DWP Tendering Opportunities
There are currently two main tendering opportunities available to access on the DWP website. The first of these consists of delivering ‘Low Value Welfare to Work Training’. Your organisation may currently provide or want to provide Low Value Provision (LVP) for welfare to work related training. DWP defines LVP as ‘one-off training requirements up to the value of 50K’. In order to bid for and supply LVP, providers are asked to complete an online application form which can be accessed on the DWP website by clicking here and following the instructions. The there is no closing date for this tender.
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The second opportunity available revolves around facilitating the delivery of a new framework for the provision of employment related services. The framework will last for four years and is expected to be the default vehicle for identifying all DWP employment related support services. Once the framework is established, no further organisations will be accepted to assist with its delivery. Please click here to view the relevant documentation needed to apply for this tendering opportunity. The closing date for this tender is 27th September, 2010.
Source: Department for Work and Pensions
I believe we are facing a melt down of the supply chain caused by Government Department’s need to substantially cut the number of contract officers it employs to monitor training, development and employment related contracts. What we have here is a programme predicated on the Government’s need to downsize and therefore is not based on rationalisation – but expediancy. Please let us not pretend that we are heading towards a ‘better’ system – it is somewhat disingenuous of SERCO to claim to be champions of the third sector when many training charities will be winding up as a result prime contracting.
Furthermore, I wonder how much the prime contractors are really committed to meeting the needs of the furthest from work? Surely, its easier, quicker and more cost effective to meet the needs of those you can get back to work quickly?
He talks of creaming and parking! The primes are the professionals at ‘creaming’ and ‘parking!’
I would have more respect for the primes if they just told us how it is! It goes like this: ” We don’t care for the third sector!”, ” we only really want to sub-contract to other prime contractors,” “we are here to make a profit,” “we’d rather open our own training areas than sub-contract to third parties.”
There’s the ring of truth for you all. Call me an old liberal softie, we seem to be turning back the clock to the TEC days here -but much worse!