News Tag: Supporting supply chains

The new standardised interactive Expression of Interest (EOI) form was launched on the Merlin Standard website in April 2013 to improve the tendering process by making it easier for potential subcontractors of welfare to work services to participate in future procurement rounds. 

The EOI has been developed as a collaborative project by ERSA, the Merlin Advisory Board, emqc Ltd (the Merlin accreditation service provider), DWP, as well as prime providers and subcontractors in the welfare to work industry. The EOI is intended to eradicate the need for a subcontractor to complete a different template for each prime provider. 

This notice is to make you aware that the previous less detailed EOI is no longer available for completion on the Merlin website, and subcontractors will only be able to access their stored copies until 1 September 2013 after which they will be permanently deleted.

To benefit from the simplification that the new EOI allows  it is  essential that  subcontractors upload their details on to the new improved facility.

Growing the database will make the EOI an effective tool for both subcontractors and prime providers to identify supply chain partners. Widespread use of the template will cut the amount of resource required by subcontractors at the EOI stage of a tender and should encourage smaller organisations to participate in the procurement process. Prime providers will be able to use the search function to select those with their desired criteria e.g. location, delivery area or contract.

Please complete the EOI and store it on the Merlin website, ready for use.

The interactive form can be found on the Merlin website (http://www.merlinstandard.co.uk/search-eoi-beta.php).

A new standardised interactive Expression of Interest (EOI) form has been launched to help take the pain out of future procurement rounds for potential subcontractors of welfare to work services.  The Merlin Advisory Board and ERSA, the trade body for the welfare to work industry, are calling on all prime contractors to adopt use of the form, wherever possible.

The standardised EOI form has been developed as a collaborative project by the welfare to work industry in order to improve the tendering process and support applications from smaller organisations. The form has been spearheaded by ERSA’s Supply Chain Forum, with input from prime contractors and subcontractors, and support from the Merlin assessors, emqc, and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). 

It is expected that the form will be adopted across the industry so that those who wish to express an interest in working with more than one prime contractor can fill in just one form, rather than multiple versions of the same thing.  Previous procurement rounds have seen small organisations, both voluntary and private sector, fill in over 100 separate expressions of interest, most of which request similar information in slightly different ways. 

It is envisaged that widespread use of the form will cut the amount of resource required by subcontractors at the EOI stage of a tender and could encourage more smaller organisations to participate in the procurement process.

Simon Tse, Contracted Customer Services Director for DWP and Chair of the Merlin Advisory Board, said:

“The Merlin Standard remains a flagship ‘gold standard’ code – encouraging excellence and generating healthy, high performing supply chains.

“The addition of this new improved standardised Expression of Interest will enable our prime providers and subcontractors, including small and Voluntary and Community Sector Organisations(VCSOs), to more easily come together to form the healthy, high performing supply chains we need to continue to get people off of welfare and back into work, and is in line with an overall drive to keep procurement processes straightforward and inexpensive for SMEs and VCSOs.

I hope all organisations, both large and small, wanting to be involved in the delivery of our programmes (such as the Work Programme) will embrace this opportunity as well, of course, as the Merlin Standard itself.”

Kirsty McHugh, ERSA Chief Executive, welcoming the launch, said:

“It’s really important that we take the pain out of the tender process for subcontractors in future.  Wherever possible we want to see prime contractors use this form to cut time and efforts for small organisations wanting to deliver welfare to work services.”

The additional interactive element of the EOI gives users the ability to search by different criteria such as delivery location or service experience. This gives prime contractors the ability to search for subcontractors based on a range of different requirements. Once a search is completed the EOI will be downloadable once permission has been granted by the user.

The interactive form can be found on the Merlin website (www.merlinstandard.co.uk/search-eoi.php).

The Employment Related Services Association (ERSA), the trade body for the welfare to work industry, is pleased to announce the inaugural ERSA Employability Awards are now officially open for entries.

The awards will celebrate and champion best practice from across the employment related services sector, highlighting the day to day hard work and dedication of individuals and organisations in the industry who are supporting jobseekers to find employment and often making a genuine difference in people’s lives. 

There are seven award categories designed to recognise the diverse roles within the sector working with jobseekers at various stages in their journey towards employment. The categories are:

• Supply Chain Partner of the Year
• IEP Professionalisation Award
• Innovation Award
• Large Employer of the Year Award
• Small or Medium Employer of the Year Award
• Advisor of the Year Award
• Significant Achievement Award

Kirsty McHugh, Chief Executive of ERSA, said:

“We know that there are so many stories out there of people and organisations who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in supporting jobseekers into employment and these awards will help recognise their commitment.

“We hope the industry will really get behind these awards to celebrate the achievements of those who have made an outstanding contribution in helping people into work.”

The deadline for entries is 5.00 pm on 28 March 2013. Finalists in each category will be announced at the ERSA AGM in April, with the awards themselves presented at a special ceremony in London on 13 May, along with the MAPS Bursary by JCA (Occupational Psychologists).

The awards are free to enter and are open to all, regardless of ERSA membership.

Click here for the award entry form and full descriptors and criteria for each award.