These services relate to “light touch services” under the Light-Touch Regime as set out in Schedule 3 to the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, using common procurement vocabulary (CPV) codes. The Authority has conducted a call-off from the RM6322 Fund Administration and Disbursement Services Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for this requirement.

The Department for Work and Pensions “The Authority” has awarded a contract to deliver the Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund which aims to stimulate new ideas and test innovative approaches to supporting disabled people and those with health conditions towards, into and to remain in work. It responds to the widening disability employment gap and rising economic inactivity linked to long‑term sickness. The Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund seeks to build evidence of what works through a wide range of grant funded initiatives across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, open to individuals, public, private, academic and third‑sector organisations.

The key objective of the Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund will be to generate evidence of what works through the testing of approaches and ideas that have the potential to be piloted formally (gaining sufficient evidence) and then scaled up. Such evidence would be used to inform future policies that are aimed at supporting disabled people and those with health conditions towards and into work.

This procurement aims to appoint a Supplier to provide full programme management of the Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund. The Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund Administration Supplier will be required to provide the expertise and capability to make sure that the available funding is used to generate as much quality evidence as possible from genuinely innovative Initiatives via the Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund. Full programme management will include the following service requirements:
(a) Design and development.
(b) Market engagement and promotion.
(c) Application, assessment and award services.
(d) Evaluation services.
(e) Due diligence counter fraud services.

The initial value of the Pathways to Work: Innovation Fund Administration requirement is £4.25m and has been procured as a further call-off competition under the RM6322 - Fund Administration and Disbursement Services (FAADS) Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS).

The Authority is awarding a contract for the services for an initial period of 20 months with an option (subject to governance approval, available funding and satisfactory performance) for the Authority to extend the contract for a further period of up to 24 months by giving the Supplier written notice of no less than 3 Months before the initial period of the contract expires, unless terminated earlier in accordance with the provisions of the Contract.

The award criteria is based on the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT) using a Relative Assessment model. The Technical Envelope equates to 60% of the total evaluation score and the Commercial Envelope equates to 40% of the total evaluation score.