Tender

A number of disability charities have complained about their names being included in an ATOS tender to deliver the PIP contract. According to an article in the Guardian, they claim that the private IT firm Atos made misleading statements about proposed co-operation with disability groups to help secure a £400m contract to perform disability assessments. Labour and several disability charities have demanded that this must be investigated immediately.

Bournemouth Council is seeking proposals from organisations to make use of its Dorset Enterprises facility.

Dorset Enterprises is a commercial business which produces high quality products and employs a number of skilled staff. However it has, over recent years, experienced greatly increased competition from overseas manufacturers. This has contributed to an annual loss in 2010/2011 of £541k with the Council currently funding the shortfall. As a result the Council needs to find the best solution for the future of the factory and its staff without any further cost to Council Tax payers.

Remploy has published details of the commercial process for anybody wishing to express an interest in any of their businesses or factories following the Government announcement to withdraw funding.

Torbay Council is seeking imaginative responses for providing a Supported Employment Service to people who face significant barriers to employment, in particular individuals with learning disabilities or Autistic Spectrum Conditions. The Council is looking for a provider who is flexible in its approach to service delivery, with a proven approach to providing Supported Employment Services.

The overarching purpose of the Service is:-

Bournemouth Borough Council is inviting expressions of interest in the future use of the Dorset Enterprises supported employment factory. Please see the attached document for details.

Please email your expressions of interest responses, as set out in the brief, to tim [dot] branson [at] bournemouth [dot] gov [dot] uk

Further background information about the factory and its current operation is available via www.dorsetenterprises.com and www.deckchairsuk.com

Warwickshire County Council are inviting individuals and organisations to tender to deliver work around employer engagement.

Improvement East in partnership with the East of England Development Agency (EEDA), is inviting expressions of interest from local (or sub-regional, ie. cross local authority boundary) partnerships to help improve local capacity and capability to deliver employment and skills provision.

Mid and East Surrey PCT (EEMS), in partnership with East Surrey PCT, Surrey Oaklands NHS Trust and Surrey County Council Adults & Community Care, are seeking to select and appoint a suitably experienced contractor(s) to build on some of the current mental health services in the Mid and East Surrey area to provide:

• 1-to-1 Employment Support Services, to help and support people in finding and keeping open employment