PEOPLEPLUS GROUP LIMITED INCORPORATING A4E Assessment Dates: 04/04/2016 to 07/04/2016 TMX – Report Template V2 – 02.04.12 Contents 1. About the Organisations ........................................................................... 1 2. Assessment Methodology ......................................................................... 3 3. Assessment Outcome ................................................................................ 4 4. Areas of Significant Strength ..................................................................... 5 5. Areas for Improvement .............................................................................. 6 6. Areas Requiring Significant Development………..…………………………………..8 7. Findings Against the Merlin Standard ......................................................... 9 8. Conclusion .............................................................................................. 34 1. About the Organisations PeoplePlus Group Limited (PeoplePlus) a private sector organisation is part of the Staffline PLC group. Staffline PLC group entered the employment and skills market in June 2011 following the acquisition of Fourstar Employment and Skills, creating EOS and delivering the Work Programme in Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country (CPA14), Subsequently, in May 2014 it acquired Avanta Enterprise Limited, which delivered Work Programme in North East (CPA05), North West (CPA07) and South East (CPA10), and were also successful in gaining New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) contracts in West Midlands; Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country (CPA01) and South; Beds, Herts, Essex and Kent (CPA04). In addition, it provides a Skills and Vocational Programme on behalf of the Skills Funding Agency (SFA). The integration of EOS and Avanta Enterprise Limited commenced with bringing the four Work Programme contracts together, along with the two NEA contracts and trading as Avanta. In April 2015 A4e Limited (A4e) was acquired, which was delivering Work Programme in East Midlands (CPA02), London East (CPA04), North West (CPA06) South West (CPA09) and South Yorkshire (CPA17), as well as NEA in Wales (CPA15) and Glasgow, Lanarkshire, East Dunbartonshire and West Scotland (CPA12). Following the acquisition of A4e a ninety-day consultation took place with the aim of capturing the best practices from the two primary organisations; Avanta and A4e. Staff continued to be employed by the two primary organisations, until 4th January 2016, where by PeoplePlus Group Limited became a legal entity and staff transferred to the new business. Its vision is ‘to build and develop the most reliable integrated workforce in the country and be the leading creator of opportunities, jobs and new ideas in the employability, skills and justice sectors’. This is underpinned by a set of core values: teamwork, integrity, commitment, reliability, creativity and respect, which drive the behaviours across the organisation. In order to achieve its vision, PeoplePlus work with a number of funders / commissioners, for example Department for Works and Pensions (DWP), Skills Funding Agency (SFA), etc. delivering a range of Welfare to Work, Skills and Justice programmes. PeoplePlus continue to adopt a delivery model using both direct delivery and supply chain capacity to meet the aims and objectives of DWP and other commissioners. Consequently it was mandated to undertake an initial assessment against the Merlin Standard. Whilst every effort had been made to novate all the contracts from Avanta and A4e to PeoplePlus, some contracts have remained under A4e, which continues to be a legal entity to enable the provision of Work Programme CPA06 and CPA 09 and New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) CPA 15 and CPA 12. PeoplePlus undertook an assessment against the Merlin Standard, which incorporated a parallel assessment with A4e. It should be noted that whilst the contracts are under two named organisations, the integration of activities has resulted in the same practices being implemented across a majority of supply chains. As a result, the following report indicates separate scoring for the two legal entities, whilst the findings against the Standard incorporate both, any exceptions / differences are recorded in order to support PeoplePlus to adopt a consistent approach to supply chain management in the future. The following provides an indication of the percentage delivery by supply chains: 1 TMX – Merlin Report Template V7 – 01.01.2016 PeoplePlus New Enterprise Allowance West Midlands (CPA01) – 44.8% South (CPA04) – 31.7% Work Programme North East (CPA05) – 44.4% North West (CPA07) – 26.8% South East (CPA10) – 23.2%% East Midlands (CPA02) – 27.7% South Yorkshire (CPA17) – 18.5% West Midlands (CPA14) – 12.3% A4e New Enterprise Allowance Wales (CPA15) – 18% Glasgow, Lanarkshire, East Dunbartonshire and West Scotland (CPA12) – 15% Work Programme North West (CPA06) – 30.5% South West (CPA09) – 29.3% 2 TMX – Merlin Report Template V7 – 01.01.2016 2. Assessment Methodology PeoplePlus incorporating A4e was mandated by DWP to undertake an initial assessment against the Merlin Standard due to being a delivery partner (Prime) for the Work Programme and NEA. The assessment team comprised of Lorna Bainbridge (Lead Assessor) and four Assessors: Susan Smith, Andy Richardson, Tracey Pepper and Neil Potentier, supported by a coordinator within PeoplePlus. The Lead Assessor had been in regular contact with the coordinator since a strategic review was undertaken in September 2015 to ensure an understanding of the changes at an organisational level and current portfolio of contracts to be included in the scope of the assessment. A booking form was submitted to Assessment Services Limited along with a spread-sheet indicating a full list of supply chain partners; past, present and potential partners delivering a range of services; end-to-end (tier 2), specialist intervention (tier 3) and ad-hoc purchases (tier 4). Subsequently, the dates for the on-site activity were agreed along with a plan of action, including the logistics of the on-site evidence collection activity. The survey was sent to all partners listed on the spread-sheet nine-weeks prior to the assessment date, which addressed those partners delivering for PeoplePlus and those that remained under the A4e contract areas, but trading as PeoplePlus. The Lead Assessor selected partners to be interviewed from all contracts and CPAs, and included end-to-end (tier 2), specialist intervention partners (tier 3) and those that provide an ad-hoc service (tier 4) from those listed for A4e and PeoplePlus. The Lead Assessor was in regular contact with the coordinator prior to the on-site activity to review the schedule and logistics. All documentation required for the assessment; Self Assessment Questionnaire, Pre-Assessment Notes and schedules were shared within the agreed time-scale. The assessment team (5 assessors) spent a total of 15 days on-site reviewing documentary evidence and undertaking interviews with PeoplePlus’ staff involved in the strategic and day-to- day delivery and management of the supply chains. A total of 85% PeoplePlus end-to-end partners (present and past) were interviewed. A total of 86% A4e end-to-end partners (present and past) from across both contracts and all CPAs were interviewed. 14 specialist intervention partners and ad-hoc purchase organisations also contributed to the assessment. The following report provides an indication of the areas of strength, improvement and development for PeoplePlus incorporating A4e. It should be noted that since April 2015 every effort has been made to create one consistent approach to the design, commitment, conduct and review of managing supply chains. The findings from the assessment apply to both PeoplePlus and the A4e contracts and as a result, the reporting by exception approach has been adopted, and only where differences were found is this highlighted. 3 TMX – Merlin Report Template V7 – 01.01.2016 3. Assessment Outcome PeoplePlus Overall % Overall Outcome 81% Supply Chain Design 93% Commitment 78% Conduct 81% Review 70% A4e Overall % Overall Outcome 74% Supply Chain Design 73% Commitment 73% Conduct 81% Review 67% 4 TMX – Merlin Report Template V7 – 01.01.2016 4. Areas of Significant Strength A number of significant strengths and areas of excellence in practice were identified during this Merlin assessment and summaries of these are given below, where appropriate differentiation has been made between PeoplePlus and A4e. The numbers in brackets refer to the criteria of the Standard to which the areas relate. • Within the Work Programme the partners within the respective CPA take every opportunity to work collaboratively, for example, use of the regional hub, partner meeting, sharing resources and vacancies, referring customers, shadowing opportunities, etc. Over the life of the contract partners have developed trust and confidence in others and recognise the benefits of working together to support customers and improve the performance of the contract. (2a.3, 3d.1) • A high proportion of partners had been working with the same Supply Chain Manager for a number of years and consequently continued to feel that communication is open, honest and without unreasonable restraint. In addition, their interaction with the Supply Chain Manager and other areas of the business is positive and supportive; staff are understanding of their needs, responsive and resolve issues in a timely manner. (2a.5, 3a.3) • Every effort has been made to monitor and promote diversity