DHSC - Securing a Diverse Future for the NHS

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is seeking to appoint a competent Supplier to continue to deliver services, initially provided on a grant basis, to address NHS workforce shortages, support social mobility and ensure Health & Social Care employees are representative of local communities through increasing the supply of young people from disadvantaged groups into employment. <br/>Intended contract term: 3 years from October 2023 to September 2026.<br/>Estimated contract value (including extensions): £8,000,000 - £9,500,000, inclusive of VAT.<br/><br/>The DHSC is issuing this PIN to alert suppliers about the opportunity and to notify suppliers of the procurement route, so that the suppliers willing to participate can promptly register themselves on the Crown Commercial Services Learning and Training Services RM6129 Dynamic Purchasing System which will be used to award the contract by running a mini competition. <br/><br/>For avoidance of doubt this is not a call for competition, the purpose is to advise the market on the forthcoming DHSC procurement.<br/>This market engagement process does not form part of the formal procurement process. When the formal procurement process commences, prior to issuing the PIN and releasing the ITT documents, RM6129 DPS will be run to select the suppliers to invite to mini compete for the requirement. The indicative date for starting the procurement is planned for 24 July 2023. Interested suppliers must be registered on the CCS RM6129 DPS by 12.00Noon on 24 July to be selected. DHSC reserves the right to change that date to a later one.<br/>The opportunity will be open only to those suppliers who are on the Crown Commercial Services (CCS) Dynamic Purchasing System - RM6129 Learning and Training Services DPS - CCS (crowncommercial.gov.uk)<br/><br/>Suppliers who are interested in tendering for this opportunity but are not yet on the CCS RM6129 DPS, must promptly submit their application to join.<br/>Suppliers should also register on DHSC’s e-procurement portal if they have not already done so. This can be done by going to https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome. Additional information: The Prince’s Trust were awarded a grant to deliver people into the H & SC workforce from disadvantaged groups. This ran from 2019 to 2023 and of those supported there were KPIs on:<br/>• Young people (16-30 years)<br/>• Sustained job roles<br/>• People from IMD 1 postcodes<br/>• Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups.<br/>• Number of H & SC employers participating<br/>DHSC requires to run a follow-up programme on a contractual basis that builds on this work. The new programme will address NHS workforce shortages and increase the supply of younger people into the NHS workforce; address social injustice and social mobility, and ensure the health and social care system is representative of its communities. <br/>The KPIs for the programme will include supporting people from the most deprived areas into H&SC roles, ensuring good quality roles and progression opportunities, the cost per person supported into work, and embedding the process into partner NHS systems so the work continues sustainably after the end of the programme. <br/>The supplier will recruit participants via outreach/partner working and provide job search and job training skills for roles in the Health & Social Care sector. The supplier will work with H&SC employers to provide work placements and ongoing mentoring and support to gain and sustain employment in these sectors. The supplier will work with employers to provide participants with ongoing support to progress to higher paid roles and access apprenticeship opportunities throughout the contract period. The supplier and employer will have an agreement and plan in place to transfer delivery of the programme at contract end. The supplier will monitor and record data at all stages to evidence success.<br/>The supplier will have reach throughout the country, via partnership organisations, to provide the service in communities across England.