143. cpa5 avanta tender

8/3/2019 143. CPA5 Avanta Tender

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RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE

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EMPLOYMENT RELATED SUPPORT SERVICESFRAMEWORK AGREEMENT

MINI COMPETITIONS FOR THE PROVISION OFTHE WORK PROGRAMME

Invitation to Tender Form

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Tender Round title: The Work Programme

Organisation Name: Avanta Enterprise Ltd

Lot: North East

Contract Package Area (CPA): CPA5 North EastNorth EastNorthumbriaSouth Tyne and Wear ValleyTees Valley

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PART 1: ORGANISATION DETAILS

[1.1] Your response to Part 1 is for information purposes only. If any of this informationhas changed since the Framework Agreement application stage, please state this withinthe table below including a short explanation as to why. If you cannot provide any of theinformation below please explain this within the table.

DWP will not be responsible for contacting anyone other than the persons named in thispart of your form. If any of this information changes during the bidding period you mustinform DWP of the changes by email to:[email protected]

Name of the Legal Entity in whose name thistender is submitted and with whom DWP willcontract:

Avanta Enterprise Ltd

Trading Name (if different from above): Throughout this document we useAvanta to represent AvantaEnterprise Ltd.

This includes TNG which is Avantasrecognised brand and trading namewithin the welfare and employmentsector.

Company Registration Number: 5722765

Company Registered address: 196 Great Cambridge RoadEnfield

MiddlesexEN1 1UQ

Head Office Address, if different: As above

VAT Registration Number: 674739684

Website Address (if any): www.avanta.uk.com

Name, address and company registration numberof parent company, where applicable:

Not applicable

Name and Job Title of main contact: [Redacted]

Director of Business DevelopmentAddress: 196 Great Cambridge Road

EnfieldMiddlesexEN1 1UQ

Telephone no: [Redacted]

Mobile telephone no: [Redacted]

Fax no: [Redacted]

E-mail address: [Redacted]

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mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Alternative contact Name and Job Title: [Redacted]

Address (if different from above): Unit 3 Rossmore Business VillageRossmore Business ParkInward WayEllesmere Port

CheshireCH65 3EN

Telephone no: [Redacted]

Mobile telephone no: [Redacted]

Contact e-mail: [Redacted]

PART 2: TENDERER DECLARATION

[2.1] You must complete this Declaration by Tenderer. Failure to include this declarationmay 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 andundertake 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 andthe clarifications issued during the Invitation to Tender period.

2. We have completed and submitted all information required in the Invitation toTender Form in the format and order required.

3. We confirm the information set out in our response is complete and accurate to thebest of our knowledge and belief.

4. We hereby acknowledge and agree that we have read, understand and accept theWork Programme Call-Off Terms and Conditions, the Work Programme Specification

and the draft Order Form.

Scanned Signature:[Redacted]

Date: 13th February 2011

Name: [Redacted]

Job Title: Director of Business Development

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Duly authorised to sign Tenders on behalf of:[Redacted]

Name of Organisation: Avanta Enterprise Ltd

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PART 3: THE WORK PROGRAMME CALL-OFF CONTRACT TERMS ANDCONDITIONS - ALTERNATIVE AND/OR ADDITIONAL CLAUSES

[3.1]

3.1 The terms and conditions of The Work Programme will be the Standard Call-Off

Terms and Conditions (set out in Schedule 4 of your Framework Agreement), asmodified by The Work Programme service requirements (The Work ProgrammeAdditional Requirements).

3.2 The Work Programme Additional Requirements are set out in the Call-Off Termsand Conditions for The Work Programme which is supplied with your Invitation toTender. A document highlighting the modifications made to the Standard Call-OffTerms and Conditions to reflect The Work Programme Additional Requirements isalso supplied with your Invitation to Tender; for ease of identification, the changesmade since the draft version issued on 8 December 2010 are shown in boxeswithin the document.

3.3 Any proposed amendments to The Work Programme Additional Requirement mustbe detailed by completing the section below, giving full details of the clause(s) youwish to amend and your proposed amendments. DWP will consider proposedamendments strictly on their merits. Please note that you may only proposeamendments to The Work Programme Additional Requirements; proposedamendments to the Standard Call-Off Contract Terms and Conditions will not beconsidered.

Comments on The Work Programme Additional Requirements: -

MINI COMPETITION ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS (For Framework SupplierComments only)

No. of the clause(s) youwish to amend

Proposed amendment with proposed wording

Clause 2.10.5:The Contracting Body shallmonitor the PrimeContractors (and any Sub-contractors) performance ofthe Services to assess

compliance with CompetitionLaw. Where (in thereasonable opinion of theContracting Body), thePrime Contractor (or anyAffiliate or any of the PrimeContractors Group) or anySub-contractor has or mayhave engaged in anyagreement, arrangement,practice or conduct which

would amount to aninfringement of CompetitionLaw, without prejudice to

Explanation of proposed amendment: Avantaunderstands and accepts that breach of Competition Lawis a serious situation requiring remedy. In an instance ofAvanta breaching Competition Law then we accept thatthis should lead to termination rights for the ContractingBody. However in the case of a Sub-contractor committing

such a breach we believe that Avanta should be requiredto terminate the subcontractor and that Avanta should beobliged to put in place remedial actions to replace theSubcontractor, without termination of the Prime Contract.

Proposed wording: Avanta requests that DWP removereferences to the Subcontractor from Clause 2.10.5 andinsert an additional Clause 2.10.6 as follows:Where (in the reasonable opinion of the ContractingBody), any Sub-contractor has or may have engaged inany agreement, arrangement, practice or conduct which

would amount to an infringement of Competition Law, theContracting Body may require the Prime Contractor toterminate the Sub-contract with immediate effect.

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any other rights or remediesthat the Contracting Body

has under the Contract theContracting Body shall beentitled to terminate theContract with immediateeffect and without liability bynotice in writing to the PrimeContractor

7.1.1 Nothing in theContract shall be construedto limit or exclude eitherParty's liability... (k) for any

claim under Clause 8.5.2

(8.5.2 states Where thePrime Contractor terminatesthe Contract under Clause8.3 (Break), the ContractingBody may recover from thePrime Contractor the costreasonably incurred ofmaking other arrangementsfor the supply of Servicesand any additionalexpenditure incurred by theContracting Body throughoutthe remainder of theContract Period. TheContracting Body shall takeall reasonable steps tomitigate such additionalexpenditure.)

Explanation of proposed amendment: Avantaunderstands that DWP would wish to recover re-procurement costs from the Prime Contractor in the eventof the Prime Contractor terminating under Clause 8.5.2,

and the additional cost of procuring replacement Servicesfor the remainder of the Contract Period. However, Avantabelieves that an unlimited liability is disproportionate andthat carrying this exposure is too detrimental to the PrimeContractor proposing best value for money Services

Proposed wording: Avanta requests deletion of Clause7.1.1 (k) such that the limit of liability for events underClause 8.5.2 is within the 20m limit.

8.3 Break

Either Party shall have theright to terminate theContract at any time bygiving the other at least 12(twelve) Months' writtennotice.

Explanation of proposed amendment: Avanta

understands that there may be circumstances in which theDWP is unable to continue with the Work Programme (forexample, for a change of government policy). Weunderstand therefore that DWP must retain the right toterminate voluntarily. In such a situation this couldpotentially mean that the Prime Contractor could fail torealise a large proportion of its planned revenue. This is anacceptable risk to Avanta. However, in the early stages ofthe contract term Avantas financial exposure may bebeyond that represented by 12 months revenue. We wouldtherefore request that the Authority consider whether the

immediate business future is sufficiently certain to allow itto forgo this right for an initial period. This proposedamendment is in line with OGC guidance.

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Proposed wording: Avanta requests that the Clause is re-

worded as follows:"Either Party may terminate the Contract at any time bygiving the other at least 12 (twelve) Months' written noticeexpiring no sooner than the second anniversary of theCommencement Date.

Other than those provisions identified above, Avanta Enterprise Ltd confirms that it hasreviewed the Call-Off Terms and Conditions for The Work Programme and agrees inprinciple to each of their provisions.

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Name: [Redacted]

Scanned Signature:

[Redacted]

Position: Director of Business Development

Telephone No: [Redacted]

Date: 13th February 2011

DWP reserves the right to amend any provisions of The Work Programme AdditionalRequirements at any time during the mini-competition procurement exercise.

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PART 4: SERVICE REQUIREMENT

NOTE: MINIMUM SCORE APPLIES TO ALL QUESTIONS THAT ATTRACT A SCORE WITHINTHIS SECTION. BIDS SCORING 2 OR LESS ON ANY QUESTION WITHIN THIS SECTIONWILL BE REMOVED FROM THE COMPETITION. PLEASE NOTE SCORES ATTAINED INTHIS SECTION MAY ALSO BE USED IN A TIE-BREAK SITUATION WHERE APPROPRIATE.

[4.1] Customer Journey - Process

Please submit a process map showing the proposed end to end customer journey(s) andattach the process map as Annex 1.

This should include a detailed supporting description of the customer journey(s) specific tothis CPA. Your response must describe how you will ensure the customer journey istailored to meet the specific needs and barriers of individual customers, and include thecustomer requirements defined in the Specification.

Please note your response to this question will not be scored but will act as areference point for the scoring of questions 4.1a and 4.1b

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

Note: Format requirement and page limit does not apply to the process map which youmust insert as Annex 1.

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4.1Description of Avantas Work Programme Customer JourneyThe key stages of Avantas integrated customer journey are detailed below. Each of thestages corresponds to those highlighted within Annex 1. The journey is based on threetypes of support; Employment Consultants who will assess needs and plan the journey,Job Coaches, who will support preparation into work and Career Coaches, who will

deliver in work support. We will deliver 47% of this activity directly and 53% through oursub-contractors,Stage 1. Engaging customers: making the referral process simple and personalOur customer journey has two entry points. Firstly, engaging with customers following adirect referral through the PRaP system; and secondly, Warm referral, working closelywith a customers Jobcentre Plus Adviser at a local level where possible. We will workwith JCP staff to ensure our marketing and customer engagement activity engagesvoluntary and mandatory Work Programme customers. We will:

Segment marketing materials for different customer groups the messages,content and detail of our marketing materials (leaflets, social media, local advertising,partners and our website) will be tailored to the different Work Programme customer

groups. For example, for the early entry NEET customers, our materials will detailwork experience and volunteering opportunities. All marketing materials will bedesigned to manage expectations and highlight directly relevant opportunities andmake use of a youth orientated creative identity.

Co-locate and collaborate with Jobcentre Plus following discussions and feedbackfrom Jobcentre Plus through [Redacted](Customer Services Director) and [Redacted]

(External Relations), we will look to co-locate wherever possible, to directly engagewith customers within Jobcentres, reduce infrastructure costs, reduce complexity andenable us to drive up the referral to attachment ratio.

Following referral through PRaP, customers will be contacted by phone within 48 hours towelcome them to the Work Programme, participate in a telephone interview and thenarrange a face to face appointment with an Employment Consultant. The interview will beat a time that meets customer needs (from 8am to 7pm Monday to Friday), and will last forapproximately 45 minutes. The interview will cover CV, work experience, qualifications,length of unemployment/worklessness, and any access issues. These results will be usedin selecting an appropriate Employment Consultant and sent directly to the allocatedEmployment Consultant to ensure the first face to face contact is tailored to thecustomers needs. Details of the nearest delivery location will be given to the customer,and a welcome pack sent to their home address. If required, five attempts will be made tocontact customers, utilising relevant communication methods to meet customer needs

(e.g. large print information by post, email and text). If, we have failed to engage with acustomer, we will contact JCP with evidence of the attempted contacts.

During the telephone interview customers will be given personal login details to ourJobApps website. This offers a wide range of self help tools (including Money MOT,Making Change Work for You and Your Place, Your Community), and direct access toour live job vacancy dashboard.

Stage 2. Identifying and Understanding Customer Needs and BarriersWithin 7 days of their referral date all customers will be invited to an initial Insightmeeting; a face to face dialogue and needs assessment between the customer and an

Employment Consultant. Lasting up to 90 minutes and taking place at a time and placethat suits the customer, the outcome of the Insight meeting will be a jointly agreed andsigned Action Plan triggering an attachment fee through the PRaP system. The Insight

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[4.1a] Customer Journey - Rationale

Please describe in detail:

your rationale for your proposed Customer Journey(s) detailed abovein 4.1 within this CPA; and

the benefits to the individual customer groups of this approach.

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

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4.1aOur Rationale for the Customer Journey in the North East CPAOur strategy in designing the customer journey has been to draw on evidence of whatworks locally - in local community settings and with local customer groups. We haveworked collaboratively in customer journey design - with local workless residents, oursupply chain, local strategic stakeholders and local staff from across the CPA. Our

rationale for key aspects of the customer journey is detailed below, highlighting why this isthe right customer journey for customers in the North East CPA.

Rationale for Avantas Customer Referral, Assessment and Action PlanningTogether with our supply chain, we have invested in the early stages of our customer journey to maximise the impact and effectiveness of the first interactions betweencustomers and the Work Programme.Our rationale for key aspects of the first stages ofthe customer journey includes:

Efficiency and customer understanding through multi-channel delivery -we havepiloted telephone interviews following referral within our Pathways to Work deliverywith IB/ESA customers. It has increased job entry achievement within month one of

referral by 9.65%, because we can better tailor and personalise the first face to faceinteraction. For example, it means we can offer vacancies that match customer jobaspirations within the first 1-2-1 Insight meeting.

High quality needs assessment and action planning - we are equippingEmployment Consultants with a wider range of diagnostic tools (paper based andonline), to generate instant and detailed reports to better inform the Action Plan. Inaddition, we are capturing more detailed information about customer needs andrequirements to measure distance travelled. A pilot within our Flexible New Dealservice has shown that better diagnostic tools increase the accuracy of the ActionPlan; job entries within three months of referral have increased by 5.8%.

Subcontractors have been required to demonstrate the quality and impact of theirdiagnostic tools.

Improved resource planning and customer motivation through time boundactivities -together with our subcontractors, we have refined the Action Plan so that itgenerates clear time bound activities (mandatory or voluntary) and an expected jobentry date. Feedback from customers on existing welfare programmes (67% ofcustomers interviewed) shows that they believed that time bound activities increasedmotivation, as they werent languishing on a programme, or waiting for the nextcourse. It also enables us to performance manage Job Coaches against agreedmilestones.

Rationale for Avantas Service Directory & pre-work interventionsWe have built, together with our supply chain, a Service Directory that has been designedto address the specific needs of customers in the North East CPA and the individualcharacteristics and challenges of the local labour markets in the area. The table belowhighlights our rationale for different services in the area that will enable us to meet allcustomer needs.

Targe

tedsupport

Ministry of Justice statistics (Dec 2010) show that 64% of youngoffenders reoffend within one year. Northumbria and Tees Valley ProbationService will provide employment and support to help them reintegrate back into the labour market. Financial Inclusion, Research by CAB (2009) showed that on average

people in the poorest households had between 5-6 debts. Five Lamps willoffer low interest loans to disadvantaged families to consolidating existingdebt.

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4.1a (continued)

Improv

ings

kills

20% of people in Middlesbrough have no qualifications (7% above UKaverage). Avanta will work with Middlesbrough Council Adult Education toequip people with basic skills (literacy & numeracy).

Sunderland City College will work with Nissan to equip customers with

literacy and numeracy skills, interview techniques and aptitude skills to workin their plant.

Ge

tting

experience

On average over 60% of ESA claimants in Durham are aged between 25-49 and have limited or no job experience. BTCV will deliver environmentalprogrammes and equip customers with practical workplace experience. In Hartlepool, over 11.1% of economically inactive customers want a job(3% higher than the national average). SNCBC offer over 200 voluntaryopportunities through Sunderland CVS.

Finding

jobs

In Gateshead there are 7.1 claimants per unfilled JCP vacancy.Gateshead Council will host four job fairs per year aimed at the retail andservice sector with over 120 employers exhibiting and offering live vacanciesin the Metro and Tees Valley Retail World. Derwentside Training will use a customised pre employment trainingpackage in tandem with Tesco and Sainsburys that covered key topicsincluding First Aid, Food & Hygiene, Customer Service and Health & Safety.This resulted in over 200 jobs created over the 2 years.

Rationale for Avantas in work support model, Avanta AdvantageAvantas in work support service, Advantage, will offer more personalised in worksupport to customers enabling our delivery teams to more effectively stay in touch,support customers and enable them to progress in the workplace. Our rationale for our

approach is as follows: Dialogue with customers about in work support and progression starts from the first

Insight meeting. This helps position the Work Programme much more about careerprogression and development, rather than job placement.

Risk assessments of customers ability to stay in work will help determine the leveland nature of in work support. For example, customers that have experienced achaotic lifestyle without much work experience will receive more intensive face to facesupport, particularly from mentors. Customers with more work experience andsupportive social networks will likely receive lighter touch support.

We are branding and resourcing our in work support service separately from prework, so that customers graduate on to the service. Feedback from our in work

support pilot within our Employment Zone delivery has highlighted that over half ofcustomers that sustain work for more than three months would prefer not to stay intouch with an employment programme, as they would rather move on or forgetabout being on benefits. By branding it separately and offering a holistic service thatincludes mentoring, qualifications, immediate hotline support, customers felt thatthey would be 35% more likely to stay in touch.

We recognise that customers may move into and out of multiple jobs within theirallotted time, so quick and effective re-employment (particularly in areas withseasonal employment characteristics) will drive sustainability. By partnering withinnovative re-employment partners such as jobinasecond.co.uk, we can use

technology to stay in touch with customers, find them work quickly, and meetemployer needs.

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4.1a (continued)Benefits of the Customer Journey for Customers in the CPATogether with our supply chain and strategic stakeholders in the CPA, we have developeda customer journey that will meet the needs of customers in every locality and community.

We have adopted the following strategy to ensure customer needs in every locality arefully addressed: Isolation: In County Durham, Derwentside Training use Jobcarz, a scheme which

allows the customer the opportunity to rent a car at a subsidised rate once they entersustainable employment. This enables them to effectively commute to work and makethe successful transition from economic activity to employment.

Accessibility: Five Lamps have five offices strategically situated across the mostdeprived areas of Stockton located within 30 minutes of public transport and operatingflexible hours (7.30am-9.30pm) to incorporate flexible family lifestyles.

Travel to Work Planning: Utilising our Geographical Information System (GIS) we areable to give each customer a personalised Travel to Work Plan that maps out routes

and journeys (through public transport) across the boundaries they would be preparedto travel to. This includes identifying employers customers would like to work for andcalculating the Travel to Work radius.

The design of our customer journey will also enable us to meet the very specific needs ofdifferent customer groups in the North East CPA. Our analysis suggests that customers inthe area face the following specific issues and challenges:

Ex offenders MoJ statistics (Dec, 2010) show the North East has the highestrate of reoffending and percentage of Community Orders (5,028) in the UK. Avanta willdeliver the Inside Outside programme for Kirklevington Prison to engage offenders anduse self employment as a labour market routeway to break the cycle of reoffending. Ex Miliatry Personnel-The community veterans support pilot in County Durhamoffers support when a GP is concerned that they do not fully understood the militarybackground to a veterans problem or who wishes specialist advice on the treatmentoptions. This will include trauma treatment and condition management. Learning Difficulties Mencap (2010) reported that reported that only 1 in 10people with a learning disability are in employment. As partner of Hartlepool Works,Mencap will provide help and support through supported living, supported employment,respite services, organised activities, systemic and individual advocacy, and outreachsupport.

Further evidence of how we will meet and benefit all customer groups in the CPA isdetailed in the table below.

Customer Need Benefit of Journey

JSA18-2

4Research by County DurhamCouncil found fourth generationunemployment In Ashington.Barrier- Culture of worklessness and lowaspiration.

Derwentside Training will deliver theOvercoming Hurdles programme (18-24s)which addresses barriers to work combinedwith practical work experience with a localemployer.

JS

A25+ 52% of the working age

population in the North East are

aged between 25-49. The NorthEast Employer Coalitionhighlighted a lack of transferable

Across our supply chain we will deliverpersonalised employment routeways that

provide customers with ring fenced jobopportunities to help them back into the labourmarket. For example we have placed over 25

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skills as the primary barrierBarrier - Transferable skills.

people in employment with Subway over thelast 12 months.

4.1a (continued)

JSAEa

rly

En

try In the North East approximately

8% (1.5% higher than the U.Kaverage) of working age benefit

recipients are Carers (24,600).Barrier: Lack of respite servicesand skills

Headlight Sunderland will offer a number ofservices to Carers including respite, flexibletraining and person centred approaches

JSAex-I

B 20% of economically inactivecustomers in Darlington do notwant a job.Barrier: Resistance to enteringthe labour market

Darlington Association on Disability willprovide volunteering opportunities within thecommunity including: administration andreception work, computing, to develop skillsin education, training or leisure activities.

ES

AFlow 50% of ESA customers have on

average three underlying healthconditionsBarrier: Multiple Health barriers

Healthcare RM will work with the customer tounderstand underlying health problemsthrough their condition managementprogramme.

ESAex-I

B

In Redcar & Cleveland fourwards are in the top 5%nationally where people sufferfrom muscoskeletal disorder(DWP May, 2010).Barrier: Physical Disability

Through Redcar Development Trust, RedcarNHS Trust will provide multidisciplinaryassessments including diagnosis andtreatment of peripheral joint and soft tissueconditions. They will also support customerswith complex multiple pathologies includingreviewing medication, biomechanicalassessments, rehabilitation advice andprovision of orthotics.

ESAVo

lun

teers Over 80% of ESA customers inGateshead and Newcastle have

been in receipt of ESA for overfive years with over 50% sightedmental health as the primaryillness.Barrier: Long term mentalhealth condition.

Gateshead Council will deliver projectsspecifically designed to support residentsmoving off ESA/IB (targeting those that failedthe PCA and WCT) by providing intensivesupport throughout the customer journeyfrom engagement to in-work support.

IB/IS

Vo

lunte

ers

In the UK only 15% of adultswith autism are in full-time paidemployment and 51% have

been without a job or access tobenefits.Barrier - Disability (Autism)

As part of Disability Works, United Responsewill support customers on the autisticspectrum with specifically tailored

interventions that reflect their needs.

Our customer journey integrates self employment and business start up support for allcustomers within the CPA. Our experience through Pathways to Work, Flexible New Dealand other DWP programmes demonstrates that 20% or more of customers often thosehardest to engage and reach can achieve sustainable outcomes by starting up their ownbusiness. In addition, we have segmented our enterprise offer for different customergroups with particular barriers. For example, Inside Out targets ex-offenders, and offersbusiness start up support alongside barrier resolution and skills development training, inaddition to access to other support services such as mental health.

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[4.1b] Service Requirement

DWP expect all customers to receive a minimum level of service. Please clearly define:

Your minimum service delivery levels for all customers within this CPA;

Your rationale that supports your approach:

How it addresses the needs by customer groups.

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

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4.1bAvantas Minimum Service Levels for all Customer GroupsOur strategy for the Work Programme is to ensure all customers, regardless of benefittype, have access to the same high quality service. The table below details minimumservice levels over the customer journey, for all customers within the CPA. Our minimumservice levels have been agreed with our supply chain and apply to Avanta and each

subcontractor in the CPA.Stage Minimum Service Levels

Refe

rralandEngagement

All JCP centres will be provided with marketing materials for distribution toall customers referred to the Work Programme.

We will contact customers by telephone within 48 hours of referral.

Initial Insight 1-2-1s will be offered within 7 working days of customer contactand confirmed in writing with location details in a Welcome Pack,

All Avanta and subcontractor delivery locations will be within a maximum of30-minutes travel time of the customers home location.

Assessmentand

Action

Plan

Specialist support partners will participate in (or undertake) the initial Insightmeeting to ensure all customer needs are met.

A tried and tested range of diagnostic tools will be used to build a roundedpicture of customer needs, aspirations and career opportunities.

Action Plans will be completed at initial appointment and tailored to theindividual, taking account of all information, assessments and circumstancesand be jointly signed by Avanta and the customer.

Action Plans will identify job goals and time bound activities, interventionsand support and provide stretching milestones for progression.

Action Plans will include an agreed anticipated job start date. Customers will receive a personalised induction to the Work Programme.

OngoingReviewandDevelopment

Customers will have fortnightly contact with delivery staff to monitorprogress,

Activities and Interventions will be selected from the CPAs Service Directoryas required to address customer needs and aspirations,

Customers reasonable expenses (e.g. travel) will be reimbursed promptly, Customers will have access to a discretionary fund for items that will help

them secure and sustain work,

Customers will be referred to appropriate specialist support to addressparticular barriers to work (e.g. for health related condition management),

Customers attendance patterns will be matched to their circumstances.

Mandatory and voluntary participation will be managed within DWP rules.

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Volunteers misuse issues have the secondhighest proportion in receipt ofinactive benefits.

affected by substance misuse, domesticabuse and homelessness to build softskills and get them back into work.

ESA Flow Over 38% of ESA recipients inTyneside are female and havemental health issues.

Wearside Women will offer customersonsite crche facilities, and courses tosupport progression to work.

ESA ex-IB In the ex mining/ industrialareas of Ashingdon andDurham over 60% of formerworkers are claiming ESA/IB.

Northumberland Council will use SalusReturn to Work Services to deliverCondition Management to customerswith an underlying health problem

IB/IS(ESF)

Only 26% of lone parentssustain employment for overthree years.

The Bridge Project will offer customersconfidence building, childcare and peersupport.

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PART 5: SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

[5.1] Delivery Strategy

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Please describe in detail your delivery structure for all elements of the Work Programmeprovision across this CPA and explain why you consider your delivery strategy to be thebest approach for customers in this CPA. You should clearly state how you intend to workwith your sub-contractors and how you will ensure the needs of all your customers,including the hardest to help, are fully addressed from within your supply chain includingvoluntary sector organisations where appropriate.Please also complete:

Annex 2 to show the structure to be put in place within the supply chain todeliver the Work Programme provision in terms of overall percentage ofdelivery, specialism and geographical coverage; and

Annex 3 (Sub-contractor Declaration) for your proposed sub-contractors asappropriate.

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


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5.1Avantas Delivery Structure for the Work ProgrammeOur delivery structure for the Work Programme consists of three key strands; Avantadirect delivery, subcontracted end to end delivery, and call off services delivered byspecialist organisations. An overview of this delivery structure and our rationale follows:Avanta Direct Delivery: Existing Resource, Networks and Insight in the CPA

Avanta will directly deliver 47% of customer volumes in the CPA. We will manage the endto end customer journey (referral from PRaP across the 12 local authority areas). Ourrationale for directly delivering in these areas is as follows:

Strong local performance track record Avanta has experience as DWP Prime-Contractor across the CPA for self-employment and sub contractor for FND with anaverage JER rate of 52%

Substantial delivery infrastructure and resources - Avanta has 5 fully resourcedpremises across Tees Valley and will open a further four new offices to supplementour delivery in Gateshead, North Tyneside, Newcastle and Sunderland, supported by[Redacted] permanent full time Managers, administrators and delivery staff,

Joined up enterprise and skills offer - Avanta will enable people to set up inbusiness, start a social enterprise and access skills when in.

Impact of Customer Needs on delivery structure: South Tyneside TEN run aprogramme in conjunction with Barbour to train Indian women to work in their factory.They combined practical work based employment with on site ESL training. To date,over 12 women have successfully found employment,

Subcontracted end to end delivery: high performing local suppliersWe will subcontract 53% of customer volumes in the CPA to 11 subcontractors that willmanage the end to end customer journey to all customer groups on a geographic specificbasis. Our rationale for choosing our subcontractors is as follows:High performance with the Work Programme customer group, for example:

SNCBC, through their Family Employment Initiative have placed 366 people back in towork (covering the 20% most deprived wards in the city) with a JER Rate of 75% (25%above profile).

Newcastle Futures have supported 430 people to re-enter work through their WorkingNeighbourhood Fund (JER Rate 94%) and sustain for 13 weeks in to work.

Derwentside Training through their DWP ESF routeway are achieving a 60% JER ratein their programme across County Durham.

Substantial experience and understanding of meeting local customer needs:

In the wards of Felling and Bede in Gateshead ESA/IB claimants represent 15% ofthe working age population. Gateshead Council through their Community Outreachprogramme achieves a JER rate of 109% against a contractual target of 50%.

Harlepool Works responded to the economic downturn by developing a FutureJobs Fund Consortium designed to create jobs in the Renewable Energy, hospitality,Green Jobs and Tourism sectors. The 4.7 million project has created over 700 jobsand is on course to exceed its target of 720.

Full geographic coverage to meet the needs of hard to reach customers: Northumberland suffers from rural deprivation through the decline of traditionalmining towns. For example Blyth Valley falls within the top 10% deprived areas in theU.K. Through their network of over 80 premises, Northumberland Council will be able toprovide individually tailored support for customers and communities.

Research conducted by County Durham Council (2010) found that less than 30%

of the population are fully networked. Derwentside will use County Durham Counciloutreach premises that will offer rural and workless communities full ICT access.

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5.1 (continued)Specialist Support Organisations: Meeting the Needs of All CustomersWe will subcontract on a framework (call off) basis with organisations to deliver specificinterventions and address particular customer barriers. Customers requiring specialistsupport (identified during the telephone interview, Insight 1-2-1, Progress Reviews or laterin the customer journey where new or hidden barriers to work are identified), will be

referred to specialist support organisations as part of their Action Plan. Specialist supportorganisations will deliver from their own premises, within our delivery sites and from ourend to end partner locations. We have developed a diverse supply chain enabling us tomeet the needs of customers experiencing social exclusion and multiple disadvantages.The table below highlights some of the partners we will work with to meet the specificneeds of local hardest to help customers in the CPA. In Newcastle, 25% of the population resides in the most deprived wards. To engage

with this cohort Group Newcastle Futures work with over 4,000 customers from themost deprived wards using outreach centres including libraries, GP surgeries andcommunity centres in addition to their own two High Street premises.

BTCV deliver across five different centres in County Durham all within 30 minutes of

public transport. Every location is fully equipped for the needs of each customer. Five Lamps deliver from five multi purpose centres across Stockton delivering a wide

range of intervantions ranging from employability services, counselling and debtadvice. Chief Executive, Len Junier, is a Middlesbrough Councillor, and conductedextensive consultation with local residents and key stakeholders to ensure thebuildings were utilised for the purposes of the local community

We will subcontract on a framework (call off) basis with organisations to deliver specificinterventions and address particular customer barriers. Customers requiring specialistsupport (identified during the telephone interview, Insight 1-2-1, Progress Reviews or laterin the customer journey where new or hidden barriers to work are identified), will bereferred to specialist support organisations as part of their Action Plan. Specialist supportorganisations will deliver from their own premises, within our delivery sites and from ourend to end partner locations. We have developed a diverse supply chain that will enableus to meet the needs of customers experiencing social exclusion and multipledisadvantages. The table below highlights some of the partners we will work with to meetthe specific needs of local hardest to help customers in the CPA.

Customer need in the CPA Solution to address needs

Ex-offenders multiple barriers - 64%report using drugs during the 4 weekperiod before prison and 44% ofoffenders have problems with alcohol

misuse.

The Albert Project in Middlesbrough will workwith customers affected by alcohol and drugmisuse, delivering treatment plans andeducation programs to help them overcome

dependency and address associated issues.Homelessness: The National HousingFederation stated homeless in ruralareas rose by 25 % in the last year.

The North East Federation of Housing provideservices including debt advice, employability,soft and basic skills

Ethnic Minorities: The employmentrate for ethnic minorities is 14% belowthe UK average. The University (30%)and Elswick (24%) wards in the NEhave high populations of worklessness.

Through Newcastle Futures, JET Newcastlewill provide pre vocational training for clientswith English as a second language, culturalawareness training, bespoke delivery and in-work support.

Seven of our end to end subcontractors and twenty four of our specialist supportorganisations are from the voluntary and community sector. The following ta highlightsdirectly delivered and subcontracted services across the North East CPA:

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5.1 (continued)

Organisation Main Delivery Sites % Total CPAVolumes

Avanta Darlington, Middlebrough, Stockton-on-Tees,Newcastle, Redcar & Cleveland, Newcastle,Sunderland, North Tyneside and Gateshead

47%

Newcastle Futures Newcastle-City Centre and Byker 5%BTCV South Tyneside and County Durham 14%

Sunderland NorthCommunityBusiness Centre

Sunderland 8%

RedcarDevelopment Trust

Redcar and Cleveland 1%

Five Lamps Stockton-on-Tees 1%

Resource (NE) North Tyneside 1%

Derwentside

Training

County Durham 8%

South Tyneside TEN South Tyneside 2%

NorthumberlandCouncil

Northumberland 8%

Hartlepool Council Hartlepool 1%Gateshead Council Gateshead City Centre 4%

Rationale for Avantas Delivery Structure in the North East CPAOur delivery structure has been designed to meet the very specific characteristics of theNorth East CPA and the needs and barriers of multiple customer groups across a largeand diverse geographic area. Our chosen delivery structure offers the following benefits:

A supply chain led by local customer needs Hartlepool Works, a consortiumconsisting of 25 partners will offer customer comprehensive packages of interventionsto addresses multiple barriers from the outset of the customer journey.

Full geographic coverage with ease of access Hendon (3.7%) and Southwick(4.2%) in Sunderland have a 3% higher rate of Lone Parents than the UK average.SNCBC will deliver outreach across the area with onsite childcare facilities which arelocated in easily accessible premises at the heart of the most deprived areas.

Delivery from the heart of the most difficult communities NorthumberlandCouncil has the largest Council boundary in the U.K. covering 1,936 miles. Theirinfrastructure of over 40 premises (including outreach) enables them to reach the mostdeprived communities (Wansbeck ranks within the 10% most deprived nationally).

Strategic integration with other public services Levering in the strength ofNorthumberland and Gateshead Council we are able to utilise the full portfolio ofservices delivered across the Council (in line with the expectations of Total Place). Forexample co-location with the PCT, libraries and Community Education.

Value for money through existing community assets and resources Across oursupply chain our partners deliver a number of programmes through different fundingstreams. This allows them to develop and implement interventions and solutions toaddress multiple barriers. Blending a mixture of voluntary, community, public andprivate sector provision together also provides us with a portfolio of properties locatedacross the CPA and within close proximity to public transport.

Demand led solutions that meet local labour market requirements Avanta will

partner with the North East Employer Coalition (with a database of 39,000 businesses)in order to respond positively to trends in the economy enabling us to adjust and adaptour delivery model as the economic climate evolves.

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[5.2] Management Structure

Please provide:

a description of the proposed management structure and how the requiredmanagement skills and expertise, including working with local stakeholders, have

been identified and will be delivered. You should also include a description ofassociated responsibilities and reporting lines ;

a description of how you will work with the management teams of any supply chainorganisations and key delivery partners; and

explain why your management structure is appropriate for the Work Programmewithin this CPA;

Please include an organisation chart (attach as Annex 4) showing the proposed managementstructure for the Work Programme for this CPA.

Insert your response in the pre-set, shaded space of the following pages. Your response

MUST be limited to three sides of A4.

Note: Format requirement and page limit does not apply to the organisation chart(s)which you must insert as Annex 4.

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5.2Management Structure, Skills and Expertise in the CPATogether with our supply chain, we have built a robust, flexible and fit for purposemanagement structure that sets clear lines of responsibility and reporting; integrates oursupply chain partners into our structure and delivery; and maximizes local knowledge,decision making and accountability to drive quality and performance. Our structure, skills

and expertise are detailed below (illustrated within Annex 4):Avantas CPA Management Structure Regional Director, [Redacted]: Accountable to the Director of Employability for CPA

contract delivery and performance. Line manages CPA management team members.Accountable for: contract performance; DWP and Jobcentre Plus liaison; ensuringengagement and effective communication with strategic stakeholders.Skills/Experience: 11 years working in the Welfare to Work sector successfullydelivering large complex contracts across a variety of geographical areas.

Partnership and Performance Managers (x Redacted): Accountable for theperformance of subcontracted services within the CPA, reporting to the RegionalDirector. This role will add value to the Work Programme through capacity planning

and building, relationship management, sharing best practice and improvement.Regional Managers (x Redacted): Reporting to the Regional Director, accountable forthe direct delivery of services and performance and quality indicators on a sub-regionalbasis, covering 9 delivery sites. Example Skills/Experience: [Redacted] , Avanta Regional Manager for the North East has 9 years experience of delivering DWP

programmes including New Deal and Flexible New Deal. Business Managers (x Redacted): Accountable to Regional Managers, responsible

for leadership and management of directly delivered services within a delivery site,including staff management, quality and performance.

Supply Chain Management Structure Subcontractor Operations Managers (x Redacted): during our competitive dialogue

process, we have identified the lead accountable manager within each subcontractororganisation. The lead Manager, Operations Managers (titles vary across the supplychain), will be accountable to Avantas Partnership and Performance Manager,responsible for the performance and quality of subcontractor delivery.

Evidence of Skills, Knowledge and Experience of our supply chain in the CPA

[Redacted]

is the Chief Executive of SNCBC and has over 20 years experience deliveringregeneration projects in the North East including the development andimplementation of Sunderlands Working Neighbourhood Fund.

[Redacted]

is the Head of Strategic Development at Northumberland Council and has over 15years experience working across regeneration projects with specialised understandsof the needs of rural communities.

Avanta and our supply chain management teams in the CPA will be supported by ourRegional Support Team, who will add value to local Work Programme delivery byproviding high quality business support and advice across key functional areas. This willinclude HR Business Partner; Commercial Finance Manager; Quality & PerformanceImprovement Consultant; IT Technician; Health and Safety Adviser; Business Analyst;and Regional Account Manager (employer engagement).

Avantas Executive Management Structure for DWP Services Managing Director, [Redacted] accountable to Avantas Board for three divisions,

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welfare, skills and enterprise. Responsible for strategic development, performanceacross contracts, and national stakeholder engagement.

5.2 (continued)Skills/Experience: ACMA qualified with 20 years experience operating and growingmulti site businesses, including FTSE100 organisations in a range of sectors.

Director of Employability, [Redacted] accountable to the Managing Director for all contracted business with DWP,including the Work Programme performance across all CPAs. Skills/Experience: 15years operational experience including 7 in welfare to work, implementing anddelivering all major DWP initiatives procured in recent years.

DWP Account Director, [Redacted] accountable to the Director of Employability for DWP relationship management,stakeholder engagement in the welfare to work market and relationship management ofkey partners such as learndirect and Citizens Advice. [Redacted]

will be supported by a National Partnership Manager(working across each of ourCPA supply chains). Skills/Experience: 25 years experience in the welfare to work

sector covering public, private and third sector. Used to managing large complexmultisite contracts across England particularly with the IB/ESA/IS customer groups

Director of Quality and Performance, [Redacted] accountable to the Director of Employability for the quality of the customerexperience and the sharing of best practice, in terms of quality and performance,across Avanta and our supply chain. Skills/Experience: 27 years experience in thewelfare, adult learning, and education sectors, with a operational, audit, qualityassurance and inspection experience. Director of Work Programme Business Support, TBA accountable to theDirector of Employability for the quality and performance of Vertexs services, as wellas our national PRaP Referral and Claims Team (including Adminstrators). National Account Manager, TBA accountable to the Director of Employabilityfor national strategic employer engagement, developing long term large scaleaccounts with large employers.

Avantas corporate services will support the delivery of Work Programme services acrosseach CPA. Corporate services that will support both Avanta management teams and oursubcontractors includes:

Programme Office Director responsible for all project activity within Avanta

Group Finance Director responsible for the financial probity and strength of Avanta

Director of Development responsible for delivering Avantas growth strategy

Commercial Director responsible for commercial risk management & modelling

Group HR Director responsible for human resources, learning and development Head of Property & Environment responsible for estates & customer environment

Chief Information Officer responsible for technology and communications

Head of Health & Safety responsible for the safe environment for customers & staff

Information Security Manager responsible for DWP data security across all sitesWorking Collaboratively with Supply Chain Management TeamsAvanta has invested significantly in its supply chain management team. This will enableus to deliver a step change in performance and build a legacy of higher performingorganisations over the lifetime of the contract. We will manage subcontractors through thefollowing:

Partnership and Performance Managers, reporting to the Regional Director, will beaccountable for: managing the performance of subcontractors against agreed KPIs;managing a caseload of subcontractors within the CPA.

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Avantas National Partnership Manager will be responsible for subcontractor policyand procedures; evaluating where and how we can better integrate services;identifying common threads of where things are working; improving contractingarrangements; and feeding lessons learnt into future service design.

5.2 (continued)Examples of how the Partnership and Performance Manager (and our regional support

services) we will work with the management teams of subcontractors across the lifetime ofthe contract are illustrated below:

Des

ign

an

d

Imp

lemen

t Collaborate in customer journey design and prime-subcontractor interaction

Draft and agree joint implementation plans and jointly review progress

Review support and resources required for delivery partners

Deliver joint training to up skill delivery partners and share best practice

Lead subcontractors through the TUPE process

Con

trac

tDe

live

ry

Participation in the Work Programme Advisory Board

Regular face to face contact and dialogue (relationship management)

Structured monthly performance reviews with each subcontractor

Performance information sharing (published online) to maximize awareness Capacity building (training, consultancy, mentoring, technical support)

Taking remedial action to address under performance (action planning)

Exiting suppliers that continue to underperform

Refreshing the supply chain (identifying new partners)

Con

tinuous

Improvemen

t Management information (customer intelligence) published for analysis,

Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of subcontractors shared across CPA,

National trends and lessons learnt shared at CPA level,

Collaborative problem solving to address under-performance,

Revision and refining operating procedures (online wikis),

Specialist support given to capacity build (e.g. HR legal advice).

Rationale for Avantas Management Structure in the CPAOur management structure is designed to drive quality and performance of WorkProgramme services in the CPA. Our rationale for the management structure includes:Increased management capacity and capability at a national level - Over the last sixmonths Avanta has significantly invested in management capacity and capability, buildingon the experience and track record of existing management teams, in readiness for theWork Programme. Securing talent from across the sector (e.g. [Redacted]), as well as new functional expertise (e.g. [Redacted], HR, [Redacted]

, IT) building on our existing capacity to effectively implement, manage and deliverlarger, more complex and higher risk services. Value for money - Our focus on a motivated and well developed first linemanagement structure, supported by a lean and experienced senior management teamensures rapid escalation and focused decision making on complex problems. With theincreased demands of the Work Programme and to drive performance improvements,we are investing in a major development programme with new competency models forall existing Business Managers.

Geography and stakeholder relationships - We have mapped our operationalmanagement structure against the requirements of the CPA in terms of geography (e.g.realistic areas that Regional Managers can effectively manage) and stakeholders (e.g.

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operational management tiers that corresponds to JCP or other stakeholder tiers). Local management of service delivery - Our structure (at Business Managerlevel and below) is based on recruiting locally based managers that understand theirpatch, have strong local networks, and understand the local labour market.

Integration with other public services - Integrating with public services, such asengagement with local NEET services to create smoother transition for early entrants

to the Work Programme and to provide specialist support for customer barriers suchas health, housing or substance abuse.

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[5.3] Management of Delivery

Please clearly describe:

How you and your supply chain will manage and monitor the quality ofdelivery of the Work Programme to ensure that the whole provision within this

CPA is of a consistently high standard and meets your minimum service levels;

Your approach to performance improvement activities for your supplychain as a whole, outlining how you and your supply chain will act on thefindings of any monitoring activity including the resolution of issues from withinyour own supply chain, partners or other bodies.

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

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5.3Managing and Monitoring the Quality and Performance of DeliveryAvanta has a proven track record for delivering high quality, high performing welfare towork services on behalf of DWP. Avantas Flexible New Deal delivery is ranked fourth outof 25 suppliers (January 2011). Our approach to building on this strong foundation anddelivering a further step change in quality and performance for the Work Programme is

detailed below.

a) Clear Lines of Accountability and Responsibility for Quality & PerformanceThe CPAs Regional Director is accountable to Avantas Board of Directors and the WorkProgramme Advisory Board (detailed in section 7.1) for the quality and performance ofWork Programme services in the CPA. Reporting to the Regional Director, RegionalManagers will be responsible for a network of delivery sites, managing BusinessManagers that are responsible for quality and performance at a local delivery site level.Partnership and Performance Managers, also reporting to the Regional Director, willmanage a network of subcontractors, and be accountable for subcontractor quality andperformance within the CPA. Through this reporting structure, management teams will:

Conduct daily performance teleconferences (focusing on job entries, job outcomes andjob sustainments achieved that day, and the target for the next day). This will ensurethat all provision within the CPA is meeting our minimum service and performancelevels, with any areas of under-performance quickly identified.

Flow down Key Quality and Performance Indicators from Regional Director, down toRegional Managers/ Partnership and Performance Managers, and then delivery teams(e.g. Job Coaches, Career Coaches). This will include job (start, outcome, sustained)targets as well as monitoring against service level indicators (e.g. customer startswithin 7 days of referral)

Hold monthly quality and performance review meetings, reviewing performance

against agreed monthly KPIs and milestones. Performance and quality data will bepublished on our website, communicated through monthly e-briefings to regional andnational stakeholders, and cascaded down through Business Managers andsubcontractor Operations Managers to ensure all staff understand how well we areperforming. We will publish both summary performance and analysis, alongwith rawperformance data to enable partners to interrogate, analyse and find solutions to anyareas of underperformance.

b) Monitoring Performance and Quality through a KPI DashboardKey quality and performance indicators will be summarised and aggregated into a KPIdashboard, which will provide high level details on performance against all key quality andperformance target measures. This will include for example:

Average time from referral to start Customer travel time to centre

Average caseload size

Did Not Attend & Sanction ratios

Referral to start ratios

Customer satisfaction levels

Job entry as a % of referrals Average duration pre-work

Average sustainment payments billed

Job outcomes by customer group

Job outcomes by geography

Employer satisfaction levels

Using Red, Amber, Green status, the Dashboard will enable managers across Avanta andour supply chain to determine whether the whole provision is of a consistently highstandard, highlighting any gaps or areas of over and under performance. The dashboardwill be shared with Jobcentre Plus and DWP managers in an open and transparent way

and clearly risk rate Avanta and subcontractor against agreed quality and performanceindicators.

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5.3 (continued)c) Monitoring Quality/Performance through Customer IntelligenceTogether with our strategic partner Vertex Data Science, we are implementing a customerintelligence system (ACI) that will enable us to determine which interventions and serviceshave the highest impact with different customer groups. Capturing robust data from thefirst point of contact (telephone interview), through to action planning, and then monitoring

the customer journey and ongoing in work support, we will have a powerful managementtool that will help managers across our supply chain to manage and monitor the quality ofdelivery across the CPA, ensuring consistently high standards across all localities.

We will establish with Vertex a decision sciences team (Business Analysts) which willprovide management, stakeholders, suppliers and staff with rich data on performance andquality levels across the CPA, for example, performance levels with particular customercohorts; parity of outcomes for all customer groups (e.g. identifying whether customers ina particular geography or demographic are under/over performing against their segmentaverage); and behavioural dynamics (e.g. if a customer presents certain characteristics,such as does not participate in a telephone interview, and does not attend first Insight

meeting, what the most effective interventions to re-engage the customer would be,based on historical evidence).

d)Monitoring Quality through Customer, Employer and Stakeholder FeedbackWe will systematically capture and monitor stakeholder feedback across the CPA.Customers, subcontractors, employers, employer representatives and strategicstakeholders (such as local government, strategic partnerships, local enterprisepartnerships and GP consortia) will be engaged in delivery, their views sought, andrecommendations for improvement shared across the supply chain. Using differentmethods contingent on the stakeholder (such as employer surveys, customer feedbackworkshops, and awareness surveys), feedback will be collated, analysed and thencommunicated across our supply chain to ensure managers act on any feedback.

Our Strategy and Approach to Performance Improvement ActivitiesOur quality and performance monitoring systems and processes outlined above (andfurther detailed within section 5.6) will enable us to analyse historical and currentperformance, predict future performance, and quickly and effectively deploy performanceimprovement measures to consistently drive performance across the CPA. Our approachto acting on the findings of monitoring activity on an internal and external basis ishighlighted below.

a) Performance Improvement & Issue Resolution within our Supply Chain Open and transparent communication with DWP & JCP -our ethos is to be open

and transparent in terms of our performance (publishing KPI dashboard and moredetailed analysis openly on our website and through e-briefs), whats going well,whats not, and what were doing to improve. We will highlight areas ofunderperformance or operational issues, detail what collectively we are doing toaddress them, and lay out a clear plan, timescales & accountabilities for improvement.

Improving standard operating procedures -our operating procedures will be sharedonline through a wiki, detailing core business processes required to deliver minimumservice levels (e.g. referral and start process). All subcontractors and staff can suggestamendments online, identifying more efficient or effective ways of delivering the Work

Programme, which can then be approved and circulated.

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5.3 (continued) Developing robust performance improvement plans - where monitoring activity

identifies that Avanta or a subcontractor is delivering below agreed minimum serviceand performance levels, a Performance Improvement Plan will be developed betweenthe respective subcontractor and Partnership and Performance Manager or Avantadelivery site and Regional Manager. The Plan will detail an analysis of the causes of

underperformance; agreed actions, interventions and timescales to addressunderperformance; and individual responsibilities.

Specialist support from Quality and Performance Improvement Consultants -Consultants will work with Avanta delivery sites and subcontractors to capacity buildfront line operations and address identified issues. This will include:

o Brokering staff training for common delivery challenges

o Establishing peer to peer networks and mentors across the CPA

o Facilitating the sharing of best practice across subcontractors & Avanta

o Analysing data to interpret local trends/factors influencing under performanc

Performance management measures for Avanta staff - where monitoring activityidentifies that employees are not achieving agreed objectives and KPIs, they willreceive performance improvement support. Performance Improvement Plansdeveloped by the individuals line manager will specify activities, milestones andtargets to achieve the required performance level.

Exiting subcontractors from our supply chain - where subcontractors consistentlyunderperform and do not achieve their agreed Performance Improvement Plan, in linewith the Merlin Standard and DWPs Code of Conduct, subcontractors will be exitedfrom the supply chain, invoking the termination clauses within their contract withAvanta.

b) Addressing Issues and Delivery Challenges outside our Supply Chain Close collaboration & feedback with Jobcentre Plus - operations teams (at all

levels) will work together with Jobcentre Plus to identify and address any deliverychallenges or issues that arise. For example, lower or higher referral rates; marketingmaterials shared with JCP customers; and consistency in the application of customersanctions. By co-locating (wherever possible as agreed with JCP) we will build localrelationships with JCP staff to address issues locally as they arise.

Working collaboratively with other Work Programme Primes & subcontractors -we will collaborate with other Work Programme prime contractors and subcontractorsin the CPA. This will include identifying common operational issues requiring jointsolutions (e.g. localities that are consistently underperforming against the CPAaverage) and tri-partite collaboration with Jobcentre Plus. Regional Directors will leadon strategic engagement with their respective counterparts at a CPA level.

Working in partnership to respond to labour market shocks - our experiencedemonstrates that key issues, such as large scale redundancies, or a large inwardinvestment scheme requires joint problem solving and collaboration between Avanta,our supply chain and a range of external partners (including local authorities and JCP).We will appoint a nominated lead (usually at Regional Manager level) to drive externalengagement and develop plans to address delivery challenges.

Feedback channelled through our Work Programme Advisory Board - the Boardwill provide a direct feedback mechanism for stakeholders across the CPA to feed intoWork Programme delivery at a strategic level. The Board, comprised of local strategicstakeholders, subcontractor representatives, and Jobcentre Plus, will hold Avanta andour supply chain to account; ensure the Work Programme integrates with other public

services, and continues to adapt and respond to changing customer needs and labourmarket requirements.

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[5.4] Delivery Locations

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Provide details of the key delivery locations and explain how you andyour supply chain will achieve full geographical coverage of provision for thedelivery of the Work Programme within this CPA; and

Detail what you have taken into account in terms of the needs of thecustomer groups in determining this approach.

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


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5.4Ensuring full geographic coverage for all customers across the CPAThe North East is the most deprived region in England with a diverse economic and socialmakeup. In Newcastle, Sunderland, County Durham, Tyneside and Tees Valley 34% ofwards fall within the top 5% deprived nationally. Analysis of customer needs across theCPA has identified specific geographical needs that include, engagement in urban areas

(as evidenced by SNCBC & Newcastle Futures) with support services which focussed onoutreach within trusted community hubs as customers will not travel for assistance outsidetheir own community. In addition, Northumberland and County Durham have large ruralpopulations with low job densities (0.69% which is 0.9% higher than UK average) andinsufficient local vacancies to alleviate economic inactivity and public transport offers onlya sporadic service, not one able to accommodate the need to work flexibly and/or shiftpatterns.

To address these geographic considerations in the CPA and maximise customer accessto Avantas Work Programme, our strategy is to: Provide community outreach at the heart of the most deprived communities through,

Newcastle Futures who will deliver in Byker, Monkchester and Kenton; SunderlandNCBC who will deliver in Central and Shiney Row (Sunderland).

Utilise a Mobile Learning Unit to access isolated rural communities in Northumberlandand the JobCarz loan scheme in County Durham to provide customers with theautonomy and flexibility to travel to work at any time.

a) Deliver through a large network of easily accessible, high quality main venuesHighlights of key delivery locations offered by Avanta and our supply chain include:

Avanta will deliver from existing fully resourced centres in the following locations -Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 1UQ; Bishopton Lane, Stockton-on-Tees TS18 2AA;

Queen Street, Redcar TS10 1UF; The Cafe, Hartlepool TS26 9EQ. In addition, wehave sourced a further 4, high street or community based venues that will alsosupport a full Work Programme delivery. These are: Sunderland SR1; NewcastleNE1; North Tyneside NE6 and Gateshead NE8 Northumberland Council offer a range of medium to large premises from which theywill deliver Work Programme, customer focussed interventions Ashington NE63 9EF;Blythe, NE24 5EN; Blythe NE24 3AJ; Pegswood NE61 6XQ; Morpeth, NE61 1JD;Alnwick, NE66 9SR; Hexham, NE64 1NJ; Ashington, NE63 9EF; Berwick Upon TweedTD15 1LF; Hadston, NE65 9SR. Hartlepool Works have 4 premises that ensure that no customers in the area travelmore than 15 minutes to access services. These are - Kendall Rd, TS25 1QY;

Caledonion Rd, TS25 4BX; Jobsmart, TS24 8PW and Kendal Rd, TS25 1QY, Gateshead Council offer a range of outreach venues to ease access for those withhealth related issues. In addition, they will deliver from 2 fully resourced centres inRegent St, NE8 1HH and NE8 1SQ. The two premises are based centrally inGateshead, both within 5 minutes walk from the train and bus terminus and city centre, BTCV have 5 premises across County Durham - Chester-le-Street, DH4 3DY;Peterlee, SR8 1EA; Bishop Auckland, DL14 1HF; Consett, DH8 6BP and Durham, DH11SA, The Resource Group have 2 premises in North Shields, both with extensiveresources for group and one to one sessions. These are - Lawson St, NE29 6TG andCamden Street, NE30 1NH,

Five Lamps have recently extended their delivery infrastructure that now includesfully resourced centres in the centres of areas of disadvantage. These are - Eldon StTS17

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5.4 (continued)7DJ; Haviland Rd TS17 7DJ; Dovecot St TS18 1LN; Thornaby Rd TS17 6LS, Redcar Development Trust will offer an integrated approach to delivery with Workprogramme benfiting from existing delivery of welfare programmes. Locations are at -Coatham Rd TS10 1RH and Esplanade Rd TS10 3AE, both easily accessible by public

transport, South Tyneside TEN have 1 premise based in Fowler St NE33 1PD. This is within a5 minute walk of the bus and metro station, Sunderland North Community Business Centre offers Work Programmecustomers a choice of delivery venues, all offering resources to support personal, socialand employability progressions. These are - Hetton, DH5 9NE; Thorney Close SR3 4JQ;Pennywell, SR4 9BY; Grindon, SR4 8JD; Pallion, SR4 8JD; Hendon, SR2 8RN andHendon SR2 8BD, Newcastle Futures have 2 premises- West Rd NE4 9QB and Byker NE6 1DL. Theyare both in within a five minute walk from the bus stop, Derwentside Council have established centres offering a broad range of skills and

employability services. These are - Consett, DH8 6BP; Consett DH8 5HL; Stanley, DH90XG; DL15 8QX and Chester-le-Street.

b) Invest in outreach delivery to take the Work Programme into local communitiesIn addition to the 53 key delivery sites detailed above, Avanta and its supply chain has anetwork of over 100 outreach locations we can utilise with agreements in place to deliverthe Work Programme. Outreach locations will enable us to deliver all aspects of thecustomer journey (detailed in 4.1) from local community venues in areas with greatestneed. We have established the following outreach locations for North East CPA. Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) - The North East Housing Federation (a

consortium of all the Housing Associations in the North East) will allow us to use thepremises across the CPA enabling local residents to access our services on theirdoorstep,

Hartlepool Works - The consortium of 25 members have an additional 20 premiseswe can utilise many of which offer a diverse range of interventions that our customerscan utilise including Mind (mental health issues), Hartlepool Carers and 3 communitycentres,

Derwentside Training - Have close links with County Durham Council and are able toutilise over 50 outreach premises ranging from Community Centres, Surestart centresand Community Education Centres. This will allow us to cater for the needs of the ruralpopulation,

Northumberland and Gateshead Council- Will lever in the support of wider Councilresources such as Surestart Centres and Community Education Centres. In total thiswill add a further 50 premises.

Delivering across rural geographies -To support customers from rural locations inNorthumberland and County Durham Northumberland Council will use a mobilelearning Unit which will provide advice and guidance on a weekly basis. They will alsobe able to use Council owned premises across the area.

c) locate delivery sites near public transport hubs/travel patternsAll main delivery sites are located within 10 minutes walk of public transport hubs. For

example, Avantas Middlesbrough, Darlington and Hartlepool sites are within five minuteswalk of the mainline train and bus stations. Avanta will work collaboratively with localtransport providers and initiatives to improve access for customers. For example,

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5.4 (continued)Middlesbrough Jobcentre Plus provides customers with pre-paid travel tickets to enablethem to attend interviews, and extended support for those gaining employment.

Meeting Customer Needs through our Delivery InfrastructureTo ensure our delivery infrastructure enables us to meet the needs of all customer groups,

particularly customers with health needs, Avanta has worked collaboratively with itssupply chains and consulted with the Tyne and Wear City Strategy, The Centre forEconomic Inclusion and Rocket Science. We also undertook customer and stakeholderfeedback on the nature and type of locations that would best meet their needs. Anoverview of how we will meet different customer needs is below.

a) Meeting the needs of customers with health needs and disabilitiesAs a proportion of Working Age Benefits, County Durham (62%) has a high number ofcustomers in receipt of Incapacity Benefit/Employment Support Allowance,Norhumberland (57%) and a similar figure for Redcar & Cleveland (50%). In theNewcastle Wards of West City & Walker, 60% of the population cite mental health as their

primary illness. Our supply chain has a presence across the CPA enabling customers toaccess One Stop services that are in close proximity to where they reside. For exampleThe Workable Project in County Durham has outreach across the whole area. To ensureWork Programme delivery is accessible for customers with health needs or disabilities,our approach is to:

Deliver from DDA compliant delivery sites and make reasonable adjustments torespond to the access needs of customers. This includes selecting as far as possibledelivery sites that offer step-free access.

Newcastle Futures provide one stop shop surgeries across their outreach centres inorder to co-ordinate specialist interventions. For example Newcastle Futures have an

Occupational Psychologist seconded through the Primary Care Trust. Hartlepool Works has a combined partnership of 25 organisations that provide

wraparound support across the customer journey. Hartlepool Mind helps people whoare experiencing various forms of mental distress - such as anger, emotionaldisorders, relationship problems and stresses, depression, anxiety, trauma/post-traumatic stress, phobias, addictions and psychosis. Typical services include one toone therapy, workshops to learn about managing conditions and developing skills toovercome these.

Resource and equip all key delivery sites to enable access by customers withdisabilities. For example, key delivery sites will be equipped with hearing loops;adjustable workstations; large keyboards; and other specialist equipment as required.

b) Meeting the needs of customers from BAME communitiesThe Newcastle wards of Elswick (24%) and Moorside (16%) have a high ethnic minoritypopulation. Newcastle Futures through their partners JET offer a specialised service forethnic minorities through outreach across the North East. They provide a wide range ofsupport including:

Practical support focussing on integrating customers in to a new cultural environment,accessing local services and tailored Action Plans,

Designing personalised Action Plans to help customers in to employment. They alsooffer ESOL training which has a 50% JER,

Various outreach in libraries, Surestart centres, local College and Community Centres.

c) Meeting the needs of lone parent customers

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Sunderland has a greater density of Lone Parents (2.1%) than the U.K average (1.7%). In5.4 (continued)the areas of Southwick (4.2%) and Thornely Close (3.7%) there is a higher proportion ofLone Parents compared to the national average. To ensure we meet the needs ofcustomers with childcare needs through our delivery locations, we will: Link to the 190 local SureStart centres and family centres to offer childcare and

parenting support. For example Gateshead has 25 Surestart Centres across the areaoffering crche facilities and a mixture of onsite training courses concentrating uponcourses that help Lone Parents prepare for the labour market.

Gateshead Jobshop offers Lone Parents help making the transition from economicinactivity to employment through subsidised childcare vouchers and travellingexpenses for the first three months of empoloyment

d) meeting the needs of other socially excluded/marginalised groupsResearch by our strategic partner the Citizens Advice Bureau found that nearly 50% oftheir customers depended entirely on benefit income.

The average total household debt was 13,153.

On average, debts were 17.5 times the clients total monthly household income.

CAB debt clients who were able to make a repayment to their non-priority creditors

would take 77 years to repay the debts at the amount offered.

Five Lamps based in Stockton has 4 premises across the area and is a member ofNorthern Money a consortium of Credit Unions. They provide debt management advicethrough their dedicated Financial Inclusion Team. They are able to tailor a financial planthat enables the customer to consolidate debt and move in to financial security. They alsorun a social bank that specialises in providing affordable personal loan with paymentsthat suit customer finances.

Developing our delivery sites to meet customer requirementsAvanta have invested heavily in the researching and development of creating both astructured and open plan environment that will enhance the learning and progression ofeach customer. Separate 1-2-1 and training rooms will provide private and structuredlearning areas whilst open plan facilities enable the customers to feel at ease in theirsurroundings, boosting learning and productivity.

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[5.5] Volume Fluctuationsand Customer Group Changes

Describe how you and your Supply Chain will maintain service delivery in the event offluctuations in numbers of customers and changes to the customer groups referredincluding potential alterations resulting from changes to the welfare regime referred to you(see Future Services Schedule). Your response should include the following:

How you will maintain minimum performance levels;

How you will manage expanding/contracting business as a result of Market Shift oreconomic factors without an adverse effect on service delivery.

Insert your response in the pre-set, shaded space of the following pages. Your responseMUST be limited to two side of A4.

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5.5Avantas Strategy for Volume Fluctuations and Customer Group ChangesAvanta and its supply chain have extensive experience of delivering large scale welfare towork services over the whole economic cycle, having managed significant changes involumes and customer profiles, peaks and troughs in demand, while maintaining highquality service levels for customers and employers.

We are committed to working in partnership with DWP and JCP in a flexible andpragmatic way to improve the prediction of throughflows, jointly analysing the impact ofchanges and sharing where and how we are dealing with increases or decreases incustomer volumes. In developing our operating solution and resource model, we havebuilt and tested a range of scenarios for significant fluctuations in customer volumes andprofile (50% +/- scenarios). We have also modelled scenarios associated with the FutureServices schedule, such as changes in customer group demographics.

We anticipate significant variance to the volumes proposed by DWP over the lifetime ofthe contract. Our strategy to ensure we maintain minimum performance levels includes: Maintaining a strong balance sheet and access to working capital we have

developed a strong balance sheet and access to additional finance to enable us tofund the Work Programmes payment by results model and deal with unexpectedvolume fluctuations. We will maintain minimum service levels when volumesincrease/decrease by quickly investing in additional res

143. cpa5 avanta tender

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