News & Blog

Check out this page to find out what we've been up to, hear our honest take on the state of play in commissioning and procurement, and to keep up to date with the latest developments at Candour Collaborations!

New course dates: Writing Winning Bids

In response to high demand, Candour Collaborations will be delivering two additional business development training days, ‘Writing Winning Bids’ in London and Newcastle on the 14th January and 26th February 2015. These will be run in partnership with Clinks and with support from MoJ infrastructure grant funding. (more…)

Community Work Placements – successful bidders announced

Community Work Placements is a mandatory scheme for Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants returning from the Work Programme whose key barrier to work is a lack of work experience, motivation or both, and offers them a significant period of full-time activity.

The scheme involves claimants undertaking a full-time work placement for 30 hours a week for up to 26 weeks alongside provider-led supported jobsearch. The key criteria of all placements are that they must be of benefit to the community and must not displace paid jobs – though how this can be proven and evidenced is up for discussion. (more…)

Clinks’ Transforming Rehabilitation Legal Support Project

Clinks is providing free legal support to the voluntary sector to engage with Transforming Rehabilitation (TR) through their TR Legal Support Project, funded by the Ministry of Justice.

VCSE organisations will be able to access information about the contracting process for TR, including legal information and bespoke legal advice sessions.

We thoroughly recommend that if your organisation is considering entering into subcontracting agreements to deliver services within TR, you make the most of these free, comprehensive resources. (more…)

Transforming Rehabilitation Workshops

In partnership with ACEVO and NCVO, Candour Collaborations will be delivering the next events in our series aiming to raise awareness and understanding of the Ministry of Justice’s Transforming Rehabilitation competition.

These free events are aimed at VCSE organisations wishing to participate in the competition and aim to present an honest view of the procurement process including the potential operational and commercial challenges.

Most of the events will be held on a regional basis and attendance will not be restricted by the region your organisation is based in, please attend the event which is most convenient to you. (more…)

First past the post in Transforming Rehabilitation: Successful PQQ Bidders

Thirty bidders who have passed the first stage of a competition to win regional rehabilitation contracts and lead the new era in a fight against reoffending have been named by the Ministry of Justice.

The bidders represent a diverse mix of partnerships comprising more than 50 organisations. Private firms, charities experienced in tackling a range of issues affecting offenders, small and large British businesses and experienced multinationals have joined together to bid for the work that will help turn offenders’ lives around. Mutuals formed by probation staff also have the opportunity to play a major role in the reforms, with around a third of the shortlisted bidders including these groups.

We do not yet know how many organisations competed for the PQQ opportunity, or how many bidders have been shortlisted for each of the 21 contracts available across England and Wales. The short listed bidders are as follows:

Bidder name

Partners Include

A4E

ARCC Ltd

Fabrick Housing; the Wise Group; Safe in Tees Valley; Tees Esk and Wear Valleys Foundation Trust; the Vardy Foundation; Changing Lives in the North East CIC (potential Durham Tees Valley staff Mutual) ; Stockton Borough Council; Darlington Borough Council

Aspire2 Change Ltd (Essex Probation Trust potential Mutual)

Capita Plc

Chalk Ventures Ltd

A4e Ltd; Bridges Ventures LLP; Co:here (potential Kent Surrey Sussex staff Mutual)

Crime Reduction Initiatives Ltd

CRR Partnership Ltd

Carillion Plc, Reed in Partnership Ltd; Rehabilitation for Addicted Prisoners Trust (RAPt)

EOS Works Ltd

GEODelta

Geo Group UK Ltd; Delta Rehabilitation Ltd (potential Humberside staff Mutual)

GMCSodexo

Sodexo; Greater Manchester and Cheshire Staff Group (potential Greater Manchester and Cheshire Staff Mutual)

Hampshire Rehabilitation Services

Hampshire County Council; Altered Images Management Ltd (potential Hampshire Probation Trust Staff Mutual)

Home Group Ltd

Ingeus UK

Ingeus UK; St Giles Trust; Crime Reduction Initiatives (CRI)

Innovo (CLM) Ltd

Innovo (CLM) (potential Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside staff Mutual); The Manchester College

Interserve Investments Ltd

Home Group and Mercia Community Action

Home Group; Mercia Community Action (Mercia Community Action is a CLG comprising a potential mutual of staff from West Mercia and Warwickshire Probation Trust and Willowdene Rehabilitation)

Momentis and Home Group

Home Group; Momentis (potential Mutual including Leicestershire and Rutland Probation Trust staff)

MTC Amey

MTC (UK) Ltd; Amey Community Ltd

Northern Inclusion Consortium Ltd

DISC; The Cyrenians; Groundwork NE; Mental Health Concern; Spectrum Community Health CIC

Pertemps People Development Group

Prospects Services

Prospects Resolutions Ltd

Prospects Services; Resolutions Ltd (potential West Yorkshire staff mutual)

Seetec Business Technology Centre Ltd

Sentinel Offender Services Ltd

Shaw Trust

Shaw Trust; (potential involvement of Dorset Devon and Cornwall staff mutual)

Sodexo UK & Ireland

The GEO Group UK Ltd

The Manchester College

The Rehabilitation Company

Catch 22 Ltd; Turning Point; Williams Lea (division of DHL)

Working Links

Transforming Rehabilitation: Information Events for VCSE providers

Held on 7th – 18th October 2013 in Exeter, Cardiff, Birmingham, Gatwick, London, Newmarket, Nottingham, Manchester, Leeds, and Newcastle

These well-received events information workshops provided delegates with an overview of the procurement process, the key requirements of the specification and importantly, the potential operational and commercial challenges.

They also looked at the Self-assessment Checklist which sets out the key aspects and implications of the Transforming Rehabilitation competition which organisations will need to consider in order to engage with it fully. They also generated a lot of interesting discussion – thank-you to everyone that participated!

 

 

 

The next set of events will be networking sessions for potential Tier 2 and 3 providers to meet the shortlisted Tier 1 providers. These will be held in each of the 21 Contract Package Areas. Please keep an eye on Acevo’s website for further details and event booking information.