detailed pre-vet at the outset of provision to ensure that the required hours of participation can be accommodated and that competent supervision by a member of staff is available. The WPC will ensure that the placement offers interesting and rewarding work experience, helping customers develop transferable skills including personal effectiveness, team working and time management. Each potential placement will be assessed to make certain that the work experience gained will enhance the employability of customers, and meet the needs of the local labour market – as well as fulfil the community benefit requirements of MWA. The placement must also meet statutory Health & Safety/Equal Opportunities criteria.

Conducting engagement activity from referral to start on placement (Initial Telephone Interview, Welcome Call and Induction) so that the momentum is maintained for the customer. This is also designed to minimise drop-out.

In-placement support for both the customer and the placement provider (wake up calls for the customer and debriefs for the customer and the employer at the end of each week).

Monitoring the customer‟s attendance through our automated “OnTrak” system and ensuring that any failure to attend is immediately followed up with the customer, the employer and JCP. OnTrak places an automated call to the employer at the end of each placement day to the landline or mobile of their preference. They will then be given 3 options - “Press 1 to confirm your placement has arrived for work today, Press 2 to confirm a no show, Press 3 to be put through to one of our Work Placement Co-ordinators”. All failure to attend will be followed up immediately by the WPCs who will contact the customer to find out if there is any just reason for the non-attendance. We will also raise a sanction doubt to JCP within 24 hours via the DMA referral form, so that JCP can consider if a sanction is appropriate.



Referral and Administrative functions will be carried out centrally and we have access to resources within Rehab Group and Interserve to access additional resources (e.g. Interserve‟s contact centre for referrals) if volumes should increase at any point. Why This Strategy is The Best For CPA 11: The starting point for RJF‟s MWA delivery strategy is to ensure that any customer, from any location within CPA 11 is able to access all the services and support they need. Wales has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km2 (8,023 square miles). Wales has over 1,200km (746 miles) of coastline, including its offshore islands such as Anglesey. Two-thirds of Wales' estimated three million population now live in south Wales, mainly in and around the cities of Cardiff, Swansea and Newport, and in the nearby valleys. Another concentration lives in eastern north Wales. Much of Wales is rural and transport links, particularly in the mountainous areas and the valleys, are particularly poor. RJF is proposing to deliver 1,404 MWA placements per year, which is 904 more than the minimum number stated in the specification. This will give more jobseekers the chance to benefit from experiencing the habits and routines of working life and, hopefully as a result, be able to take the next step into sustainable employment. In order to achieve this across such a wide geographical area, RJF has had to take into account cost implications, flexibility and the speed within which the service has to be delivered. By delivering 100% of the MWA directly, our delivery strategy meets these requirements by being:

Cost Effective – RJF is able to minimise the cost of contract management. We are also able to streamline resources by accessing outreach delivery locations for Inductions rather than relying on a centre based approach. Having a peripatetic team of WPCs means that we can allocate staff across the CPA rather than having a fixed delivery location for each member of staff (as would be the case through sub-contracted delivery). Fixed delivery locations would mean that more staff would be required at additional cost in order to provide full CPA coverage.

Flexible – MWA needs to be flexible and responsive to the needs of JCP, and customers, across the CPA. Our peripatetic approach means that we can react to “peaks and troughs” across the CPA as well as deliver from any location within the CPA, rather than being limited to static sites. Access to additional resources from within Rehab and Interserve also gives us the flexibility to staff up at short notice.

Fast and Timely - All our bookings and interventions are co-ordinated through one system with no reliance on interfaces with sub-contractor systems. This means that all communication between the referral team, administrator and WPCs can take place in “real time”. By including a telephone interview stage we are taking into account the challenges presented by the geographical coverage, thereby ensuring placements are found quickly and in a suitable location.

Dedicated Delivery Team - By recruiting a dedicated team of WPCs for MWA we are ensuring that there can be no conflict surrounding programme priorities so focus is maintained KPIs for this programme at all times. WPCs are supported by the referral team who will ensure timely responses to all queries.

Scaleable – Our ability to deliver is 100% dependent on our own capacity, rather than that of sub-contractors, which means we can easily upscale to respond to increased volumes, locations or customer groups.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_islands_of_Wales

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Wales

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiff

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swansea

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newport

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Wales_valleys

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Wales



[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.



5.2 Proposed Management Structure: Rehab JobFit‟s (RJF) delivery model for the MWA in CPA 11 is cost effective, ensures that the minimum standards of performance are met and maximises the value added through a focus on driving performance improvement. We have illustrated this structure in the organisation chart in Annex 2, showing how we will cover the CPA. RJF will appoint a Team Leader who will report to the RJF General Manager and who will have accountability for MWA contract performance and compliance at CPA level. He/she will be responsible for a team of three Work Placement Co-ordinators (WPCs), a Referral Team and the Administration function. Our operations in CPA 11 will also benefit from substantial Rehab and Interserve head office support functions, including HR, Quality, Finance and IT, all as shown in Annex 2. Identifying skills and experience required: RJF has analysed successful delivery over a range of contracts that are similar to MWA, e.g. CTF and previous New Deal Options that required intensive work placement activity. From this analysis, we have produced clear job descriptions for each role that will enable effective implementation of our delivery model. This has informed the roles, responsibilities, skills and experience required by our MWA contract management team, which include:

Role specific skill and competency levels Previous experience

Local knowledge of networks & partnerships Personal attributes

Education & professional qualifications Language needs Outline job descriptions for the RJF WP management team

General Manager: Reports to the RJF Members Board (not costed to MWA)

Responsibilities: Overall responsibility for the delivery of MWA in accordance with the Annual Business Plan. Holds the strategic relationship with DWP. An ambassador for MWA, representing RJF on stakeholder groups; Responsible for growing RJF operations in the CPA through seeking new opportunities e.g. ESF work. Responsible for resolving any contractual disputes at an early stage. Experience: Previous accountability for similar stand alone business unit. Substantial experience of DWP/ELWA programmes at a senior management level; Understanding of local Welfare to Work networks and key stakeholders (e.g. Welsh Assembly Government, Wales Council for Voluntary Action and the Business Partnership Council for Wales). Skills: ability to influence at a senior level, a good negotiator, strategic thinker; Fluent Welsh and English speaker. Quals: Level 4 management qualification

MWA Team Leader: Reports to the General Manager

Responsibilities: Managing the WPCs; Performance monitoring – KPIs and using this data to direct activities of the WPCs; Compliance checking all delivery, drawing on Management Services audit function where required; Action Plan Implementation; Developing relationships with local and regional voluntary and community sector organisations (e.g. Powys Association of Voluntary Sector Organisations, Voluntary Action Merthyr Tydfil, Voluntary Action Cardiff); Using customer and employer feedback to refine delivery. Experience: Working at a senior level in a procurement or supply chain management capacity; Managing multiple partners; capacity building and sharing good practice. Extensive knowledge of the customer group; strong leadership, communication, management and commercial experience. Skills: Excellent communication, influencing and negotiating skills, knowledge of performance management. Fluent Welsh and English speaker Quals: Level 4 management



qualification / CIPS Qualified.

5.2 continued Annex 2 also shows how we will manage the transition of our management team from tender phase and full operations through the appointment of a Transition Team, all of whom are in place and working to deliver the Implementation plan throughout February, March and April, in anticipation of the Preferred Bidder Announcement. Our implementation plan contained in Annex 4 gives the timeline for the recruitment process. The Team Leader will be responsible for the day to day delivery of services against the criteria set out in the MWA contract and will collect performance data to demonstrate that our delivery meets required performance levels. The Team Leader will collate and analyse this information to identify good/poor performance and address any performance issues on an ongoing basis, Working with Key Delivery Partners: RJF is not working with sub-contractors for its delivery of MWA however, other key delivery partners will include employers/placement providers. These will include the following organisations that we have already developed links with:

Gofal Cymru

Dyslexia Action

Shelter Cymru

Coleg Powys

Cymdeithas Tai Eryri

Groundwork North Wales

Perthyn L A S Recycling Ltd Newydd Housing Association Ltd

Proarb

Bron Afon

S A R A

Hafan Cymru

Cymryd Rhan Ltd

Newport Mind

Caer Ias Cymra

Anheddau Cyf

Torfaen Voluntary Alliance

Tai Ceredigion Cyfyngedig

Community Advice & Listening Line

Cancer Research Wales Our WPCs will be the primary link with employers/placement providers, making appointments, soliciting vacancies, and building long-term relationships. Their primary focus is to meet the needs of employers/placement providers by getting to know them and the nature of their business, the working environment and their company culture. In this way the WPC will know exactly what the employer/placement provider will want from a potential placement. Our experience has shown that it can take many meetings with employers/placement providers to establish good working relationships, especially when promoting customers who are perceived as “harder to help” such as the WMA cohort. The WPCs will help employers to understand what is required of a WMA placement (it must help the customer meet their employability aims through activities that deliver environmental or community benefit) as well as the benefits it can bring to their organisation. The RJF management structure is appropriate for CPA 11 because:

It is simple and cost effective, enabling maximum DWP funding to passed to front line delivery, and not be consumed in management overheads;

It is focussed on the current, Jobcentre Plus districts within CPA 11 and is designed to minimise journey time, The expectation is also that WPCs will spend most of their time with customers on an outreach basis or at work placements so fixed delivery sites are not essential;

It has flexibility to respond appropriately to customer and employer/placement provider need – some will need more support than others;

As the MWA Team will be 100% focused on delivery of this contract they will be more able to quickly adapt processes based on customer feedback.



[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.



5.3 Managing And Monitoring Quality Of Delivery: Both Rehab and Interserve have a wealth of experience and expertise in managing the performance to deliver public services across the UK and parts of Europe, including covering wide geographical areas. Our experience tells us that setting expectations and capturing relevant and timely data are critical for effective quality management and for ensuring that minimum standards are met – and exceeded. RJF will be delivering 100% of MWA directly, without any sub-contracted delivery. When setting expectations, it is critical for the delivery of high quality services that all parties involved understand what is required and expected of them. In this regard, Rehab JobFit (RJF) will clearly set out for each MWA member of staff the minimum levels of performance required across the full customer journey. As well as targets on outcomes (e.g. time from referral to start on placement) RJF will also specify quality parameters. Another critical factor is data capture. RJF uses Providers Integrated Customer System (PICS), which is the IT system onto which all service delivery and customer journey data will be inputted. PICS will provide real time reporting and will actively alert us should any metrics indicate problematic performance against set criteria, providing an early warning of any potential performance issues. MWA staff will be responsible for the quality of delivery and will produce performance and quality information in line with contractual requirements. RJF will agree simple and effective (not burdensome) monitoring and reporting procedures, which will include Key Performance Indicators and Minimum Performance Standards. The MWA Team Leader will review the information and assess whether requirements are being met and make recommendations for action as necessary. He/She will also carry out monthly performance audits to make sure quality and performance reporting is in accordance with requirements. An example of the reporting calendar is set out below:

Data and reports

Performance and quality data uploaded to PICs by Work Placement Co-ordinators (WPCs) and reviewed by MWA Team Leader

Weekly

Quality, compliance and customer satisfaction reports Monthly

Minimum Performance Standards and KPI reports Monthly

Action Plans – to rectify service failures If failures identified.

Meetings

Contract management meetings with WPCs – to ensure consistency Weekly

Contract review meetings – to review Action Plan following concerns over performance

Weekly or monthly depending on severity

Auditing

Operational Review by MWA Team Leader – sample of files verified and stages of customer journey observed. Recommendations made.

Monthly

Work Placement Co-ordinators (WPCs) will be required to upload weekly performance reports comparing target and actual achievements onto PICS for the MWA Team Leader to access and monitor. Reports are published from this system which compare actual delivery against planned delivery, and will cover all aspects of performance – financial and operational, monthly and cumulative – against profiled targets This information will be reviewed by the MWA Team Leader and RJF General Manager and will be formally discussed at management and board meetings. The RJF Members Board will provide oversight for the quality of delivery of MWA



5.3 continued services. The Board consists of experienced Directors from both Interserve and Rehab who will meet monthly and review quality and performance information from across the contract as a whole, to decide on appropriate courses of action as necessary, and to subsequently confirm that that action has been effective in driving up quality and performance. The RJF General Manager will report to the Board and will be responsible for providing the Board with information and for implementing the Board‟s decisions through the MWA Team Leader. Approach To Performance Improvement Activities: RJF performance improvement activities include:

Continuous refinement of the RJF delivery model through capturing what works locally and through sharing best practice across the CPA and nationally;

Weekly and monthly reporting, review and action cycles as set out above;

Continuous improvement cycle based around KPIs; Plan: Do: Check: Act;

MWA Forum disseminating best practice and driving transformation;

PICS providing early warning management information. Acting on the findings of monitoring activity: As outlined, RJF reporting procedures provide timely information to inform management decisions, giving ample time for corrective actions against projected output shortfalls. Should analysis of the reported data demonstrate underperformance against minimum service delivery levels, the MWA Team Leader will develop an action plan with the WPC to rectify their under performance. The action plan will require sign-off by the General Manager before being implemented. RJF has access to sector specialists to support MWA staff in the event they are having difficulties in a particular area to help turn a particular problem around. The MWA Team Leader will work with WPCs to help ensure that action plans are effective. In the event that the problem continues, we will apply an escalation process, consisting of further audits and action plans. If appropriate, the MWA Team Leader will hold an immediate, formal review meeting where the detailed actions required, and the possible consequences of failure to improve, will be minuted. These will include weekly to monthly performance review meetings with the MWA Team Leader until delivery meets the required standards. In extreme circumstances, where a WPC fails to improve within agreed timeframes, they will have their contract with RJF terminated. Resolution of issues: Our experience at working with employers/placement providers on similar provision (e.g. CTF delivered by TBG, a subsidiary of Rehab) has lead to our being successful in preventing issues from escalating out of control. This is through early intervention, practical support and communication with senior management. We recognise that our smaller, voluntary sector placement providers may require additional support and patience, but we will not lose sight of achieving our minimum service delivery standard. In order to prepare for and manage an issue arising with one of our employers/placement providers that does require formal resolution, RJF will share its procedure for dispute resolution with each employer/placement provider prior to sending any customer on placement. It is based upon open, honest, prompt discussions which ultimately lead to resolutions. The process includes encouragement to work to agree disputes on an informal basis wherever possible.



[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.



5.4 Rehab JobFit (RJF) will conduct the Initial Interview with the customer via the telephone (within 2 working days of referral) so that we can speed up the process of sourcing suitable placements. Our Work Placement Co-ordinators (WPCs) will have a face to face Induction with customers within 7 days of referral. These Inductions will take place in: RJF Delivery Centres - RJF is in the process of opening a new centre in Wales, in Swansea. The centre in Swansea will be the location for the MWA Referal/Admin staff and will also be used for MWA Inductions. Jobcentres – We have already contacted jobcentres across the CPA and have been informed by District Managers that availability in jobcentres will be confirmed once the restructuring of JCP districts has been completed. We have been asked to speak to JCP again once we have been awarded the contract but understand that there are no guarantees of any space. Community Centres/Hotels – The RJF estates team has a rolling programme of identifying outreach premises across all our programmes and has already identified a number of community centres across the CPA including:

Fford Las Community Centre (Rhyl) Paddock Street Community Centre (Llanelli)

Graig Community Centre (Newport) Cae Wathan Community Centre (Neath)

Bedlinog Community Centre New Brighton Community Centre (Mold)

Talbot Community Centre (Bridgend) Trallwn Community Centre (Pontypridd)

Aberarvon Community Centre Dowlais Community Centre (Merthyr Tydfil)

Cwmavon Community Centre (Port Talbot

Mayhill Community Centre (Swansea)

Ty Hapus Community Centre (Llandudno) RJF also has relationships with a number of hotel chains including Marriott, Radisson, Thistle, Holiday Inn and Premier Inn and will further develop these relationships for MWA so that we can access small conference rooms for Inductions, particularly in urban areas. RJF Mobile Training Unit (MTU) – RJF has a state of the art MTU that can be utilised by MWA in CPA 11. This gives WPCs additional flexibility in terms of delivery locations, particularly in rural locations. Work Programme Sub-Contractor Delivery Premises – If our Work Programme tender for Wales is successful, we will be able to utilise space in sub-contractor premises for delivery of MWA. This will provide RJF with full coverage across the whole of CPA 11.



[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.



5.5 Through Rehab‟s and Interserve‟s collective experience of delivering public sector funded contracts across a range of sectors, including welfare to work, Rehab JobFit (RJF) has developed comprehensive systems and processes to ensure all delivery is flexible to accommodate emerging needs. They include responsiveness to volume fluctuations and adapting delivery to accommodate new customer cohorts or responding to new legislative requirements. They are underpinned by two key activities:

Effective communication with the funding body (DWP) at all levels so that forward planning can take place for any anticipated formal changes, thereby speeding up changes that may be required; e.g. we will have regular discussions with JCP to monitor district claimant rates and anticipated throughflows by jobcentre.

Monitoring Labour Market Conditions: We undertake a range of activities to monitor labour market conditions and, consequently, any associated effects on customer volumes and outcomes. We also analyse internal Management Information (MI) data on a monthly basis and produce reports indicating changes and trends in volumes, customer characteristics, etc. These are used to inform resource planning.

Maintaining Minimum Performance Levels: Where any potential change to the service delivery requirements is identified, such as changes to the customer groups referred or alterations resulting from changes to the welfare regime, we conduct a full impact analysis that takes into account the following: Scale of the change (local, regional, national) and how many customers would be impacted by the change; Changes to staffing levels and/or infrastructure; Additional suppliers that may need to be incorporated into the delivery infrastructure, e.g. to accommodate new customer groups or to increase capacity; Changes to the delivery model and cost/resource implications; Changes to company policy (e.g. in the case of new legislation around staff vetting or safeguarding); Our capability to respond to the changes; Any capital or one off expenditure requirements. This impact analysis is used to inform an Action Plan that sets out timescales and sign off responsibilities for implementation. In order to meet our minimum levels in the event of changes in customer numbers or customer groups, we have the following contingencies:

Staffing: Our Work Placement Co-ordinators (WPCs) will work peripatetically and will be able to work outside of their designated districts in order to support colleagues in other areas if there are temporary increases in customer volumes. We are also able to second staff from Rehab and Interserve if there are more permanent or widespread increases in customer volumes. If volumes decrease, we will temporarily second WPCs into Rehab or Interserve. If additional staff are required to cope with increased demand or provide specialist support for additional customer groups, we have established links with specialist recruitment agencies with an understanding of the sector (e.g. Morgan Hunt, Parkhouse Bell) who can supply short-term, temporary staff with the necessary skills and experience. The Referral Team will have the capacity to flex in response to increased customer numbers through accessing Interserve‟s contact centre.

Premises: If additional premises are required, RJF work with a wide range of commercial estate agencies that operate on both local and national levels, providing access to available premises on short-term/serviced office leases as a temporary solution as well as helping us to source longer-term solutions. We would also look at transporting customers, on a temporary basis to nearby centres with spare capacity.

Sub-contractors Needed: If sub-contractors are needed, either to meet the needs of new customer groups or to provide additional capacity, we have a preferred supplier list of providers in CPA 11.



[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. Insert your response in the pre-set, shaded space of the following pages. Your response MUST be limited to 2 sides of A4.



5.6 Evaluating and Monitoring: Rehab JobFit (RJF) has a comprehensive Continuous Improvement Cycle that drives all aspects of quality assurance from observation of all key processes to internal audit, participant feedback and staff performance reviews. This cycle is based on the Investors in People‟s P l a n D o R e v i e w approach. As part of this process we will produce an annual Self-Assessment Report (SAR) and Quality Improvement Plan (QIP). The analysis will be carried out on a „bottom-up‟ basis, and all MWA staff will be involved. Implementation of the QIP is a critical part of our continuous improvement process. All MWA staff will receive training on carrying out self assessment. The MWA Team Leader will use the individual local SAR and QIP to improve quality, address any issues and drive performance. When Rehab‟s subsidiary, TBG, had an Ofsted Inspection of the New Deal Prime Contract in Derbyshire inspectors stated that “the self-assessment process is good. All TBG staff participate well in the process.” All Work Placement Co-ordinators (WPCs) will be monitored by the MWA Team Leader to ensure that performance targets are met or exceeded and that quality of delivery, and thus each customer‟s experience, is maintained and continuously improved. The customer experience will be observed at all stages of the customer journey. Samples of files will be checked for compliance and performance will be discussed with the MWA Team Leader. At each meeting the QIP will be reviewed and updated using data from our system, PICS, from customer and employer feedback and from “Customer Voices” (See overleaf for a description of our Customer Voices process). Actions to be taken over the next month will be agreed and recorded and any support to implement these actions agreed. The MWA Team Leader and WPCs will have formal contract review meetings monthly where performance and quality will be discussed. Standing items for these meetings will be Equality & Diversity, and Health & Safety - supported by detailed reports from PICS. We have found, through Rehab‟s experience in managing previous prime contracts that this regular, supportive contact ensures a consistent, positive customer experience and continually improves performance. The quality of the Work Placement will be monitored and evaluated throughout the customer journey in order to ensure that it:

Helps the customer develop disciplines associated with employment, for example attending regularly and on time, carrying out specific tasks and working under supervision;

Is as close to a real working environment as possible so that it can potentially form part of the customer‟s CV in the future;

Is of benefit to the community and appropriate to the customers referred;

Complies with Health and Safety legislation as well as RJF‟s equal opportunities policy;

Is additional to existing or expected vacancies. Before the customer starts on placement, the WPC will conduct a full pre-vet that includes assessing the placement provider and proposed placement in the following key areas:

Health and Safety Policy;

Equal Opportunities Policy;

Risk assessment and control;



5.6 continued

Accident, incidents and first aid processes;

Supervision, training, information and instruction;

Work equipment and machinery;

Personal protective equipment and clothing;

Fire and emergencies;

Safe and healthy working environment;

General health and safety management;

Management of the customer‟s health and safety. Throughout the customer‟s time on the work placement the WPC will formally monitor the quality of the placement through weekly debriefs with both the customer and the employer. The customer will also be able to offer feedback and/or raise any concerns at any point during their time on programme through contacting the WPC on the freephone number provided. Any concerns will be addressed immediately with WPCs having the authority to terminate the placement and move the customer to another placement provider if these concerns can not be allayed. Customers will also have the chance to raise any concerns in their exit report once they have completed their placement. Handling Customer Complaints: Our formal complaints process is fully explained to customers at induction. They may speak to any staff member or write to the MWA Team Leader to raise a complaint. If this cannot be immediately resolved, a holding response is sent within 3 days. The MWA Team Leader will investigate and respond to the complaint within 28 days, whilst putting measures in place to prevent similar future situations where complaints are upheld. If customers remain dissatisfied they can refer their complaint to RJF‟s General Manager, and ultimately to the funder (DWP). These procedures are rigorously followed and documented evidence is kept at local level if resolved at this level and at head office if the complaint is referred to the General Manager. We fully respect the right of all customers to follow the Independent Case Examiner (ICE) Process if they are dissatisfied with our response to their complaint and will provide all written evidence promptly in line with ICE‟s processes. Feedback: For all programmes we hold “Customer Voices” sessions. These are regular meetings of customers‟ representatives to hear their ideas, concerns, worries, etc. These meetings are chaired by somebody from outside the staff of the programme so that customers can feel completely free to air their views. This has proved a very successful way of improving the customer experience and, therefore, performance. Feedback is also obtained from employers who offer work placement opportunities to ensure that both the customer and employer are gaining the most from the placement and that needs are being met. Full account will be taken of this feedback in amending programme design and delivery. Acting on Findings: Where there are any serious issues in performance, compliance or delivery, a report will be sent to the MWA Team Leader, including the relevant action plan which will be reviewed by more frequent visits: fortnightly or weekly as appropriate. This more intensive monitoring/support regime will continue with regular reports to the MWA Team Leader until performance, compliance and delivery are back to required levels or until more serious action is required. Where necessary additional support and training will be made available from suitably qualified and competent staff. By acting on this information across all delivery areas we can improve the customer experience for existing customers and those who will follow in their footsteps.



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.



6.1 A Resource Plan is attached at Annex 3. This shows how staffing, by full time equivalent and job title/role, will be allocated across CPA 11. Staffing Levels: The table below is a summary of the Annex 3 Resource Plan and sets out the number of staff, by job title, that will be required to deliver MWA in CPA 11 on the 16th May contract start date. It also shows which staff are already in place and those which need to be recruited. All positions are shown as full time equivalents.

Required Staff Positions Current New

General Manager (not costed to MWA) 1 0

MWA Team Leader 1 0

Work Placement Co-ordinator (WPC) 0 3

Referral Advisor/Administrator 1 0

6.1 Redacted Rationale: Rehab JobFit (RJF) considers this level of staffing is appropriate for CPA 11 because the staff numbers are based on our thorough understanding of delivering Welfare to Work Services across a number of DWP contracts. Our model is built on a maximum WPC to customer ratio of 1:29 in CPA 11. In addition to the above roles, we have included Head Office functions, which will be provided through management services agreements with Rehab and Interserve and are incorporated into the central management costs within our district pricing model. These include quality and internal audit, human resources, internal verification, business development, health and safety management, finance, payroll, management information systems and IT support who will all support and work closely with the MWA Team Leader during implementation and during full operations to ensure that robust systems and procedures are in place. Managing staffing levels as customer volumes rise over the lifetime of the contract: We will work closely with JCP to pick up early information on labour market fluctuations and so be in a position to react quickly to changes in referral flows as and when they happen. If volumes increase significantly, RJF will increase its staffing levels accordingly. There is inherent flexibility in our organisational structure and additional WPCs can be added as needed. It will be possible to draw in extra resources from either Interserve or Rehab to cover short term peaks and/or provide additional capacity while staff are being recruited. We are experienced in recruiting the right calibre of staff quickly (Rehab recruited 80 high-quality staff within six weeks of winning a contract in Ireland in 2010). Likewise, in the event that referral volumes fall, staffing numbers will be reduced, with underutilised staff being reallocated back to either Interserve or Rehab for short periods. Identifying skills required by staff:

RJF has a wealth of experience of identifying the skills required to deliver major contracts within tight time scales.

We have drawn upon our track record of successful delivery over a wide range of contracts, but in particular those with outcome focussed aspects such as requirements for in depth assessment, employer engagement and job sustainability.

We have carried out a skills audit of previous job descriptions and developed MWA specific job descriptions, matched to the precise needs of MWA.

We have carried out a role analysis required at each stage of our delivery model, evaluating against a number of requirements around personality, previous experience, professional qualifications, level of education, languages, competencies and skills levels.

Formatted: Highlight

Formatted: Bullets and Numbering



6.1 continued

We have also carried out a series of interviews and focus groups with a range of staff from team leaders, delivery staff, admin and senior managers to inform what skills are required to deliver MWA.

We have also consulted with TBG‟s CTF delivery staff and their CTF Sub-contractors to ascertain what skills and experience their current staff have for these job roles.

We have used this data to carry out formal reviews of current job descriptions to ensure that they are fit for the needs of MWA and amend where this is not the case. This skills audit approach has enabled us to identify the skills required to deliver MWA and from this we have been able to produce clear job description and person specifications that will enable effective implementation of our delivery. model. Job descriptions for all staff roles can be found at Annex 3. .Acquiring staff with the right skills:

RJF is an equal opportunity employer and our recruitment policy is to recruit from and be representative of the local community where we are providing services.

Rehab Group and Interserve have a substantial HR team that is experienced in large scale recruitment activities through our previous delivery of DWP and LSC funded provision as well as other government funded programmes.

Our robust recruitment process maps the steps to be taken from initial identification of staffing need, placing adverts, selecting candidates, conducting interviews and appointing staff - through to the delivery of inductions and staff training. We estimate the recruitment process would be 2-6 weeks depending on the vacancy.

We use „Candidate Manager‟, a specific contact management system that Rehab uses, to facilitate our recruitment. Its purpose is to automate much of the recruitment process, thereby making it more efficient. It ensures the right match of people competence and job requirement as well as speeding up recruitment.

Candidates apply by post or on-line. A shortlist is drawn up, matching competency/experience to the criteria of the job description. Candidates are invited to an interview and may participate in assessment centres or complete a psychometric profile/work-based selection test, to demonstrate competency.

Successful candidates first receive verbal job offers, followed by written offers. All selection activities are fully documented to ensure continuous monitoring of our Equal Opportunity and Equality and Diversity Policies and we provide meaningful feedback to unsuccessful candidates.

We comply with all relevant laws and statutory requirements by ensuring that we are absolutely satisfied that all candidates, their qualifications and their employment claims are genuine, that they are approved to do the job selected for us.. As a minimum, we will ensure that the supply chain complies with DWP‟s Baseline Personnel Security Standard.

Our selection process seeks to ensure that our staff come from, and proportionately reflect the demographic, of the customer groups that they serve. For example, we will actively short-list candidates who may themselves have experienced a range of different employment barriers, and have overcome these to build a career.





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.



7.1 Rehab JobFit‟s (RJF) Local Stakeholder Engagement Strategic Objectives are:

To ensure our delivery is responsive to the needs of the local economy, through linking with, for example, Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) and CBI Wales.

To achieve synergy with other local employment and regeneration initiatives, through close contact with Jobcentre Plus, ELWA and the 22 local Councils

To enable our customers to access the widest range of support through linking with, for example, Gofal Cymru (mental health issues), Citizens Advice Bureaux, Community Service Volunteers (CSV Wales) and Shelter Cymru (accommodation advice and debt advice).

To ensure customers benefit from a service that is informed, coherent and responsive to their needs, by co-ordinating stakeholder knowledge through our local stakeholder engagement process.

Identifying Local Stakeholders: as part of our preparation for this tender we conducted initial research to identify and engage with key local stakeholders for delivery of MWA in CPA 11. These include:

Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations

Denbighshire Voluntary Services Council

Association of Voluntary Organisations in Wrexham

Bridgend Association of Voluntary Organisations

Flintshire Local Voluntary Council

Gwent Association of Voluntary Organisations

Dinas Powys Voluntary Concern

Anglesey Local Voluntary Council

Voluntary Action Merthyr Tydfil

Carmerthenshire Association of Voluntary Services

Ceredigion Association of Voluntary Organisations

Conwy Voluntary Services Council

Gwynedd Local Voluntary Council

Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services

Rhondda Cynon Taff Interlink

Swansea Council for Voluntary Service

Torfaen Voluntary Alliance

Vale Centre for Voluntary Services The MWA Team Leader and Work Placement Co-ordinators (WPCs) will maintain engagement through participation at partnership meetings, active membership of relevant umbrella bodies, attending industry events and conferences, inviting partners to local MWA open days and events, and via day-to-day courtesy calls. This process builds on relationships developed through our pre-emptive engagement, whilst at the same time actively seeking out new partners that could potentially add value to MWA in CPA 11. These include:

The 22 Local Service Boards

Communities First

Rhyl City Strategy

Business Links

Chambers of Commerce

Development Trusts Association Wales

National Training Federation Wales



7.1 continued Engaging Employers: As part of its preparation for the MWA tender, RJF has already engaged with more than 2,800 employers in CPA 11, including:

Welsh Slate Atlantic Plastics Argyle Cleaning Services

Greggs Ddol Fach Dairies Remploy Commercial Furniture

David Jenkins Lemon Tree The Willdig Lammie Partnership Ltd

Castell Howell Foods The Parc Hotel John Pearce Glynneath Ltd

BSF Solutions Leadbitter Site Serve Recycling Ltd

Stena Line Cardiff Glass Ltd P A Joyner (Cymru) Ltd

Dyfed Steels Allington Hughes The Western Log Group Ltd

Ty Arian Martyn Madden The National Trust JCP: Following contract award we will work with JCP to finalise the formal contract planning, MI requirements and contract review timetable that will enable us to plan and deliver MWA in line with JCP expectations. We will also focus on working closely with JCP PAs to enhance referral processes; keep them updated about provision, provide printed information, case studies, etc to encourage customer engagement. We will:

Undertake regular contract reviews and act quickly to address issues raised;

Encourage JCP participation in our MWA Partnership Forum to share and implement

good practice;

Have clear and accessible communication channels so JCP PAs can easily access RJF delivery staff.

WPCs will host regular business breakfasts at delivery centres. This will ensure clear communication and contribute positively to the running of MWA as an integral part of Welfare to Work. Stakeholder Engagement Activities: Our stakeholder strategy will dovetail with stakeholder remits and objectives, ensuring that different stakeholders operating at different geographical levels receive appropriate attention. The MWA Team Leader and RJF General Manager will represent MWA on local strategic/economic groups that influence the direction and cohesion of government funded programmes. The MWA Team Leader will keep accurate and up-to-date Customer Relationship Management (CRM) files on all key stakeholders and partners, ensuring that we develop and maintain effective relationships with key stakeholders throughout the lifetime of MWA. The RJF Stakeholder Engagement Process will be given a high profile and will be formally launched within the first four weeks of contract commencement and all current and potential local stakeholders will be invited. We will invite Jobcentre Plus and representatives from other stakeholder groups to provide speakers at the event. Relationship managers within the RJF supply chain will meet regularly, at least quarterly, on a one-to-one basis with their nominated local stakeholders. RJF will host regular, at least six-monthly, local meetings, such as breakfast/lunch meetings, with small groups of stakeholders so that issues relevant to each particular locality within CPA 11 can be raised and views shared between all stakeholders. A quarterly e-bulletin, providing key points of interest, including lessons learnt from feedback, will be issued to all stakeholders.



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. Insert your response in the pre-set, shaded space of the following pages. Your response MUST be limited to 2 sides of A4.



8.1 Examples of Work Placements: We will provide placements across a wide range of sectors including:

Retail – Placing customers with companies such as British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research and MIND and other charity shops to give customers the opportunity to gain retail and customer service skills whilst serving the community within a local voluntary environment.

Environmental – Placing customers in recycling projects or groundworks.

Hospitality and Catering – Placing customers in community cafes, soup kitchens and hostels).

In CPA 11 we have also developed relationships with organisations such as the Torfaen Voluntary Alliance, Ebbw Vale & District Development Trust and Powys Association Of Voluntary Organisations. In addition to providing access to placement opportunities within their member organisations, they also offer direct placement opportunities with the administration and delivery of the projects they manage. This means that customers will be able to access a wide range of placements that include business administration, marketing, project management and retail whilst at the same time providing community benefit as all activities are designed to promote social cohesion. Sourcing Placements: It is imperative to match customers to placements where they have a genuine interest and can see career progression routes. We have employer-facing Work Placement Co-ordinators (WPCs) who are the primary link with local employers, making appointments, soliciting vacancies, and building long term relationships. Our delivery is enhanced as a result of building up an extensive portfolio of placements, carefully quantified in terms of skills and experience needs so we can ensure employers only see the closest matching customers. At the same time, the skills, experience and job goals of each customer are assessed with a view to targeting specific vacancies to meet their needs. All placements will therefore be designed to improve the employability of participants as well as to deliver the environmental or community benefits that lie at the heart of MWA. All placements will be for 30 hours per week unless a customer has a work easement agreed with Jobcentre Plus, e.g. availability for work of 20 hours a week. In this case the work placement activities will be tailored to reflect this. Our delivery has been designed to ensure the customer moves swiftly into a placement. This starts with the initial telephone interview, which will enable us to identify a suitable existing placement provider for the customer or, where there is no suitable placement in the RJF portfolio, we will immediately engage with additional placement providers. A key focus of our delivery of MWA is raising employer awareness of the value of engaging with the MWA customer group and overcoming preconceptions and misconceptions. Our WPCs will work with employers to identify work placements and to provide enough information to ensure that both customers and employers are suited to each other. WPCs will use innovative engagement strategies to develop links with employers and 3rd Sector umbrella bodies to create more opportunities for our customers whilst at the same time meeting local employer needs. In preparation for this tender round, we have already engaged with over 113 voluntary sector employers in CPA 11 and this is only the first stage or our engagement strategy that will run through the implementation period and throughout the lifetime of the contract. Examples include:

Shelter Cymru Age Concern



Cerebra Cadwyn Housing Association

Linc-Cymru Hafod Care Association

St Davids Foundation Denbighshire Disability Forum

Longfields Association Caer Las Cymru During the implementation stage, we will build these existing links with local employers/placement providers, with WPCs working across the CPA to promote awareness of MWA and to identify potential employers/placement providers ready for when customers start on programme. Experience has shown that it can take many meetings with employers to establish a good working relationship, especially when promoting customers who are perceived as “harder to help” such as the MWA cohort. The WPCs will help employers to understand what is required of a MWA placement (it must help the customer meet their employability aims through activities that deliver environmental or community benefit). Ensuring Community Benefit: All potential MWA placements will be pre-vetted in advance by WPCs to ensure they deliver community or environmental benefit in line with DWP guidance. This will include placements related to, community regeneration, urban renewal, housing, community building, and social inclusion. The community benefit afforded by our provision will be measured by both RJF and the placement organisations. This will be done on a quarterly basis and will include elements such as service take up by ethnic group and geographical spread of service. All placement activity will also be vetted to ensure it meets employability aims and is additional to existing or expected vacancies. Letting JCP Know If A Customer Signs Off Benefit: RJF has developed an automated tracking system, "OnTrak", to check customer attendance whilst they are on placement. This places an automated call to the employer during each placement day to the landline or mobile of their preference. They will then be given 3 options - “Press 1 to confirm your placement has arrived for work today, Press 2 to confirm a no show, Press 3 to be put through to one of our Work Placement Co-ordinators”. If a customer fails to attend, the WPC will contact them to find out if there is any just reason why they have failed to attend. If the reason is that the customer is no longer eligible for benefits (e.g. they have found a job or their circumstances have changed), we will let the JCP Advisor know this directly and will also update PRaP to reflect this. How you will raise a sanction doubt with JCP: If customers fail to attend at any point on MWA this will be logged onto our PICS IT system as a non-attendance. PICS will be monitored by the RJF Referral Team to ensure that non-attendance is captured in time to contact customers on the same day via telephone, e-mail or post (as appropriate) to inform them of the failure to attend and to give them a new start date, if the fail to attend relates to an initial interview/induction. We will also arrange for a conversation with the customer, either over the telephone or face to face, to help identify and overcome any issues that have led to the “fail to attend”. On the same day the TBG Referral Team will notify DWP via PRaP using the DMA referral form as well as via a phone call to the customer‟s PA so that sanctions can be considered.



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.



9.1 Please see Implementation Plan at Annex 4 Key Milestones: Our plan assumes that preferred provider announcement is Tuesday 22nd March, with Contract award on 21st April, and Service Delivery Commencement across the whole of CPA 11 on Monday 16th May. Key Activities: Identification of premises (outreach and RJF core centre in Swansea) – we have already identified locations across the CPA and will continue a rolling process of premises identification from contract submission to contract start; IT Infrastructure including the development of “OnTrak” tracking system – Our IT team are already in discussions with the developers so that we can finalise “OnTrak” on contract award ; Staff Recruitment and Training – we will start speculative advertising from the beginning of March and conduct interviews before final contract award so that we can quickly appoint people in time for contract start. We can also second in staff from Rehab or Interserve if necessary as an interim measure; Marketing and Employer Engagement – we have already started this activity on a speculative basis so that we have a bank of employers that we can contact immediately on contract award. Implementation Plan narrative, addressing key risks: The General Manager will maintain the risk register which analyses the likelihood and severity of potential risks, as well as mitigating actions to be taken. 1) Premises: The majority of MWA will be conducted on an outreach basis and we have identified a range of premises in each potential delivery location to provide contingency if one premises (e.g. jobcentre) is no longer available. 2) IT: Rehab has worked with IT partner Pellcomp for 9 years and the close partnership has a proven history of delivering systems to tight time scales for programmes such as Community Task Force and Response to Redundancy. Prior to inclusion in our supply chain we assessed sub-contractors IT compliance against DWP standards. We have extensive experience of equipping new premises/upgrading existing premises and in the event of slippage due to external factors e.g. IT hardware provider delivery dates not met. We can identify existing IT resources from our national provision which can be relocated without impacting on current contracts if that were necessary. 3) Staffing: RJF is highly experienced in staff recruitment in line with its robust recruitment process. We have already retained specialist recruitment agencies (Capita Education, Parkhouse Bell Ltd), familiar with the specific requirements of the W2W sector and are conducting pre-emptive advertising of vacancies so that we can quickly identify where there are any issues with recruitment. 4) Employer Engagement: We have completed a mailout to 2,800 employers in CPA 11 including 113 voluntary and community sector organisations. We will be contacting employers from the date of contract award to confirm numbers of work placements. Impact of Winning Multiple MWA contracts: Our implementation plan for MWA in CPA 11 stands alone from the other CPA in which we are bidding (CPA 2) and will not vary if we win further contracts. We have clear, distinct Transition and operational management structures that will be fully resourced without being limited by delivery on any other contract. Similarly, our financial model for CPA 11, is not impacted by a wins in CPA 11 as it is a stand alone model, and RJF has made sufficient funding available to cover both CPAs, with an additional 20% headroom.



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 organisation‟s 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.

Insert your response in the pre-set, shaded space of the following pages. Your response MUST be limited to 2 sides of A4.



9.2 Delivering MWA without Impacting on other Contracts: To ensure MWA can be incorporated into Rehab JobFit‟s (RJF) delivery portfolio our preparation for this tender round included:

Full overview of the tender specification and delivery model;

Planned volumes;

Funding models and cash flow implications;

Geographical locations and impact on a local, regional and national scale;

Impact on Rehab and Interserve‟s Head Office and Senior Management Team resources for multiple contract wins in 2011

Each member of the RJF Management Team (Finance, HR, IT, Operations and Business Development) then undertook a project impact analysis to identify risk and resource requirements for each department and have presented plans and associated risks, costs and contingencies should the tender be successful. This project impact analysis will be revisited at key stages throughout the tender process and, if we are successful, throughout the implementation period and onward delivery. This will enable us to pre-empt any potential issues or risks and put in place effective measures to ensure that they have no adverse effect on any contracted delivery (governmental or otherwise). We have resourced on the assumption that we will become a Prime in CPAs 11 and 2, but can confirm that each tender stands alone and is deliverable as a sole contract or a combination of the two. We have invested in a Transition Team to ensure effective handover from the business development stage to operational go live. Members of this team have been selected on the basis of having the necessary skills; their existing responsibilities will be backfilled on a temporary basis to ensure a negligible impact on other provision. We will also work with specialist industry suppliers (e.g. W2W Solutions) to buy in set-up expertise from experienced welfare-to-work practitioners. Other contracts that we are bidding for include the Work Programme in Wales and in the South West. RJF has considerable access to working capital and could comfortably deliver all three Work Programme contracts as well as both MWA contracts. As MWA will be set up as a discrete contract within RJF‟s delivery portfolio there will be no conflict between MWA and the Work Programme although there is scope for complementarity (e.g. MWA customers accessing Work Programme premises and facilities) if we are successful in both. Contingency Plan For Maintaining The Scope Of the Proposal: RJF is bidding to deliver 100% of the contract directly and has no reliance on external sub-contractors. We can therefore guarantee that we will be ably to deliver the full scope of our proposed services for MWA if we are awarded the contract. To add a further level of comfort, Rehab‟s subsidiary, TBG Learning, is a provider of employment related support services in the UK and, if required, Rehab JobFit can access TBG‟s services to provide additional capacity.



9.2 continued



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 (indicate where applicable)

NO (indicate where applicable)

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.

Protect - Commercial

40 MWA ITT Questionnaire final V0.1

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: Department for Work and Pensions 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. 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.



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

Formatted: Highlight

058. cpa11 rehab jobfit - tender form redacted final

Documents