The Government and specifically the Department for Work and Pensions have a challenging agenda to help people, many of whom have complex barriers to employment, to be able to move into work and sustain that employment. As part of this the Government has committed to a goal of seeing one million more disabled people in employment by 2027.

As set out in the Policy Paper “Improving Lives: the Future of Work, Health and Disability”, published in October 2016, the Authority and Authorised Buyers are looking to deliver a number of new Proof of Concepts (PoC), trials etc. to improve the support that it can offer and to understand what works best.

This presents opportunities for businesses, with a focus on innovation and local specialist support, to support and test the development of new approaches for employment support. This provision will be key to building evidence to support the delivery of future provision at both national and local level.

This is a Contract Notice for social and specific services in accordance with Directive 2014/24/EU Article 24. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) intends to establish a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) to procure these activities in in England, Scotland and Wales. The DPS is for the procurement of social and other services referred to in Regulation 74 of the Public Contracts Regulations (2015) and as such, the intention is to use a light touch regime, rather than the full regime described in Regulation 34 (Dynamic Purchasing System).

This DPS will present opportunities for organisation, with a focus on innovation and local specialist support, to be involved and test the development of new approaches for employment and health related activity. This will be key to building evidence to support the delivery of future provision at both national and local level.

DWP cannot confirm or guarantee any future business through the DPS, but it is anticipated that there will be some limited numbers of proof of concepts / test and learn projects over the duration of the DPS.

The Test & Learn (T&L) DPS commenced on the first date that DWP signed the first DPS Contract, which was on 09 November 2018. The T&L DPS will be open ended with a nominal End date of 30 September 2024 (which may be extended further) but can be terminated by the Authority with twenty (20) Working Days’ notice.

This DPS Contract will be for the use of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and other contracting bodies (listed below), their Executive Agencies and those Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) sponsored by them. Further information including a list of such Agencies and Public Bodies can be viewed by selecting “Ministerial Departments (link is external)” on the Departmental website (link is external):

— The Department for Work and Pensions,

— Ministry of Justice,

— Department of Health and Social Care,

— The Department for Education,

— Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government,

— Home Office,

— Scottish Government,

— Welsh Government,

— Local Authorities in England, Scotland and Wales.