The ERSA conference was timely. The new Government has been in power for six months now and enabled the sector to take stock of the market and map out what the new policy landscape will bring. In light of this, we thought it would be useful to outline some of our reflections…

Get Britain Working endorsed the Government’s commitment to devolving employability services to Combined/Local Authorities. This policy intent is welcome, especially the acknowledgement that health and employment systems need better coordination through locally agreed plans. But what’s next?

Over the past year, Local Authority (LA) contracts for Individual Placement and Support (IPS) have experienced fluctuations in both value and delivery model across different regions. This trend is likely to continue as LAs develop their delivery and commercial strategies for the new Connect to Work service. This fragmented procurement approach can result in multiple contract variations, creating several challenges for bidders

The Employment Related Services Association (ERSA) & Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Connect to Work (CtW) market awareness event for supported employment was attended by over 500 people. This highlighted market interest to support people with a health condition back into employment.

The Budget reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to joining up health, employment and skills. It provided a snapshot of some key themes we can expect to see in the Get Britain Working Whitepaper, including…

The Procurement Act will commence in February 2025 and will potentially alter the way in which central and local Government procures contracts. As the commissioning regime changes, providers of outsourced public services will need to consider what the future impact will be on their operational sustainability.

The financial model is crucial to bid success. So, how can we help you? The complexity and financial scale of the contracts we support our clients to tender for is, to say the least, not insignificant. Contracts are multi-year, multi-£million, governed by a rigorous set of tender specifications, and often come with complex TUPE requirements… with contract performance benchmarked against Key Performance Indicators.

The new Government has inherited a criminal justice system that is widely perceived to be in crisis. But despite policy uncertainties, there are still likely to be opportunities for organisations to support Government ambitions at a national and local level.

We need to grow our team to help cope with demand, and are looking for talented research, strategy and policy associates interested in joining us on a project-based / contract basis.

The Procurement Act has slipped slightly under the radar due to the election of a new Government. However, it is due to go live in less than six weeks and will have a profound impact on the way in which public services are commissioned.

The new Labour Government has been in power for just over a month and there is already a sense of urgency to translate their high-level manifesto promises into firm policy commitments.

Well-designed infographics are a deceptively simple way of making text-heavy, process-oriented content easily digestible for commissioners. But the key term here is ‘well-designed’!

Spotify’s algorithm nailed it this morning as I dropped the kids off in the pouring rain, as Creedence Clearwater Revival played “Have you ever seen the rain”. Yes, I have seen the rain, and it is here. Again.

The Starmer government, a few days in, also appears to be nailing it.

I’ve been watching cycling since Cavendish started winning in the Tour. 2008 was his first win. 16 years. The times of financial crisis, Gordon Brown as Prime Minister, Brexit didn’t exist and we were two years away from Nick Clegg. If the polls are to be believed, we are in for another remarkable day today.

The election of a new Government may well bring about seismic changes to Government policy. Planning to navigate through the complexity of future national and local commissioning should be a process that starts now.

Our new BD Health Check Service is helping clients to improve the efficiency, resilience and success of their Business Development (BD) approach. It uses a simple, proven Best Practice Framework to quickly and effectively identify where and how BD activities can be improved.

The Procurement Act will create big changes and challenges to commissioners working at a national and local level, transforming the way they procure and manage services.

How we work and where we work isn’t just a financial decision… how do we get the balance right?

Even after 15 years in my line of work, my family and friends generally still have no idea what I do as a job, so let me try to elaborate once again.

To summarise, 2024 looks like being another busy, challenging year but I’m more than confident that our team of super-talented bid writers, managers, researchers, solution designers, modellers and mobilisers will rise to that challenge.