Employment and Skills - Key Considerations. December 2009

Transcription

1 Employment and Skills - Key Considerations December 2009

2 Content Key Considerations for Employment and Skills Procurement Approach: Pre-Contract Tender Post Contract The Benefits

3 Key Considerations for Employment and Skills

4 Employment and Skills Signs that the recession has impacted upon the commitment of Clients and Contractors to Employment and Skills? Some evidence of good intent but do we have the right approaches, with teeth, to deliver employment and skills through our Strategic Partnerships? Do we have the right employment and skills supply side to be able to deliver the right programmes of training, apprenticeships and employment?

5 Social Housing Improvement and Maintenance Key Targets Supporting the reduction in the number of people in receipt of key workless benefits Increasing the employment rate of local citizens, specifically those who are disadvantaged in the labour market (e.g. BME, people with physical and learning disabilities, people with mental health needs, lone parents) Increase in the skills level including the 5 A*- C attainment level Reduction of those Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) Increase in the number of business start ups SMEs and Social Enterprise

6 How the supply chain would be expected to support the above targets: Provide work experience, tasters and activities for young people Provide apprenticeships Commit to upskilling the workforce Offer work trials and work tasters Commit to ensure recruitment practices did not unnecessarily exclude anyone Work with supply chain organisations who support social inclusion e.g. Sheltered Workshops, Youth Build

7 The supply chain would also need to identify initiatives and support from key statutory and mainstream organisations, such as: Signing up to the Jobcentre Plus Local Employment Partnership would support the supply chain to receive help in matching people to vacancies and take advantage of the 1,000 cash back on new recruits Committing to the Skills Pledge would enable access to Train to Gain funding to upskill the workforce Being a member of CITB Construction Skills will enable you to get advice on training and building training plans, access help in claiming grants to support training your workforce As a minimum working to the benchmarks of the National Skills Academy with aspiration to achieving academy status

8 What we should expect in bid submissions: Submit and complete an Employment and Skills Plan that sets out employment and skills outputs against the targets, and how it is to be management and monitored A method statement that details the approach to deliver the above commitments and targets Maximise the use of local labour Work with partners to link trained individuals to other employment opportunities Develop links with schools Aim to reach those at greatest risk of social exclusion Direct engagement with worklessness communities Transparency on costs and maximum use of external grants Identify initiatives and support from key statutory and mainstream organisations (as detailed in previous slide)

9 Procurement Approach: Pre-Contract Tender Post Contract

10 Procurement Stage 1 Pre-Tender Planning Before you embark on a procurement set out in your Business Case the extent to which the procurement requires targeted employment and training? This helps your organisation to be fully aware of all the issues involved, especially getting buy in from the top. Be realistic how much you can achieve is always going to be a reflection of the size, scope, capacity, length, cost and funding available, and quality/time pressures of the contract.

11 Pre-Tender Planning - Continued Key questions that need to be considered are: Identify who the beneficiaries of the targeted employment and training will be? What are the priority community benefits that can be addressed through your contract? What are the cost implications of the targeted employment and training and community benefits? And how are these costs to be met? Make sure that financial provisions are made for the entire project including social outcomes How can you ensure that the community benefits you wish to include don t put at risk other key priorities e.g. VfM, quality and timetable for completion? How you will measure the benefits requirements for both target setting and monitoring? Make sure that your organisations policy documents support the proposed scope of the procurement in order to satisfy compliance with the legislative framework

12 Procurement Stage 2 (UJEU/PQQ) OJEU notice (other information) and CPV for labour recruitment and provision of personnel services. PQQ under section for assessing technical capacity and ability ask some questions about the bidders involvement and experience of generating employment and training opportunities.

13 Procurement - Stage 3 - Specification This is where you set out your requirements: Your organisation policy underpinning the requirements Measurable performance indicators relating to the required outputs and/or a process to be followed for vacancies that may occur for the contract/project Setting out an Employment and Skills Plan indicating your benchmark requirements Monitoring and performance requirements Make sure the community benefits requirements are appropriate and deliverable Clauses will need to be unambiguous and provide a level playing field in the tendering process for contractors and supply chain

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15 Procurement - Stage 4 Evaluation and Award Process Set out weighting in tender docs. Example price 30%, service delivery 30%, partnership 20%, employment and skills 20%. Set out the Employment and Skills Plan and be clear what is required. Set out questions for Method Statement required. This should ask the bidders to set out how they will deliver all your requirements. Ensure the evaluation model is clear, unambiguous and transparent and the evaluation team understands what it is doing and has the expertise to score in an objective and fair manner.

16 Procurement - Stage 5 - costs Cost implications will vary depending on your requirements and how this is priced for will also vary. For example: Whether beneficiaries have to be employed or just accommodated for work experience. Whether it is a scheme that includes a funding package (vocational training provisions, training management and trainee support) Degree of pre-site training that has been completed Access to industry training resources for apprentices and workforce training The provision of good contacts and information about external resources available to help deliver the requirements The way you ask bidders to price training and employment elements, for example, asking bidders to price the training elements and asking for a net cost after deducting grants, or ask bidders to find the additional resources themselves

17 10 Top Tips Commitment from the top leadership and buy in is essential. Needs to be sustainable throughout and resist it being a soft target if affordability becomes an issue Ensure it is part of your strategic/core objectives for the business or service Look at all your investment/contract opportunities have a consistent approach Establish your needs skills shortages and what are your targeted social inclusion groups Build your requirements into the procurement process and ensure compliance

18 10 Top Tips Build your requirements/outcomes into the evaluation process and ensure it is a core commercial consideration Ensure your evaluation process is transparent with appropriate weightings for regeneration, employment and training Establish funding arrangements (grant funded or part funded or premium on price or cost neutral or net costs after grants deducted). Be realistic. Establish KPIs to monitor outputs Ensure the client team understands the issues and it is built into the contract management arrangements

19 Post Contract Management and Monitoring The monitoring and reporting arrangements must relate to the agreed targets in the contract. A key requirement is to set out a reporting template that covers all your requirements. How successful you are in obtaining this information depends on the client making this a priority and ensuring the contractor understands this is a priority.

20 Post Contract Management and Monitoring Here are 4 top tips of recommended good practice: 1. Appoint a dedicated resource of a person who s main priority is monitoring and progress chasing. 2. Establish forum in governance structure for receiving the monitoring information and discussing issues. Make sure this is client led and that the right people from constructors and client side are there. 3. Make sure employment and training is also covered in other forums so that employment and training is integral to the management and delivery of the contract. 4. Ensure that employment and training and the benefits are clearly communicated to all stakeholders. Keep it high on the agenda.

21 The Benefits

22 The Benefits It can happen and you can make a difference But need willing partnership and it needs to be strong on both sides Need to be able to sustain it throughout because when the going gets tough often E&T is a soft target

23 The Benefits Kier Partnership Construction JOBMatch catalyst for 350 jobs (highest proportion with kier) City Stewardship 1,071 training opportunities over last 6 years 120 current year Youth Offending Programme 4 per month linked to CS Apprentices 51 includes 4 looked after young adults Sharrow/workstep 22 placements Training Centre 1,900 per year (10 work experience opportunities per day)