FND2 shortlist, Support Contract and ESF preferred bidders due shortly?
Providers have been informed that they will be told who has been shortlisted for FND phase 2 this Friday. Details of JCP Support Contract and ESF winners are also expected this week. I'll update this story and post further details as they emerge, but be aware that contract announcements often suffer from last-minute delays.
Update 18/9 - I've heard back from the DWP Press Office, who told me that:
- There will be no FND2 announcements today (Friday 18th September). These will be in due course
- There will be no JCP Support Contract announcements today. These will appear in due course
- They're still looking into the ESF request, and will get back to me on Monday morning
I've heard from multiple unofficial sources that Support Contract preferred bidders have been verbally informed of their status, and that FND2 shortlistees will be informed early next week.
Update 24/9 - People have started to speculate as to who has been named preferred bidder for various areas. Please be aware that rumours on the internet carry no more weight than rumours elsewhere, and may well turn out to be false. Indus Delta bears no responsibility if you choose to rely on anything posted by site users. Okay? Then we're cool.
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Comments
As an aside, the PQQ results for CTF contracts have been updated to reflect who's been shortlisted where.
One prime that has been oporating in Birmingham is very confident in winning this contract.
PPDG are already recruiting for FND 2 and are making great efforts to retain staff on TUPE
DWP have stated they will announce Jobcentre Plus Support contract winners on 12 Oct. Between now and then is what they call "Preferred bidder stage" and things can change if providers withdraw or DWP are not satisfied with post tender clarification. No doubt the cat will be let out of the bag in between times, but we don't have a contract until the ink is dry on the contract doc.
Will the list of prefered bidders be published or is this kept under wraps???
Oh dear lord. They're hiding the preferred bidders again? I thought they'd stopped that. It just makes life more awkward for everyone and has the dubious benefit of letting the people affected swap rumours and believe those instead of an official announcement. I've put in a request to DWP Comms for clarification on dates.
This is confusing me. Either they are posting the preferred bidders for phase 2 of fnd or they aren't. Which is it? Support Contracts we know the preferred bidders and are now awaiting a list of those invited to submit an ITT. I think it is disgraceful that organisations looking to plan ahead are kept in the dark if Daniel's suspicions are that they DWP hiding the results from the public domain. More months of rumour mongering and speculation i'm afraid I couldn't stomach. Just stick it up on DWP website for all to see please.
Hi Mad Mick. I should probably explain a bit more. With Support Contracts we know the bidders 'shortlist'. That is, the people who have passed the PQQ stage and can now submit bids. This is different to the 'preferred bidders', who are essentially the people the DWP has selected to actually deliver the bids. The thing is, when someone becomes a preferred bidder, they still haven't definitely won the contract. As Onthedarkside said, things can still change before the contract finally gets signed. So the stages are:
It will be interesting to see who gets the nod for Support contracts.
There is a huge focus on training and the delivery of qualifications and not everybody is set up for that. Most W2W providers shy away from the training side because it's incredibly expensive: you need more space than employability contracts, more resources, qualified staff, accreditation with awarding bodies and this sort of provision brings Ofsted inspections which are about as much fun as tooth extraction.
Hopefully DWP will understand this and look to providers with a decent track record with Apprenticeships/Train to Gain/Old/Inflexible New Deal/SIBS/BET.... companies who have staff that can plan and deliver rolling training programmes. This should see the likes of JHP, ESG, A4e, TNG do well.
However, this is DWP so Work Directions, Working Links and other dedicated job brokers will probably sweep the board.
It will also be interesting to see how many subcontractors written in to the successful bids will actually end up delivering JCPSC. FND has been absolute chaos in the three regions I work in and has caused serious damage to the relationships between Primes and specialist or vol/com providers. Some Primes have deemed local partners to be inadequate and struck them off the subcontractor list and some subcontractors have walked away because Primes have been taking management fees in excess of 50%.
It's a shame Merlin isn't up and running because much of this will go untracked and many excellent smaller providers will be building their business plans around a future that doesn't involve DWP funding in any way shape or form.
Incidentally, the training that the LSC is currently commissioning for the Young People's Guarantee (training for 18-24 year olds before they enter FND)is actually DWP money. The government need some happy people in training and in work by May next year and didn't trust DWP to get the funding to market in time so actually commissioned through the LSC's Provider Network. Panic measure or a sign of things to come with RDAs/SFA commissioning at a more local level?
Despite the impression created by the e-mail sent to bidders by DWP earlier this week, they are not yet at a stage of publishing results. They had hoped to contact bidders today with news on whether they had passed or failed the PQQ, and to share feedback on the financial assessment as well as more up to date volume and financial data on the FND2 packages themselves. This is now likely to occur on Monday, or in any event early next week. Bidders who have passed the PQQ will then have around 5 days to confirm final CPA choices. At this stage (i.e. on or around 28th September) the ITT will be released, and a definitive list of short listed bidders will be published. This seems to follow the process that DWP originally set out.
Bungle, you might want to check what providers are actually delivering before making sweeping statements about dedicated job brokers. Also, many DWP contracts have been getting Ofsted inspected for years - PSLND, ND etc.
I've heard that providers have been verbally informed of the Support Contract results, i.e. who's got preferred bidder where. Hopefully they won't go through one of those month-or-more post-tender negotiation stages where nobody's allowed to say anything to anyone.
Everybody put away the cloak and daggers!
The 10 day standstill period is a legal process attached to procurement. It evolved after the famous Alcatel judgement where the contracting authority published the results of a tender before advising an organisation that they had lost it, thereby invalidating any posisblity of a fair appeal or review.
It allows parties to accept, decline, appeal or negotiate without the glare of public focus.
Importantly, it allows providers who came second or third to get a possible option to deliver if a preffered bidder declines a particular area.
There's tonnes of information on both the OGC website and with the company BIP Solutions.
Hi Firefly. The Office of Government Commerce guidance note (pdf) from January 2008 appears to be the most recent and clearest explanation of the 10-day mandatory standstill period. The guidance note, and the other guidance that I've read, does not address publication of preferred bidder lists. It only requires that contract signing does not take place until at least 10 days after the decision has been communicated to bidders.
Given that the DWP already publishes preferred bidder details when it chooses to, in many cases long before the final contracts are signed and less than 10 days after preferred bidders are notified of their status, Alcatel doesn't seem relevant to the publication of preferred bidder lists. Signing a contract with only 10 days of post-tender negotiation sounds a bit scary anyway, given how big the contracts are nowadays!
Do I have to stand still for ten whole days? My legs are aching and Im dying for a wee.....
Apparently preferred bidders for ESF were informed verbally last Friday
So who got what Interested Observer?
Your guess is as good as mine!
You may be surprised - at least one outsider and new name in the frame - watch this space !!!!
any further updates we are waiting to hear on the jcp support contract
This comment has been moved here.
Oh yes - anyone else suspect that there's a tie up between FND2 bids and JCP support contracts? (ie some of those who didn't get a shot at FND2 are being bunged a JCPSC to shut them up?)
JCPSC winners were notified Fri. More of the usual suspects.
Seems like no one will go out on a limb and actually say what/who they know or have heard?
Some of the less influential of us do not have a clue what the latest is and are therefore adversely affected by not knowing the results/rumours.
What is needed here is some calm wait and you shall see. No point getting hot under the collar and speculating its always been a waiting game and so it shall be! We all know it will be A4e, Working Links, Pertempts, Shaw Trust and then one or two suprises dont we know dont we?
FND2 results now 'sometime next week' according to DWP
Can't say how I found out but it would appear Pinnacle People have the support contract for the West of England.
Heard a rumour that JHP have won one of the scottish areas for JCPSP.
PPDG are banking on getting the FND2 in Birmingham because they already have a comprehensive infrastructure in place across the West Midlands. Seetec, Serco and FourstaR Employment and Skills haven’t the capacity they need to deliver FND 2 in the region.
PPDG are already increasing staffing levels and working on retaining existing staff.
When the announcement is made don’t be surprised that PPDG is allocated Birmingham.
PPDG's spin doctor ought to check their facts before talking about fND phase 2 which doesnt apply in the West Midlands.
PPDG have lost EZ in Birmingham and face an uphill struggle against Serco in Coventry.
Interesting... ever since they were brought by PVS, PVS have also lost contracts as well!
I agree [company] face a huge struggle against [other company] and rumours have it they have lost some key staff to competitors. Perhaps [company]'s failure to secure bids recently is down reluctance to include partners into their bids who knows? I have heard since [company] was a family business the company suffers a little from Nepotism and if this is the case I guess people may not be in roles soley based on their ability. It will be very interesting to see if they win any contracts in [a city]. It will also be interesting to see the performance levels the primes achieve, afterall its the results that count!!!
[Moderation - Come on now, this is clearly straying into potentially libellous territory]
(Not sure where to post this Daniel - please move to appropriate strand)
Agghhh. Blimey flip and things.
It has happened again!
You fill in this massive expression of interest to subcontract to a firm, you trust them in giving away your crown jewels on that form, putting together great words and ideas and then find out they have robbed your innovation and put it into their prime bid as if it is their own.
(I know this after I got a quizz of their bid - they meant to just show me the delivery section but mistakenly let me see it all. I left it as I thought we would win delivery and didnt want to upset them at the time.)
What is worse, they win the (ESF IN THIS CASE, FND1 LAST TIME) contract, listing you as a subcontractor and giving their bid even more strength, then they cut you out by offering far too low mimimum volumes post tender, stealing all delivery for themselves!!!! I was verbally offered 1000 end to end a year, it ended up being 40!!!!
ANYONE OUT THERE GOT ANY ADVISE? - BEST I CAN THINK OF IS SENDING THE BOYS AROUND, ITS SO UNFAIR. I BET MY SUSTAINABILITY SECTION AND DEMONSTRATE HOW YOU INVOLVED CUSTOMERS IN YOUR DESIGN SECTION TURNS UP IN ALL THEIR BIDS FROM NOW ON. AGGGH.
flaming [company]!!! lol
[Moderation - best not speculate on the company for allegations like these, no?]
The discussions are getting a bit messy. I may split the threads shortly, but bear with me - it's a surprisingly long-winded process.
Hayforhee, I had an identical experience with both FND and Pathways and the only thing you can do is complain to DWP's commissioning bods:
QUARRYHOUSE [dot] SUPPLYINGDWPQH [at] DWP [dot] GSI [dot] GOV [dot] UK
Or write to:
Provision Management Division
DWP Commercial/Delivery Directorate
Level 4
Mayfield Court
56 West Street
Sheffield
S1 4EP
0114 2601850
I went through the same painstaking process as yourself and gave up some really business sensitive information and a shedload of intellectual property. Our reward: microscopic contract offers with all the performance targets for 34% - 40% of the funding.
I'd really recommend complaining. It will probably achieve absolutely nothing but it's very cathartic.
We have now walked away from all FND subcontracts. I've made the necessary redundancies and other staff have TUPEd over (Primes have actually been very good with this) so I don't have the worry of how the 40% budget reduction is going to cause further havoc to Primes and their Supply Chains.
Somebody on this forum told me that you're probably best out of FND. I disagreed at the time but looking at it now, FND has all the appeal and charm of a timebomb. If Primes were saying they won't break even until year 3, I'd imagine the funding reduction will now make the whole programme unprofitable, especially if they've already staffed up for the original volumes.
Update 29/9 - I've split all discussion about FND phase roll-out and changes into a different story here, which should be published later today. There's still been no official word on the FND, Support Contract, or ESF results.
Daniel
Does the Serco invite to the FND Phase 2 events mean that they have heard results from the PQQ Stage ???????
I couldn't begin to speculate.
I've heard on the bongo's that we won't hear a dickie bird on either FND phase 2 results and Support contracts for at least another fortnight. I have to say there's a great deal of speculation going around and I have heard from a usually very reliable source that at least one of the major players has been experiencing 'foot frostbite' and is seriously contemplating pulling out of FND altogether. Now then, whether that means phase 1, 2 or both, that I don't know but it will be an interesting winter, that's for sure. As for Serco's funding model, it is a complete nonsensicle farce which leaves the subcontractor hugely exposed. I would sooner get into bed with Jack the Ripper after he's had 9 pints and just bought himself a nice sharp set of Viners boning knives. If Serco and other managing agents didn't have any subcontractors doing their dirty work then the whole thing would be scrapped.
I've heard from some people who were very happy with the Serco subcontracting model compared to other primes, but since the other primes haven't published theirs, it's a bit difficult to say anything with confidence. I've not heard of a prime that isn't paying subcontractors on outcomes, except for specialist support that isn't directly outcome-related. I'd also argue that prime providers have more incentive to not play nicely with subcontractors, since they're potentially in direct competition with them.
Update 30/9 - I've heard that the DWP have informed bidders of the PQQ results for FND phase 2. The list of areas has been re-issued, with bidders having until the 5th to tell the DWP which areas they're going to bid for and submit a bidding strategy, and the official announcement taking place on the 7th.
By the sounds of it, bidders are now aware of the results for both Support Contracts and FND2, with only ESF still lurking in the background.
Well Well Well ? is a company mentioned above reeding too much into its competitors activites. A little bird tells me a certain company is apparently launching a massive legal action against a certain goverment quango over its tendering activites. I have checked sources and no application apparent in high court
I know lets change everything and take away some of the few things that were working. Implement a whole new contract during a recession, think about processes and stuff after. Not tell anyone much and then when contracts have been awarded still not say anything, so everyone relies on rumours. Then the staff that have been helping people to find work for the last few years can spend more time worrying about their own futures and where they might be TUPEd into. In the mean while I guess those people working on smaller contracts not on TUPE list might be made redundant in the process as there's no longer much opportunity for redeployment. I nearly forgot lets also ensure retention periods are twice as long as when the economy was booming and employers did not have to be paid to employ people. Yes sir I think that should do it, or did I forget something??
We've been informed of a number of ESF contracts where we have signed up to Primes and they are starting to let us know.
Wheres the full list? Nothing on DWP website!
Update 8/10 - All FND bidders have been officially informed of the results and have received the ITT packs for the next stage of bidding. The results will be published here as soon as they're released.
JCP Support contract winners now on DWP website
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/jcp-supportcontract-successful-notification.pdf
Update 13/10 - The FND2 shortlist and JCP Support Contract winners have both now been published. The ESF winners are the only results still to publish.
Any news on whose got what on the ESF Phase 2 or any indication as to when an announcement will be made?
Does anyone have details on the Provider guidance for FND or where i can access them?
All available through Bravosolutions in the generic part of the tender's attachments.
I see the esf Phase 2 results have now been announced on the DWP website
Right you are! I've put them up here. That's all for this discussion!