Enfield Connect to Work Programme

Location

Description

The London Borough of Enfield (the "contracting authority") intends to directly award a Contract to the Working Well Trust to deliver the Enfield Connect to Work Programme. This is to be conducted in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023 and is classified as a Light Touch Contract in accordance with Section 9 of the Act and Schedule 1 of the Regulations. Connect to Work is an integrated work and health programme, designed to support economically inactive residents with health conditions and disabilities into employment. The IPS element of this, will use the High-Fidelity model of employment ensuring full integration with health and contracting authority services to ensure participants are supported into accessing employment or retaining current employment. Connect to Work is funded by a Department for Working Pensions (DWP) grant. In London, sub-regional partners are the accountable bodies for the delivery of the grant. Enfield is a member of the Local London sub-regional partnerships. The Inclusive Growth and Skills Service is the contracting authority's commissioning lead and contract management lead for Connect to Work. The main objectives for and Enfield Connect to Work Service are: • To advance the ambitions of the London Borough of Enfield and its partners to deliver inclusive growth by tackling high unemployment rates among people with a health condition or disability. • Deliver a holistic, personalised, work and health service. • To be part of a national learning programme. • To support residents with health conditions and complex barriers, both in and out-of-work to realise their potential and thrive or return to work. The proposed Contract will be let for an initial term commencing Autumn 2025 until 31 March 2030 with the option to extend for a further 12 months, subject to contractor performance, grant funding and at the full discretion of the contracting authority. Note, that the estimated total contract value in this Notice includes the 12 month optional extension.

Award Detail

CPV Codes

• None found

Legal Justification

Under Schedule 5 (Direct Award Justifications) of the Procurement Act 2023, the contracting authority considers the direct award meets the following criteria: 6a) due to an absence of competition for technical reasons, only a particular supplier can supply the services required, and 6b) there are no reasonable alternatives to those services. Justification/reasons: To directly award the proposed Enfield Connect to Work contract to the Working Well Trust, which meet justifications 6a and 6b as follows - firstly, they will be required to deliver at pace, meeting ambitious commitments from commencement of this contract. The purpose of the initial extension to IPSPC was to allow existing provision to continue to meet the high demands of IPSPC. No other provider can realistically deliver this programme to the expectations of DWP. Secondly, the contracting authority does not want to set up a competitive provider to the existing IPSPC contract which could undermine existing investment in the borough. Employability funding is already fragmented and it is important that the contracting authority ensures a joint-up approach to commissioned programmes locally to avoid creating a complex local offer for residents, which can be challenging to navigate. The purpose of the initial extension from DWP/DHSC for IPSPC was to ensure there was no gap in local provision and allow a Connect to Work contract to ramp up as IPSPC ramp down. Appointing a new provider would undermine the initial proposal for extending the IPSPC contract. And finally, the Working Well Trust has and continues to be integrated with local health services through engagement with primary care through IPSPC and other IPS programmes that have been delivered locally. The Working Well Trust delivers the WorkWell Pilot, which has the possibility of an extension and national roll-out. The WorkWell Pilot is designed specifically to compliment provision in the borough. A new and separate provider delivering Connect to Work would have the potential risk of creating a disjointed local offer.

Other Information

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