Connect to Work
A Tender Notice
by NORFOLK COUNTY COUNCIL
- Source
- Find a Tender
- Type
- Contract (Services)
- Duration
- 3 year
- Value
- £9M
- Sector
- BUSINESS
- Published
- 24 Jun 2025
- Delivery
- 25 Aug 2025 to 25 Aug 2028
- Deadline
- 29 Jul 2025 23:59
Concepts
Location
1 buyer
- Norfolk County Council Norwich
Description
Are you passionate about making a difference in the community? Norfolk County Council is excited to announce an incredible opportunity to partner with us on the Connect to Work programme. This initiative aims to break down barriers to employment and provide sustainable job opportunities for individuals with complex needs. By joining forces with us, you'll not only help transform lives but also contribute to the growth and productivity of our local economy. What is Connect to Work - The Get Britain Working White Paper - GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/get-britain-working-white-paper/get-b...) , released in November 2024, introduced the key supported employment programme Connect to Work, which aims to help eligible individuals secure sustainable, long-term employment. Currently, it is estimated that there are about 3 million economically inactive people in the UK, of whom 1.9million people would like to work, but require support to do so. Norfolk County Council is expected to support 1200 individuals (annually in peak years) at an anticipated and average cost of £3.6million per year, delivered over an initial three-year period, with the opportunity to extend to 4.5 years. Connect to Work will help connect local work, health and skills support and help eligible participants to secure sustainable work through a voluntary supported employment model, adhering to Individual Placement & Support (IPS) and Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF) frameworks. Through this, Connect to Work will expand the use of the proven five stage Supported Employment model of 'place, train and maintain'. How will it be managed and delivered? Norfolk County Council is the Accountable Body for Connect to Work. Working with the Department for Work and Pensions, Norfolk County Council will oversee the Connect to Work programme including procuring and managing delivery partner(s) to provide sufficient high-quality support to participants and employers to make the programme a success. Our ambition is to deliver this programme in partnership with high-quality provider(s), who are able to meet set targets for supporting economically inactive adults across Norfolk into work. We are looking for delivery partner(s) with demonstrable experience of providing employment support which delivers to both individuals with complex barriers, and employers who will provide the sustainable jobs. All partner(s) that succeed in the selection process will deliver the IPS approach in supporting participants and clearly demonstrate their capacity to do so in the application process. Successful bidders will illustrate their capacity to integrate Connect to Work in chosen locality(s), aligning the programme effectively to local community/VCSE and primary care health settings. Providers will engage with participants directly, establishing visible referral opportunities for the range of eligible programme participants. Further, the successful bidders must show developed relationships with employers within the chosen (or a commutable distance given the target audience) with the ability to identify employment opportunities and support employers to provide successful, sustainable job outcomes. Further information about the programme and monitoring arrangements which will be required of partners can be found in the: Connect to Work: Grant Guidance for England -https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/connect-to-work/connect-to-work-grant-guidance-for-england The IPS delivery model is available below: https://ipsgrow.org.uk/about/ Previous Engagement NCC have previously introduced the emerging Connect to Work programme, on the occasions below: The Great Yarmouth Health & Wellbeing Partnership (17th March 2025) VCSE Workshop (29th January 2025) These events were primarily introducing discussion on the Get Britain Working Local Plan, the overarching employment strategy, of which Connect to Work will play an important delivery role.
Lot Division
| 1 | 1
North Norfolk |
| 2 | 2
Breckland |
| 3 | 3
Broadland & South Norfolk |
| 4 | 4
King’s Lynn & West Norfolk |
| 5 | 5
Great Yarmouth |
| 6 | 6
Norwich |
Renewal Options
2 x 1 year
Award Criteria
| F1.1 The Service | Please describe how you propose to deliver this service in line with • the IPS fidelity requirements set out in Annex 2a to the Service Specification, • the Service Specification as a whole, and • the eight key principles of delivery described therein, and • how you will deliver it across the delivery area of each lot you are applying for (max 2 lots). If you propose to use sub-contractors to deliver any part of the service, describe the specialisms of those sub-contractors and how the service will be as seamless as possible for Participants. The maximum size of the response to this question is 2500 words. Any responses or that limit will not be assessed. Only the part up to 2500 words will be assessed. |
| F1.2 Participant Engagement | Participants of this programme may face multiple inequalities. Organisations will need to take equality into consideration and demonstrate how they will engage with residents often most disadvantaged within communities. Please describe how you will effectively engage with the eligible cohorts in the locality, in your service providing support and access to the programme. Please describe the screening process you will undertake of Participants including timescales, how you will ensure that Participants are suitable for triage referral and potential entry to the programme. Please outline your knowledge of the barriers faced by the eligible cohorts within the Locality or Localities you are applying for, outlining your proposed methods to reduce/remove these and the resident's entry to the programme. Please include in your response the participant journey and the local, accessible services that will be involved in that journey. (The maximum size of the response to this question is 2500 words. Any responses or that limit will not be assessed. Only the part up to 2500 words will be assessed.) |
| F1.3 Stakeholder Engagement/Local Integration | Please describe how you will engage with the key stakeholders in the Locality or Localities for your which your applying, ensuring referral routes and any additional support measures are available to participants. Recognising community networks as critical to providing wrap around support for residents and working collaboratively with new & existing community groups - please outline your considerations to the key services /organisations currently available in the Locality. In building effective links between communities and local opportunities including specialist support, training, volunteering, and work placements - Please describe how you will integrate Connect to Work provision in the Locality, ensuring the fullest opportunity for resident access. Please outline how the CtW provision might support other Health, VCSE & Community organisations in the Locality, providing guided routes to employment for participants and the sharing of best collaborative practice in the geography. Please describe your current provision and in-situ partnerships in the locality – outlining your present opportunity on which to develop the above. The maximum size of the response to this question is 2500 words. Any responses or that limit will not be assessed. Only the part up to 2500 words will be assessed. |
| F1.4 Project implementation and Performance | Please describe how you will ready the service for start on 1 October 2025, allowing for staff training, and provide a project plan highlighting key dates, dependencies and milestones, and any mobilisation support you will require from NCC staff. Please also describe how you propose to support the required number of Participants in the time provided by the funding. Please describe how and when you will monitor the performance of the contract and the reporting that you will provide on outcomes of the interventions. The maximum size of the response to this question is 2500 words. Any responses or that limit will not be assessed. Only the part up to 2500 words will be assessed. |
| F1.5 Social Value | Please provide a method statement as to how you will provide social value and impact from the Locality/s provision. In line with DWP priorities we would anticipate the Tackling of Economic Inactivity and provision of Equal Opportunities to be key social value aims. The maximum size of the response to this question is 2500 words. Any responses or that limit will not be assessed. Only the part up to 2500 words will be assessed. |
CPV Codes
- 98110000 - Services furnished by business, professional and specialist organisations
- 98000000 - Other community, social and personal services
- 79600000 - Recruitment services
- 79611000 - Job search services
Indicators
- Restrictions apply to the lot award allocation.
- Renewals are available.
Other Information
** PREVIEW NOTICE, please check Find a Tender for full details. **
Reference
- ocds-h6vhtk-052828
- FTS 034804-2025