Connect to Work

The recently launched "Get Britain Working" White Paper outlines the Government's strategy to invest £240m to support this ambition and help improve workplace health and keep people in work, including trials of combined public services for those out of work due to ill health. The strategy will bring fundamental reform that transforms relationships with local areas and ensures a strong foundation of partnership working to support people into good, sustainable work.

Connect to Work is the first major element of the Get Britain Working Strategy. It will take a collaborative, locally led approach to tackling 'Hidden Unemployment'. It will help connect local work, health and skills support. The funding provides a coherent, systematic and joined up approach to maximise the benefits available for individuals and local communities.

Connect to Work will support the wider development of locally planned systems to drive growth, working jointly with the Government. It will be an important strand in local plans to tackle inactivity and expand employment opportunity. By encouraging join up between health systems and employment support, Connect to Work will support those, primarily, currently outside the workforce and facing greater labour market disadvantages, to stay in work and get back into work. In turn, supporting the Government's ambition for a more inclusive economy, supporting local people to realise their potential and supporting local and national growth.

Connect to Work will provide out of work participants with intensive employment support for up to 12 months. It will also include support for up to 4 months for people in-work who are at risk of losing their job. The support will be based on the well evidenced Individual Placement and Support (IPS) or Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF) Fidelity models as appropriate to the participant. Help will include early access to jobs based on job preferences, access to a wide range of support including job and skills matching, on the job training and help to sustain employment, which might include job coaching at work, training, support from a workplace mentor and regular workplace reviews. Support will be provided to the employer as well as the participant. Connect to Work will also provide tailored self-employment support where appropriate.

The planned duration of the programme is 5 years commencing 2025/26 and completing at the end of 2029/30 subject to government spending reviews.

The key objective of this Invitation to Tender is to enter into a framework agreement with Providers to provide services to Staffordshire County Council to enable it to place orders via lots for the delivery of the Connect to Work programme in accordance with the latest guidance documents and technical notes published by DWP.

The total programme starts targets for Staffordshire for the 5 year period 2025/26 to 2029/30 are 3,334 (2,501 IPS starts, 833 SEQF starts.)

The total out of work/in work starts targets for Staffordshire for the 5 year period 2025/26 to 2029/30 are 2,834 Out of Work, 500 In Work.

The estimated total value of this procurement is £10,708,010 over 5 years 2025/26 to 2029/30 subject to government spending review. (VAT costs do not constitute Allowable Costs, and the Delivery Partner shall not claim any VAT under the Call-off contracts.)

The £10,708,010 figure reflects the total value of this procurement that SCC may deploy as part of this activity including any possible contract extensions. The value of the procurement has been calculated to reflect the anticipated requirement for the Services as specified at this time.

On the 1st of September (1-3.30pm) at Staffordshire Place 1 in Stafford (ST16 2DH), a 'Bidders Day' session will take place, inviting interested organisations to attend and learn more about the delivery of Connect to Work in Staffordshire. Various organisations expressing an interest in being either a Prime Provider or sub-contractor for the delivery of the Connect to Work programme in Staffordshire, are invited to use this event as an opportunity to speak with the project team but also network with each other. Please refer to the 'ITT Procurement Pack - READ ME FIRST' document (page 5) for details on how to register.