NAC/5159 North Ayrshire Employability Service Delivery Framework

Description

North Ayrshire Council (NAC) wish to appoint a framework of business partners to support the delivery of the Councils employability service. The framework responds to the No One Left Behind agenda and is therefore aligned to the priorities outlined in NOLB. The current employability and skills framework is due for renewal in August 2024 and will run until July 2028. The services required will be as follows: Lot 1 – Employability end-to-end service Lot 2 – Parental employment support service Lot 3 – Youth transition/engagement/support service Lot 4 – Transitional/volunteering service The current proposed timetable for the project is as follows: Publish ITT - 05/03/24 Deadline for submissions - 09/04/24 Award letters issued - 02/07/24 Contract start - 01/08/24 The terms and conditions used will be NAC's Conditions of Contract for the Purchase of Services. If you are interested in this opportunity please complete the Early Supplier Engagement questionnaire at the following link by 29/09/23 https://forms.office.com/e/PNKWGDX89r Lot 1: Employability end to end service This is a key worker service across the 5 stages of the employability and skills pipeline. Stage 1: Referral, engagement, and assessment Stage 2: Needs assessment, barrier removal, and action planning Stage 3: Vocational activity Stage 4: Employer engagement and job matching Stage 5: In work support and aftercare - The end to end service should support disadvantaged groups progress towards employment. - The service will be delivered across stages 1 to stages 5 of the employability and skills pipeline. - A Key worker approach (key worker defined as: consistent worker who takes participants through all stages including providing at least 26 weeks aftercare, and develops individualised package of support) has to be adopted at all stages of service delivery. - Focus on vocational programmes aligned with local business need - Employer engagement and sustained job outcomes a primary focus The required turnover for this lot is estimated to be 1,750,000 GBP for the last 3 financial years. Bidders will be required to provide 2 examples of similar services delivered in the past three years that demonstrates they have the relevant experience to deliver the work as described. The services must be of a similar nature, scope and size. Bidders will also be required to provide 2 satisfactory references from the submitted experience examples. Lot 2: Parental Employment Support Service This lot is focused on addressing child poverty by supporting parents progress into employment and progress within employment. Service required should provide: - Key worker support - Service tailored to individual need - Flexible and responsive services - Clear focus on progression across 5 stage pipeline - Targeted at parents who have children in poverty - Progress parents into vocational programmes and placements - Works in partnership and across partnerships The required turnover for this lot is estimated to be 1,250,000 GBP for the last 3 financial years. Bidders will be required to provide 2 examples of similar services delivered in the past three years that demonstrates they have the relevant experience to deliver the work as described. The services must be of a similar nature, scope and size. Bidders will also be required to provide 2 satisfactory references from the submitted experience examples. Lot 3: Youth Transition / Engagement / Support Service This lot is focussed on supporting young people making transitions from school and youngsters who are not in employment, education on training. We are looking for a mix of services to include: - Community outreach approach to engage youngsters who don’t engage with services - Key worker support to engage with youngsters and provide 1-2-1 support as required - Programmes to address confidence, resilience, isolation, basic skills for employment - Strong partnership working with education, skills development Scotland, Ayrshire college and wider employability services - Using data from datahub to target services The required turnover for this lot is estimated to be 875,000 GBP for the last 3 financial years. Bidders will be required to provide 2 examples of similar services delivered in the past three years that demonstrates they have the relevant experience to deliver the work as described. The services must be of a similar nature, scope and size. Bidders will also be required to provide 2 satisfactory references from the submitted experience examples. Lot 4: Transitional / Volunteering Service Providing work experience and volunteering placements for participants who are long term unemployed is an important step to make a sustainable progression into employment. Placements may be in: - Third sector - Public sector - Private sector - Community organisations Providers will also be expected to provide wrap around employability support prior to a during placements The required turnover for this lot is estimated to be 625,000 GBP for the last 3 financial years. Bidders will be required to provide 2 examples of similar services delivered in the past three years that demonstrates they have the relevant experience to deliver the work as described. The services must be of a similar nature, scope and size. Bidders will also be required to provide 2 satisfactory references from the submitted experience examples.