The Work Programme

What is the Work Programme?

In June 2010, the Government announced a radical reform of the way welfare to work services would be delivered in the future. The Work Programme consolidates and replaces many of the existing programmes delivered by providers such as A4e.

The main changes in approach are:

• introducing larger and longer term contracts for providers;
• a single programme for customers with earlier access for some people after 6 months of unemployment and inclusion of young people;
• a move to differential pricing with more money for the harder to help; and
• payment for outcomes using the savings from the revised approach to benefit payments to fund long term sustainable jobs (1, 2 and 3 years).

A4e are now preferred suppliers for Work Programme Prime Contractors in the following areas:

• South East (CPA9)
• London (CPA4)
• East Midlands (CPA2)
• North West (CPA6)
• Yorkshire & Humber (CPA17)

We also deliver the Work Programme as a subcontractor in parts of Scotland, the North East, Surrey Sussex and Kent, Wales and West Yorkshire.

The size and scale of the Work Programme contracts means that A4e’s approach of working with a broad range of partners from the public, private and third sector organisations will be more important than ever. Find out more information about our approach to Partnerships for the Work Programme.

Contact the Department of Work and Pensions if you want to find out more about the work programme.

A4e works closely with Government and have aligned ourselves with the DWP’s approach to the procurement of employment-related services.

A4e Delivery Partner Framework

After a competitive tendering exercise the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced that we had been included in the DWP Framework Contract (known as the Employment Related Support Services Contract), across seven regions;

• North East.
• North West.
• Yorkshire and Humber.
• East Midlands.
• East of England.
• London.
• South East.

The Framework Contract award allows us to become a preferred supplier for future tender opportunities; the first was the Work Programme.

In response the the DWPs own Framework Contract approach, A4e has developed our own Delivery Partner Framework which will offer a number of advantages for the government, A4e and particularly for you, our potential Partners. The A4e Delivery Partner Framework will:

• simplify and significantly reduce the time and cost of applying for individual opportunities – this is a one off call for Partners to support A4e in delivering employment-related services (although we do reserve the right to re-open this process at a later date should the need arise). By asking for this information now and agreeing preferred Partners we will only need shorter more focussed competitions amongst the Framework for future tender opportunities.
• drive up performance and value for money – by increasing competition amongst our supply chain during the selection process as well as enabling A4e to address poor performance during delivery and reward those that perform to a consistently high level.
• be more efficient and responsive – by selecting preferred Partners on to our Framework, we can respond more quickly to new opportunities with increasingly short bidding windows, focusing on the essential information we need to select the right Partners for each opportunity.

Framework Selection process

In line with DWP’s Code of Conduct, the Merlin Standard and A4e’s commitment to working with a broad range of partners from all sectors we have designed our Delivery Partner Framework application and selection process to ensure that it is open, transparent, clear and consistent for all.

All Framework questionnaires will be evaluated by A4e’s Regional Teams against the following criteria:

• Organisational Capacity & Capability
• Financial Viability
• Quality
• Experience & Track Record

How to get involved?

A4e Delivery Partner Framework has now been completed for the Work Programme. However, opportunities may occur in the future as the customer profile changes.

If your organisation has the experience and track record to deliver the entire customer journey from referral, initial assessment to sustained employment in a specific geographic area or to a specific customer group:

• Register or access your previous registration on our online Partnership database.
• If your organisation is unable to deliver the entire customer journey but can deliver specialist services for customers you may want to consider the Work Programme Specialist Interventions.

Work Programme Specialist Interventions

The Work Programme aims to provide even greater freedom for suppliers to give people the support they need rather than following a prescribed one-size-fits-all programme from the centre.

In line with DWP’s Code of Conduct, the Merlin Standard and A4e’s commitment to working with a broad range of partners from all sectors we have already identified our Specialist Intervention Partners for the Work Programme.

A4e are highly experienced in delivering a ‘black box’ approach and have worked with a broad range of partners to deliver the interventions that our customers need to move them towards sustainable employment. Below are some examples of our Intervention Partners, however, at A4e we are always looking for innovative ways to support our customers so if your service(s) don’t fit into one of the above categories, don’t worry – you just need to tell us about your service and how it will ‘improve people’s lives’.

Want to get involved:
Opportunities may occur in the future as the customer profile changes. So if your organisation is able to provide specialist service(s) to one or more of the above customer groups that will help them to overcome their barriers and move towards sustainable employment, please get in touch.

Opportunities may occur in the future as the customer profile changes. So if your organisation is able to provide specialist service(s) to one or more of the above customer groups that will help them to overcome their barriers and move towards sustainable employment, please get in touch.

Register or access your previous registration on our online Partnership database