The Labour and Social Department (ASD) has, in a letter dated 25.6.2015 asked the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration to be responsible for planning and carrying out a trial with trying out work at a person's employer after the sick pay period has expired, for recipients of work assessment allowance (AAP). The trial is a part of knowledge development etc. connected to the IA contract.

The aim of the scheme is that the employee and employer together shall find work assignments that the employee can perform despite his health problems. The scheme shall also contribute to the employee and employer jointly clarifying what facilitation measures are relevant, as well as clarifying at as early as possible whether the employee can return to his employer or whether there is a need for work orientated measures aimed at new work.

The scheme is expected to contribute to strengthening the individual's ability to remain in work and that will be lead to fewer receiving 100 percent disability benefit.

The main elements in the service provider's responsibility:

— Have the professional responsibility for research design including responsibility for carrying out and evaluating the trial, as well as reporting results to the contracting authority.

— Develop a research design, in cooperation with the contracting authority, that is suitable for highlighting the trial's relevant problems, as well as identifying the effects of the trial in the evaluation.

— Assess and plan the extent and length of the trial's phases, in cooperation with the contracting authority.

— Assess, in cooperation with the contracting authority, to what degree the participants in the trial shall have access to other facilitation measures.

— Handle the acquisition, storage and analysis of data/information.

— Handle any person sensitive information on fulfil the requirements for processing such data.

— Carry out an effect evaluation of the trial, including quantitative and qualitative analyses.

— Report the status from the evaluation, including financial reporting, to the contracting authority and have a dialogue with the contracting authority during the contract period.

— Report the results of the trial, both in the form of an interim and final report, with the accompanying presentations.

— Secure the transfer of competence of the trial's results to key persons in the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration.

Prerequisities for the evaluation:

The trial ‘Trying work at own employer after the sick pay period has expired’ shall be evaluated. In order to document and quality assure the trial, we are announcing a competition where the chosen service provider shall assist with the design of the trial, as well as being responsible for evaluating the trial.

The following guidelines shall form the basis of the evaluation:

— Quantitative and qualitative analyses shall be carried out. Central problems for the evaluation can be:

o What effects does the scheme have on the recipients of AAP, both in terms of numbers and length?

o What effects does the scheme have on returning to work, full and part time?

o An assessment of NAV's methodology for following-up this affected group of AAP recipients.

o An assessment of socio-economic effects (e.g. cost-benefit analysis)

— The evaluation must be carried out to a sufficient extent so that the effects of the trial can be identified.

The final research question for the evaluation will be prepared in the design phase in cooperation between the contracting authority and the service provider.

Norwegian is to be used in both written and oral communication with the service provider. Likewise, all written documentation shall be presented in Norwegian. As a starting point, the services shall be carried out in the service provider's premises.