Universal Support Fidelity Assurance

Spring Budget 2023 announced a comprehensive employment package, which included HM Government's flagship Universal Support (US) programme, a key milestone in unlocking the benefits and opportunities of employment for more disabled people, people with health conditions, disadvantaged people, and growth in the economy . The most effective Supported Employment programmes require fidelity to a five-stage place, train and maintain model. Universal Support will be underpinned by a fidelity assurance system to support the development and consistent delivery of services against two models of Supported Employment - Individual Placement and Support (IPS) and the Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF).

DWP will fund an external provider to deliver fidelity assurance for both Supported Employment models (IPS and SEQF). DWP will be holding a virtual Early Market Engagement event on 06/06/2024 between 11:00 and 13:00 to test the suitability of the business requirement with the market and seek market feedback. Should there be a requirement to hold further Market Engagement events, a further opportunity will be published providing details on how to attend. To register your interest for the ' Universal Support Fidelity Assurance - Early Market Engagement', please access the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire, pqq_28932, Universal Support Fidelity Assurance - Early Market Engagement', on https://dwp.bravosolution.co.uk/ . The Pre-Qualification Questionnaire, pqq_28932, is for registering of interest in the Early Market Engagement only. The questionnaire will consist of a selection of questions relating to attendance to the event.

Additional information: How to Express Interest in this Early Market Engagement event: 1. Register on the eSourcing portal (this is only required once): https://dwp.bravosolution.co.uk & click the link to register - Accept the terms & conditions & click 'continue' - Enter your correct business & user details - Note your chosen username & click 'Save'. You will receive an email with your password (keep this secure) 2. Express an Interest in the Early Market Engagement event - Login to the portal with the username/password - Click the 'PQQs / ITTs Open To All Suppliers' link. (These are Pre-Qualification Questionnaires or Invitations to Tender open to any registered supplier) - Click on the relevant exercise to access the content. - Click the 'Express Interest' button at the top of the page. - This will move the PQQ /ITT into your 'My PQQs/ My ITTs' page. (A secure area reserved for your projects only) -You can now access any attachments by clicking 'Buyer Attachments' in the 'PQQ/ ITT Details' box 3. Responding to the Early Market Engagement event - Click 'My Response' under 'PQQ/ ITT Details', you can choose to 'Create Response' or to 'Decline to Respond' (please give a reason if declining) - You can now use the 'Messages' function to communicate with the buyer and seek any clarification - Note the deadline for completion. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the PQQ/ ITT - There may be a mixture of online & offline actions to complete (detailed online help available). To submit your reply use the 'Submit Response' button (top of the page). For further assistance please consult the online help, or the eTendering help desk. DWP expressly reserves the rights(i)to use a reverse auction; (ii)to cancel this procurement at any stage; (iii)to not award any contract as a result of the procurement process commenced by publication of this notice; (iv)and in no circumstances will DWP be liable for any costs incurred by potential suppliers.

A Virtual Data Room will be used by the Department as a document and data repository in order to share information in respect of and related to Universal Support Fidelity Assurance. Information will be shared on an iterative basis to enable transparency and provide early insight into design and current thinking. This may include draft versions of documentation. The 'Supporting Information' folder will include generic supporting information. The Contents list will be updated as new documentation is provided.