JobPath RFT - Clarification Questions & Answers · JobPath RFT - Clarification Questions & Answers Date of Issue: 20/12/2013 Page 1 Q1: Can you please clarify if providers of the

JobPath RFT - Clarification Questions & Answers

Date of Issue: 20/12/2013 Page 1

Q1: Can you please clarify if providers of the Local Employment

Service (LES), Job Clubs and additionally Local/Community

Development Partnership Companies will be excluded from

working with the Prime contractors of the Job Path scheme?

A1: Notwithstanding the provisions of the RFT, the Department is not

excluding any companies or organisations from participating in

JobPath.

Note:

The Local Employment Service (LES) and Job Clubs are

services delivered by providers under contract to the

Department. In the event that such providers become involved

in the delivery of JobPath, they will be required to honour

existing contracts with the Department.

A client may not be registered with a LES or Job Club while

participating on JobPath.

Q2: Is it the case that the LES will be expected to provide support

from months 1-12 of the Job Path such as in the UK where Job

Centre Plus provide support from months 1-12 and then

provision goes to outsourced providers?

A2: The Department’s own employment service will provide support to

new jobseekers in their first year of unemployment and LES will

augment this service. The groups that will be referred to JobPath

are outlined in Section 5 of Appendix 1 of the RFT. The Department

envisages that in time the LES will also provide support to those who

exit the JobPath programme and are still unemployed.



Q3: Does DSP envisage TUPE of staff under the tender? We

understand this will not be the case as Job Path is an entirely

new programme.

A3: The Department does not envisage that the “Acquired Rights

Directive” (TUPE) will apply.

Q4: Will providers be permitted to use their own IT systems? Is it

the intention that such systems will interact with DSP systems,

in a similar way to how referrals are received in the UK?

A4: Successful Tenderers may use their own IT systems. As stated in

the RFT it is the Department’s intention to use Web Services or

secure file transfers to exchange information.

Q5: The RFT states at Part 1: 2.10 Publicity - No publicity regarding

this public procurement competition, the award of a contract or

the execution of the Service Contract is permitted unless and

until the Contracting Authority has given its prior written

consent to the relevant communication. We are intending to

reach out to potential supply chain partners and anticipate

using a range of communications channels to do this. This may

include online channels, meetings and possibly written media.

Is this acceptable or do we need to obtain written consent from

DSP?

A5: This is acceptable provided that any media communications are

connected only with the Tenderer’s participation in this public

procurement competition, that they relate to their status only as a

potential or actual Tenderer and should be conducted in such a

manner as to make it clear that the Tenderer is acting on their own

behalf only, not on behalf of the Minister and that the Department’s

logo may not be used.



Q6: Is the Department fixed on requiring a €20m turnover

requirement for each individual year or would it be prepared to

accept an average of over €20m over the three year period

and/or predicted turnover for 2014?

A6: The turnover requirement was set in the context of JobPath and

having regard to the contract’s financial requirements. The

Department considers that the turnover threshold in each of the last

three audited financial years is appropriate. The threshold relates to

each of the last three years and is not an average. Tenderers are

reminded that, in accordance with Section 3.2A (Economic and

Financial Standing) of the RFT, the Prime Contractor may rely on the

resources of other entities for the purposes of demonstrating their

economic and financial standing.

Q7: When trying to view a Lot other than Lot 4 in the dropdown

menu on the Performance Offer spreadsheet, access to the

other Lots is blocked by password. Please advise on how to

view/access the other Lots?

A7: The password has been removed.

Q8: Could you please confirm if there is an overall page limit for the

RFT and/or individual questions, excluding the ‘Brief History’

and ‘Executive Summary’ sections which have already been

highlighted?

A8: There is no overall page limit for the RFT, answers should be

comprehensive and concise.



Q9: Within the Performance Offer Spread sheet could you please confirm what the low and high flow numbers represent/signify on the ‘Flows and Counterfactuals’ tab?

A9: The ‘Flows and Counterfactuals’ worksheet contains referral

numbers for each of the Contract Areas in three bands: Low, Centre

and High. The referral numbers used in the ‘Performance Offer’

worksheet are taken from the Centre band. As stated in the RFT, the

referral numbers given are indicative. The Low and High referrals

give a further indication of the possible range of numbers to be

referred. In the ‘Charts and Other Inputs’ worksheet, the impact of

Low referral numbers on cash flow can be seen by changing the

Volume Forecast in Row 12 from Centre to Low across Referral

Groups.

Q10: There only appear to be documents attached against Lot

1/Contract Area 1 and the spreadsheet also only covers this

area currently. Please can you advise how to access documents

for other Contract areas?

A10: The drop down menu allows Tenderers to select the lot for which

they wish to bid.

Q11: JobPath is a 52 week programme. However, we note that there

is a two year tail at the end of the programme with no extra

referrals. Could the Authority confirm what they would like to

deliver in the second year of this period as the last cohort of

customers will have been seen after 52 weeks?



A11: As per appendix 1 section 3.2.5 the successful Tenderer will be

required to provide ‘in employment’ supports to clients during the

second year of Phase II (for any clients that are placed into

Employment towards the end of the 52 week period of engagement).

In addition clients returning from training / educational programme

are to receive the full service, as per appendix 1 section 6.4. Such

periods of service provision could also extend into the second year

of Phase II.

Q12: Could the DSP clarify what notice will be provided to the Prime

Contractor with regard to when they will be advised of each of

the one year extensions?

A12: The Department expects to be in a position to determine this in year

3 of the contract.

Q13: We are considering bidding for JobPath jointly with another

organisation. Can we confirm that we meet the financial

qualification criteria if our combined turnover for each of the

last three years is in excess of €20m?

A13: Yes, In accordance with Section 3.2A (Economic and Financial

Standing) of the RFT, the Prime Contractor may rely on the

resources of other entities for the purposes of demonstrating their

economic and financial standing.

Q14: If providers are considering to bid for JobPath jointly, can the

Department confirm whether a separate entity has to be legally

incorporated prior to bid submission?

A14: A Tenderer does not have to be incorporated prior to submitting a

Tender.



Q15: Re Labour Market Discounting: The specification states the

Department will enforce price reductions should the number of

people in work increase above the stated reference levels. Can

the Department clarify the following:

i) How were the reference employment levels and the

percentage discounts calculated?

A15 (i): These employment levels and discounts are based on economic

growth projections of the Department of Finance.

ii) Will the price reductions for increases in the number of jobs

in the economy be cumulative e.g. a provider has 100% of the

starting price in Year 1 and then it could be theoretically

possible that it reduces to 84% in Year 2, 72.56% in Year 3,

60.95% in Year 4, then 51.2% in Year 5?

A15 (ii): No, they are not cumulative.

iii) If a discount is applied in year one as the economy grows

but the economy then shrinks in following years below the

reference employment figure, do prices return to their original

levels?

A15 (iii): Tenderers are asked to submit their prices for each individual year

and discounts, if applied, will be done on a stand-alone basis in

respect of each individual year.

iv) Will the discounting be applied uniformly across all CPAs as

economic growth is likely to vary across the four CPAs? If so,

this will penalise providers in areas with limited job growth.



A15 (iv): The discount will be applied uniformly. However, successful

Tenderers are not limited to placing people into employment in their

own contract area.

Note: it has been assumed that the use of the term ‘CPAs’ above equates to the term ‘Contract Areas’ (CAs) as per the RFT.

v) Will the discount be applied only to customers commencing

Jobpath provision in that year or will it be applied to all fees e.g.

16% discount is applied on the 1st January 2015 and includes

12 month sustainment claims made on the 2nd January 2015?

A15(v): The discount applies to all fees within the relevant 12 month period.

The discount is not linked to particular clients.

Q16: Can we clarify whether we have correctly understood the

financial assessment process described in paragraph 13.3. In

the current assessment, the provider with the lowest overall

cost for that CPA will score 400 marks. This means that if there

are two providers with exactly the same unit price for a

customer who starts and completes the 12 months sustainment

payment the provider with the lowest performance offer would

score the 400 points. Therefore, there is no incentive for any

provider to offer a performance level above the minimum as this

would cost more.

A16: If two Tenderers have the same lowest price then each will be

awarded 400 marks (40% of total) in respect of cost. The marks

awarded for the other elements of the award criteria (implementation

of services, delivery of services and contract management &

governance) will determine which tender will be successful.

JobPath RFT - Clarification Questions & Answers [cont.]


Q17: Can you confirm the date (9th January 2014) for the information

briefing on Provision of Employment Services "JobPath", please

provide the date, time and location for same.

A17: Please see the clarification published on the 18th of December (as

below) on eTenders.

Clarification:

Technical Information Session on the JobPath Tenderer Bid Spreadsheet A technical information session for prospective JobPath Tenderers will be held from 10.00 – 12.30 on Thursday 9 January 2014 in Chartered Accountants House, 47 Pearse Street Dublin 2 Ireland. (http://www.charteredaccountants.ie/Our-location/) The technical information session is intended for Tenderer team member(s) who will be completing the Excel based JobPath Tenderer Bid Spreadsheet (which is required as part of a JobPath Tender submission). Please Note the following:

1. To attend the event companies/organisations must have expressed an interest in JobPath on eTenders.

2. Companies/organisations may nominate a maximum of two attendees.

3. A separate registration form must be completed for each nominee.

4. Information regarding other aspects of the JobPath RFT will NOT be provided at this session and any such questions, if asked, will be directed to the clarification process on www.etenders.gov.ie A list of attendees will be made available following the event on the JobPath page on http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/JobPath.aspx

Should you wish to attend this technical information session you must register at the following link:

http://www.charteredaccountants.ie/Our-location/

http://www.etenders.gov.ie/

http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/JobPath.aspx



http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/secure/JobPath-Technical-Information-Session-Registration.aspx. The closing date for registering is 17:00 on Monday the 6th of January 2014.

http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/secure/JobPath-Technical-Information-Session-Registration.aspx

http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/secure/JobPath-Technical-Information-Session-Registration.aspx



Q18: Please can you clarify whether bidders should be receiving email

notifications when a new message/ tender document has been

posted to the Tender Portal for JobPath?

We did not receive notification that the Q&A log or the bidder

event details had been published and only realised when we

logged into the portal.

A18: Should a new message / tender document be posted a notification will

be issued through eTenders.

If you need assistance please email the eTenders helpdesk on

[email protected] or call 021 243 92 77 (please dial +353 21

243 92 77 if you call outside of Ireland) during office hours ONLY

(09:00 – 17:30).

Q19: To help ensure consistent evaluation of different tenders, please

can you clarify the Department’s expectations in terms of the

structure of tender responses. The Award Criteria at 3.3 (Pages 24

and 25) infers that the structure should follow a format using the

Description headings within the given table. The General section,

from Page 29 onwards, appears however to contradict this by

inferring that bidders should sequentially provide a detailed

narrative response to each of those RFT sections denoted with a

[D]. Please can you clarify which structural approach you would

prefer?

A19: Tenderers should follow the sequence of the RFT itself and not that of

the award criteria.

mailto:[email protected]



Q20: We have noted the requirement of Section 1.1 (Page 29) which

requires bidders to make a specific statement to confirm that they

have noted, understood and agree to each section within the RFT

denoted with an [N], repeating the text of the RFT in their

response in so doing. Would, however, it not be more expedient,

for bidders and the Department alike, for bidders to include a

single encompassing statement to this end which singularly

confirms understanding and agreement to all of the sections

denoted with an [N]?

A20: While the Department accepts that there is merit in the suggestion the

approach as outlined in the RFT should be adhered to, so as to ensure

uniformity across all Tenders.

Q21: With reference to Part 3.2.A, Economic and Financial Standing

(Page 16), please can the Department clarify whether Group and/or

Parent Company accounts would suffice to fulfil the financial

requirements (detailed on Pages 17 - 20) of the Tenderer?

A21: Yes, as stated in Part 3 (3.2.A) of the RFT, the Prime Contractor may

rely on the financial resources of other entities for the purpose of

demonstrating their economic and financial standing. Other entities

may include parent/group entities. If relying on the resources of other

entities, the Tenderer must submit with the Tender an undertaking, duly

evidenced, from any entity or entities on which the Prime Contractor is

relying that they will place the necessary resources at the disposal of

the Prime Contractor.

Q22: As part of our potential delivery solution for JobPath we are

looking at creating a new company registered in Ireland, however

we note on page 17 of the Request for Tenders document that we

require evidence of turnover for the last 3 years, this new

company would not have this. Our UK based operation’s turnover,



which would be the parent company, is significantly above the

required level, if we choose to go down this route, would the

parent companies turnover and account details be acceptable?

A22: Yes, as stated in the answer to Q21 above.

Q23: Can DSP please clarify whether a start fee is paid on the

production of an Action Plan, not when a Customer has completed

all activities listed on the Action Plan?

A23: A “Registration Fee” will be paid on the satisfactory completion of a

valid Personal Progression Plan. It is not the case that all of the agreed

actions/activities in the plan will have to be completed before a fee is

paid.

Note: it has been assumed that the use of the term ‘Action Plan’ above equates to the term ‘Personal Progression Plan’ as per the RFT.

Q24: Please can you clarify whether you will be holding any further

networking events for potential subcontractors for JobPath?

If so, when/ where are these likely to be held?

A24: The Department will not be holding networking events for potential

subcontractors during the procurement process.

Q25: Please can you clarify whether you will be making the documents

contained within this RFT public? Organisations who have not

positioned themselves as prime contractors may wish to view

documentation of the proposed service.

Are prime contractors bidding for the contract allowed to share

RFT documents with potential subcontractors? We are conscious



of 2.8 Confidentiality clause in the RFT regarding publication and

reproducing of documents, so would appreciate your clarification.

A25: Prime contractors may share RFT documents with sub-contractors but

they should ensure that sub-contractors sign a confidentiality

agreement that includes the provisions of paragraph 2.8.1 of Part 2.

Q26: Ref Page 13 - Section 2.14. The tender refers to the Freedom of

Information Act applying to the tender itself. How will prime

contractors and sub-contractors be treated for Freedom of

Information if successful in their bids?

A26: As stated in Part 2 of the RFT at paragraph 2.14.1, information

provided during this public procurement competition may be disclosed,

subject to the provisions of paragraph 2.14.2.

Q27: Ref Page 22 – Part 3: Resources. Please can the Department

clarify whether a potential Provider's operational staff must be

named at tendering stage, prior to contract award, or whether

supplying the names of existing operational and corporate staff is

sufficient?

A27: As stated in Part 3 at 3.2.B, paragraph 2.1, Tenderers must name the

senior personnel whom they will assign to the listed key functions in

relation to the provision of the Services. This information must be

provided in the Tender.



Q28: The specification states the department may retain 15% of payable

fees if providers have not delivered on their Service Statement,

not achieved their Performance bid or achieved unsatisfactory

Client ratings. Considering this is a mandatory programme and

represents a new approach to employment services in the

Republic of Ireland, can the Department clarify what they would

consider unsatisfactory Client ratings?

A28: For the first year of the contract, the Department intends to undertake a

Client satisfaction survey across all four contract areas. Clients will be

asked to indicate their level of satisfaction across a number of criteria

on a five point scale from very dissatisfied (1) to very satisfied (5).

Providers will be required to achieve an average score, across all

criteria, of at least 3. Providers who do not achieve this average score

or who achieve a score of 1 on any of the criteria to be assessed may

be subject to the retention fee arrangements. The criteria to be

assessed may include, but not limited to Client satisfaction with the

following:

Quality of orientation/introduction arrangements

Quality of one-to-one engagements

Quality of support for job search

Quality of support for training options

Quality of physical environment for one-to-one meetings/reviews

Quality of in-employment support

In subsequent years the Department may decide to set Client

satisfaction targets for each individual contract area based on Year 1

experience.



Q29: Clause 2.5.8 in the RFT states that “In responding to this RFT all

Tenders must follow the format of the RFT and Tenderers must

respond to each element of the RFT in the order as set out in this

RFT.”

Question: From which section of the RFT would DPS like bidders

to start responding? Would this be from section 2.4.4 onwards

right through to Appendix 13 or from the very beginning of the

RFT document? Please could the exact sections that require a

response be specified? Also if bidders are to respond to the RFT

in its exact format would it be possible to be provided with a Word

version of the RFT which is currently in PDF format and un-

editable? Or should bidder’s responses be returned in their own

branded template? Please can you confirm?

A29: Tenderers should respond from the beginning of the document and

should follow the sequence of the RFT itself. Tenderers may use their

own branded template and must fully respond to each section of the

RFT as required.

Q30: Can you please clarify if a sustainment fee will be paid under the

following scenario:

Close to the end of the Engagement Period (11th month)

employment is secured which is less than any of the sustainment

fee periods( 8 weeks) however, this employment period brings the

Client outside the 12 month Engagement Period. Outside the

Engagement period (13th Month) further employment (5 weeks) is

arranged such that the period for obtaining a sustainment fee is

achieved (13 weeks). Will a 13 week sustainment fee be paid even

though the additional 5 weeks was achieved outside the “52 Week

Engagement Period



A30: As per Appendix 1 section 10.4 of the RFT no payments will be made

for employment that commences after the end of the fifty two (52) week

Engagement Period.

Q31: Similar to the above but with a short break between obtaining the

additional 5 weeks employment. Will a 13 week sustainment fee be

paid in this case?

A31: As per Appendix 1 section 10.4 of the RFT, no payments will be made

for employment that commences after the end of the fifty two (52) week

Engagement Period.

Q32: (i) Referral Group 1 & Referral group 2. Please can you identify the

difference between these groups? Is referral group 1 for those

customers who immediately pass the 12 month point whilst those

in referral group 2 are ‘stock’ customers who will be transferred to

JobPath? Could more detail be provided about the profiling of

these customers during the first year of delivery? i.e. will ‘stock’

customers be transferred as a whole or profiled out over the year?

A32 (i): The referral groups are set out in Appendix 1 section 5.2 of the RFT.

Referral groups one and two are restated here.

Referral Group 1: Clients passing the twelve (12) month duration threshold in receipt of a jobseeker related income support payment.

Referral Group 2: Clients who are over one (1) year and less than two (2) years unemployed and in receipt of a jobseeker related income support payment.

The existing long-term unemployed will be referred over the course of

the programme, as shown in the monthly indicative flows by referral

group in the Tenderer Bid Spreadsheet (‘Flows and Counterfactuals’

worksheet). They will not be referred as a single lot.



(ii) Clause 6.1 & 6.2. Should an appointment date be given within

the 20 day period and the referred Client fails to attend for the one

to one meeting will the “start date” as defined in clause 6.1 apply

or will the start date be the date of the first appointment

regardless of whether the Client attends or not

A32 (ii):Successful Tenderers must hold the first “one-to-one” meeting with a

Client within a period of twenty (20) working days from the date of

referral by the Department. The ‘start date’ refers to the date on which

the first “one-to-one” meeting takes place but shall be no later than the

twentieth working day.

Q33: (i) Please can the authority confirm the maximum Registration Fee

value in relation to the total cost per Client in a given referral

group. For example, in Appendix 1, section 10.1 (page 44 of RfT) it

states that the Registration fee can be no bigger than 15% of the

total Client cost, however, in Appendix 6, section 2 at the top of

page 44, and in the Tenderer Bid Spreadsheet itself, it states that

the maximum value of the registration fee must not exceed 35%.

A33 (i): The 15% figure refers to individual fees while the 35% figure refers to

overall income. Registration fees can be a maximum of 15% of the total

fees payable for an individual Client and a maximum of 35% of the

overall fee income – given that not all Clients referred to JobPath will

be placed into employment.

(ii) Please could the authority provide us with a breakdown of

referrals in the Flows and Counterfactuals tab within the Tenderer

Bid Spreadsheet by Division and office?

A33 (ii): Tenderers can view the breakdown of the Live Register by Division

and Office in the pivot tables that have been provided. These data are

available over three years and are the basis for calculating the referral



numbers in the Flows and Counterfactuals worksheet. Exits to

Employment pivot data are also available over three years.

Appendix 7 (Exits to Employment) in the RFT sets out the

counterfactuals per Division in each Contract Area for the last two

years.

(iii) Please can the Authority confirm what volume data should be

used if contract commencement is in quarter 4 of 2014 per section

11.1 (page 49 of RfT)? The confusion is caused by the indicative

referral volumes provided in table 3 (page 62 of RfT) appearing to

be shown in fiscal years i.e. April 2014 to March 2015. Note that

they are shown as month 1,2,3.. and years 1,2,3.. in the ‘Jobpath

Tenderer bid spreadsheet’

A33 (iii):The commencement date of referral of Clients will be determined in

each Contract Area after consultation with the successful Tenderer.

The contract to be entered into will have a referral period of four years,

irrespective of the commencement date of the contract.

The indicative referral volumes In Table 3 (Page 62 of the RFT) should

be read as for years 1, 2, 3, & 4.

(iv) With regards to the pivot table in the Live Register (data

referred to on page 61 of the RfT document;

http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/JobPath-Tenders.aspx), please

could the Authority define what the difference is between

“Claim_Paid_Days_Duration” and “DURATION”?

A33 (iv): In the pivot table, the “DURATION” field refers to the length of time

since the claim initially began. The “Claim_Paid_Days_Duration”

refers to the actual number of days paid on a claim.



The difference between the two can arise if a person was claiming for

say, 3 days a week, for a period of time.

The “Claim_Paid_Days_Duration” would then be shorter than the

“Duration”.

(v) Following a review of the ‘Jobpath Tenderer bid spreadsheet’

by inputting some dummy numbers, we have deduced that the

mechanism that calculates the value of all fees in the Tenderer Bid

Spreadsheet, distributes the total cost, including margin

(calculated in the Tenderer costs tab), on a volume basis. As a

result the model produces some nonsensical unit prices, with

those for “Sustained 9 months sustaining 12 months” in excess of

£50,000 per Client. Would the Authority be open to discussing an

alternative way in which we can propose our fees?

A33 (v):As demonstrated in at the Technical Information Session on 9th

January, if the Performance Offer worksheet is completed in full, then

the unit prices generated by the model are reasonable.

Proposed fees must be produced by the Tenderer Bid Spreadsheet.

Note: the technical information session referred to above was recorded

in full and can be viewed using the following link:

http://mediasite.charteredaccountants.ie/mediasite/SilverlightPlayer/Def

ault.aspx?peid=06789635a06e4fb9a8edc67fd01f678f1d&authTicket=3

73e5a275f484681ad1da66ae4db444c

To view the presentation you will need Microsoft Silverlight, this can be downloaded here: http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/

(vi) Following a review of the ‘Jobpath Tenderer bid spreadsheet’

by inputting some dummy numbers, we see that there is no place

to include costs for years 5 and 6, for those resources required to

http://mediasite.charteredaccountants.ie/mediasite/SilverlightPlayer/Default.aspx?peid=06789635a06e4fb9a8edc67fd01f678f1d&authTicket=373e5a275f484681ad1da66ae4db444c



http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/



deliver services to those Clients already referred during phase 1,

per section 1.3 (page 29 of RfT).

A33 (vi):This has been addressed in the updated Tenderer Bid Spreadsheet

(issued on eTenders on 17/01/14) as Years 5 and 6 have now been

added to the Tenderer Bid Spreadsheet.

Q34: With reference to RFT Section 10.8, we understand the rationale

for taking economic performance into consideration, but can you

please provide the rationale for the Reference Employment Level

being measured in the number of employed rather than as a

percentage of the working aged population, and how net migration

levels and working age population changes will be taken into

account.

Is it also possible to provide guidance as to the criteria the

Department will use to assess whether a discount will be applied?

A34: The use of the reference employment levels is a policy decision of the

Department for the purposes of this procurement process.

As stated in the RFT Appendix 1 section 10.8, the Department reserves

the right, at its sole discretion to discount the prices submitted

(Registration and Sustainment Fees) if employment levels in the

economy exceed the reference employment levels as set out in the

Table. The reference employment levels are the criteria.

Q35: The tender refers to Clients placed in jobs in The Republic of

Ireland and Northern Ireland, what will be the treatment (for the

purposes of fees) for those who secure employment abroad in the

EU and outside the EU?



A35: Fees will be paid for placement into sustained employment only within

the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Q36: Ref Page 35 - Section 3. Please can the Department confirm

whether Tenderers are required to provide information on

Personal Advisors only, or whether other operational roles are to

be described in this section?

A36: Tenderers are required to provide information on Personal Advisors. Tenderers may add other roles as appropriate to their offer.

Q37: Can you please inform me where the questionnaire response is located so we can respond to section 3.3.3. of the RFT.

A37: Tenderers are not required to respond to section 3.3.3. This section is

for information purposes for Tenderers as it details the Award Criteria.

Q38: (i) Is there an allowable gap or break in employment where the

customer has completed the 12 month engagement period but is

in employment at month 12 (assuming standard 12 month period –

no clock stops etc.)?

A38 (i): No break in employment following the 12 month engagement period is

allowable.

(ii) Are there any Irish Investment Grants available?

A38 (ii): While this is a matter for Tenderers to research having regard to the

nature of individual organisations, Tenderers are referred to

www.enterprise-ireland.ie and www.idaireland.com.

(iii) Can Initial Appointment letters be emailed to customers or do

they have to be posted?

http://www.enterprise-ireland.ie/

http://www.idaireland.com/



A38 (iii): Where a Provider has a valid e-mail address for Clients referred they

may use e-mail as a means of communication.

(iv) What are the new job sectors in Ireland?

A38 (iv): While this is a matter for individual Tenderers to research, a possible starting point may be reports produced by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (available at this link: www.egfsn.ie).

(v) Section 3.2.3 of the RFT on page 33 refers to one to one review

meetings in person; please can you confirm that the term "in

person" means face to face?

A38 (v): The term ‘in person’ means physically present “face to face”. However,

for the purpose of review meetings the Department will consider

alternative “face to face” solutions if their suitability can be proven to

the satisfaction of the Department.

(vi) Do we need to specify the types of systems we will use?

A38 (vi): Tenderers are referred to Section 14 of Appendix 1and in particular to

Sections 14.2, 14.3, 14.4 and 14.5

(vii) Do we need to provide a job stencil for job claims?

A38 (vii): The Department will determine these requirements.

http://www.egfsn.ie/



(viii) What are the minimum requirements for the Personal

Progression Plan?

A38 (viii): The minimum requirements are stated in the RFT section 3.3.2 of

Appendix 1

(ix) Do sanctions apply pre-attachment?

A38 (ix): Sanctions may be applied to Clients who are referred to JobPath but

fail to register with the programme.

Note: it has been assumed that the use of the term ‘pre-attachment’

above equates to pre- registration.

(x) If a customer has been sanctioned do they remain our

customer and on programme?

A38 (x): This will depend on the nature of the sanction and on the individual

Client circumstances.

(xi) If organisations are interested in bidding for all 4 areas and the

combined lots should they complete 4 bids and 6 spreadsheet for

the financial details or 6 bids and 6 spreadsheets?

A38 (xi): They should complete 6 bids and 6 spreadsheets.

(xii) Are bidders able to upload additional response material that

can be cross referenced to support a response in the main body



of the RFT? If so, how many attachments/Appendices are we able

to upload that are of relevance and in what format?

A38 (xii): There is no overall page limit for the RFT however material should be

concise and to the point.

Q39: In reference to Question 3.1 - does the department require a

separate delivery of services response in full for each of the

Referral Groups?

A39: Yes, as per Section 3.1, Tenderers must set out if, and if so how, their

proposed solution assists each Client Referral Group.

Q40: Section 3.2.1 of Appendix 5 of the RFT states that a Client's

weekly rate of jobseeker payment may be reduced if they fail to

attend activation meetings (group or individual).

Could the Department confirm whether this would apply to

activation meetings which are over and above the minimum

Service Guarantee i.e. if a Tenderer proposes more frequent 1-2-1

reviews with each Client or additional group activities throughout

the 52 week programme?

A40: Yes this is the case. However, the Department expects that proposals

for more frequent meetings should not be unreasonable.

Q41: What employer details will be required by the DSP?

A41: This is set out in the RFT - section 7.3 of Appendix 7.



Q42: What are the assumptions being used for the length of time that clients spend with providers before entering jobs?

A42: The Tenderer spreadsheet uses an exponential curve to distribute job

entries across the 12 month registration period. This curve is as

follows:

Month after registration (for initial job entries) or month after exit from work (for subsequent job entries)

Proportion of the job entry performance offer applied in each month

Month 1 26%

Month 2 16%

Month 3 11%

Month 4 9%

Month 5 7%

Month 6 6%

Month 7 5%

Month 8 5%

Month 9 4%

Month 10 4%

Month 11 3%

Month 12 3%

Q43: (i) On the Performance Offer tab of the tender spreadsheet can

you please clarify why entering a % value in the job entries

sustaining 3 months cell, for example, does not result in the

correct volume of outcomes being reflected in the 'employment

outcomes' box starting in column Q. At the tender event meeting

on 09/01/14 we were advised that this was related to the caseload

recycling logic built into the model. Given that only one of each

outcome type can be claimed for a participant, and that the

volume of outcomes generated by the formula is used to derive a

unit price, it is our belief that the spreadsheet is returning an



incorrect value and that the answer should reflect the

performance % the bidder wishes to offer in their tender.

As an example for illustrative purposes:

Using lot 1 data in year 1 for customer group 1:

Referrals from DSP = 5,905

Registration % = 95% (for illustrative purposes)

Registrations = 5,610

Performance Offer = 25% (for illustrative purposes)

Job Entries sustaining 3 months = 80% (for illustrative purposes)

The model returns a number of customers entering employment of

1,402 (correct at 25% of registrations) and 1,160 job entries

sustaining 3 months (82.7%) rather than the correct volume of

1,122 (80%).

Can this please be reviewed and corrected as it will materially

impact on unit pricing and performance expectations.

A43 (i): This is because the modelling in the Tenderer spreadsheet accounts for clients who achieve a job entry during their registration period, leave work, and then re-enter a job during their engagement period.

To take the ‘Year 1’ section of the Performance Offer spreadsheet as an example, cells Q15-W15 show the number of initial job entries produced by the performance offer. These numbers are equal to the number of registrations (C14-H14) multiplied by the performance offer (C15-H15).



The number of jobs sustained to 3 months in cells Q17-W17 is higher than the number of initial job entries in cells Q15-W15 multiplied by the job entries sustaining 3 months percentages in cells C17-H17. This is because some of those who leave a job between 0 and 3 months will achieve a subsequent job entry / subsequent job entries. The initial job entry performance offer (C15-H15), the assumptions about the length of time that clients spend with providers before entering jobs (see above question 43) and the job entries sustaining 3 months percentages (C17-H17) are applied again (and in the same way) to calculate those clients who re-enter work and then sustain a job to 3 months in one of their subsequent spells in employment.

It is for these reasons that the number of jobs sustained at 6, 9 and 12 months (Q18-W20) are also higher than what you would get if you multiplied the number sustained to the previous time threshold by the percentage sustaining to the next threshold in cells C18-H20.

Using reference job entry performance (cells C8-H8 on the Performance_Offer spreadsheet) and the counterfactual figure for sustainment in employment for the next 3 months (cell N189 on the Flows & Counterfactuals spreadsheet) we estimate that this uplift in sustainment outcomes produces between a 1% to 2.5% increase in the figures that would be expected by a straight multiplication of the percentages in rows C-H on the Performance_Offer spreadsheet

(ii) In addition to the above point can you please clarify why the

entry of a % in the Job entries sustaining 3 months cell results in

volumes of 6 month sustainment outcomes appearing. At the

meeting it was again explained that this relates to the recycling

logic of customers re-entering employment and in some cases

qualifying for both outcomes. Given that bidders have to provide

their own % of customers reaching 6 months in employment, and

that this adds on to the volumes generated by entering a 3 month

% we again believe that the model is overstating the volumes

shown in the 'employment outcomes' box.

Following on from the example above;

Sustained 3 months sustaining 6 months = 80% (for illustrative



purposes)

The model returns a number of 6 month outcomes of 949 (81.8%

of 3 month outcomes). It also builds in 43 9 month outcomes

despite no % being entered at this stage. We would expect the

correct number to be 898 (1,402 job entries x 80% reaching 3

months x 80% reaching 6 months). The model therefore appears

to be overstating performance by 5.6% ((949/898)-1) at this point

due to the compounding of the earlier issue.

Again, can this please be reviewed and corrected as it will

materially impact on unit pricing and performance expectations.

A43 (ii):This is because the modelling in the Tenderer spreadsheet accounts

for Clients who achieve a job entry during their twelve month

engagement period, leave work, and then re-enter a job during their

engagement period.

To take the ‘Year 1’ section of the Performance Offer spreadsheet as

an example, cells Q15-W15 show the number of initial job entries

produced by the performance offer. These numbers are equal to the

number of registrations (C14-H14) multiplied by the performance offer

(C15-H15).

The number of jobs sustained to 13 weeks in cells Q17-W17 is higher

than the number of initial job entries in cells Q15-W15 multiplied by the

job entries sustaining 13 weeks percentages in cells C17-H17. This is

because some of those who leave a job between 0 and 13 weeks will

achieve a subsequent job entry / subsequent job entries. The initial job

entry performance offer (C15-H15), the assumptions about the length

of time that Clients spend with providers before entering jobs (see

above question Q43), and the job entries sustaining 13 weeks

percentages (C17-H17) are applied again (and in the same way) to

calculate those clients who re-enter work and then sustain a job to 13

weeks in one of their subsequent spells in employment.



It is for these reasons that the number of jobs sustained 26, 39 and 52

weeks (Q18-W20) are also higher than what you would get if you

multiplied the number sustained to the previous time threshold by the

percentage sustaining to the next threshold in cells C18-H20.

Using reference job entry performance (cells C8-H8 on the

Performance_Offer spreadsheet) and the counterfactual figure for

sustainment in employment for the next 13 weeks (cell N189 on the

Flows & Counterfactuals spreadsheet) we estimate that this uplift in

sustainment outcomes produces between a 1% to 2.5% increase in the

figures that would be expected by a straight multiplication of the

percentages in rows C-H on the Performance_Offer spreadsheet.

Tenderers must input their performance offer in the Tenderer Bid

Spreadsheet as it stands. Tenderers may choose to reduce the

percentages that they input in the sustainment boxes to generate the

sustainment volumes that they think they will achieve.

(iii) Can the Department clarify what information they are seeking

in response to paragraphs 11.1 and 11.2 of Appendix 1? Both

paragraphs ask for an implementation plan, are bidders required

to submit their implementation plan in response to both

questions?

A43 (iii): One implementation plan can be submitted when replying to

paragraphs 11.1 and 11.2. It is not necessary to repeat your

implementation plan in both sections.

Q44: Why aren’t the numbers in columns Q-W on the Performance_Offer spreadsheet those that would be produced by a straight multiplication of the job entry and job sustainment percentages entered in columns C-H?



A44: This is because the modelling in the Tenderer spreadsheet accounts for clients who achieve a job entry during their registration period, leave work, and then re-enter a job during their registration period.

To take the ‘Year 1’ section of the Performance Offer spreadsheet as an example, cells Q15-W15 show the number of initial job entries produced by the performance offer. These numbers are equal to the number of registrations (C14-H14) multiplied by the performance offer (C15-H15).

The number of jobs sustained to 3 months in cells Q17-W17 is higher than the number of initial job entries in cells Q15-W15 multiplied by the job entries sustaining 3 months percentages in cells C17-H17. This is because some of those who leave a job between 0 and 3 months will achieve a subsequent job entry / subsequent job entries. The initial job entry performance offer (C15-H15), the assumptions about the length of time that clients spend with providers before entering jobs (see above question 43), and the job entries sustaining 3 months percentages (C17-H17) are applied again (and in the same way) to calculate those clients who re-enter work and then sustain a job to 3 months in one of their subsequent spells in employment.

It is for these reasons that the number of jobs sustained 6, 9 and 12 months (Q18-W20) are also higher than what you would get if you multiplied the number sustained to the previous time threshold by the percentage sustaining to the next threshold in cells C18-H20.

Using reference job entry performance (cells C8-H8 on the Performance_Offer spreadsheet) and the counterfactual figure for sustainment in employment for the next 3 months (cell N189 on the Flows & Counterfactuals spreadsheet) we estimate that this uplift in sustainment outcomes produces between a 1% to 2.5% increase in the figures that would be expected by a straight multiplication of the percentages in rows C-H on the Performance_Offer spreadsheet

Q45: I have entered exactly the same percentage in the ‘job sustainment fee proportion’ cells on the Performance_Offer spreadsheet. Why is the ‘Registration fees as a proportion of total figure (cell H32) on the Summary sheet higher than the ‘registration fee proportions’ shown on the Performance_Offer spreadsheet?



A45: We have tested the spreadsheet under different scenarios and find that if exactly the same job sustainment fee proportions are entered for all referral groups in all years, and if every single yellow cell on the Performance_Offer spreadsheet is filled in, then the number in cell H32 on the Summary spreadsheet will be exactly the same as the registration fee proportions shown on the Performance_Offer spreadsheet.

The only possibility we can identify is that the Performance_Offer spreadsheet hasn’t been completed in its entirety. Specifically, this happens when some or all of the sustainment percentage cells are left blank. If the sustainment sections of the Peformance_Offer spreadsheet are not completed then it is possible for the number in cell H32 on the Summary sheet to be higher than the registration fee proportions shown on the Performance_Offer spreadsheet.

Q46: Where do redundancy costs go?

A46: Any redundancy costs should be shown under ‘Other Staff costs’ by using one of the spare rows or inserting a new row if necessary.

Q47: Can the DSP detail their criteria for withdrawing clients from the programme? (p40 6.8)

A47: As stated in section 6.8, The Department reserves the right to withdraw

any Client from the programme at its sole discretion and without

provision of a stated reason.

Q48: What is the difference between response 11.1 and response 11.2?

Please can you clarify what you are requesting for the former that

is not included within the latter?

A48: One implementation plan can be submitted when replying to paragraphs 11.1 and 11.2. It is not necessary to repeat your implementation plan in both sections.



Q49: How does the DSP propose to channel the referrals? Centrally, through each CPA or by local DSP Office?

A49: The process for referring Clients to successful Tenderers will be

determined in light of responses received from Tenderers.

Q50: How will you read the submissions for evaluation? Will you break

them into individual sections or evaluate it as a whole document?

Is it acceptable for us to refer between responses e.g. to refer to

section 11.1 in section 11.2?

A50: Tenderers who qualify in accordance with paragraphs 3.2.A and 3.2.B

of the RFT will be evaluated in accordance with section 3.3



Q51: Could the DSP clarify if the two year tail applies only after the two

1 year extensions and therefore possible maximum contract duration of 8 years.

A51: The duration of the contract is for 6 years as per Part 1 Section 1.4, comprising 2 consecutive phases i.e. a 4 year referral phase and a 2 year phase to allow for the completion of supports to Clients referred at the end of the first phase. The first phase may be extended by one or two periods of twelve months after which the second phase will commence. The maximum contract period could thus potentially be 8 years.

Q52: Could the DSP clarify if the two one year extensions are not granted, then a possible maximum contract duration of 6 years will apply.

A52: Yes that is the case.

Q53: Please could you tell me if the Service Statement (as mentioned in section 3.4 on page 34 of the RFT) forms part of the contract agreement or is for information purposes only?

A53: Yes, the Service Statement forms part of the contract.

Q54: Ref Page 30 - Section 1. The tender refers to provision of the service in the Irish language. Do any other aspects of legislation on the Irish language apply and if so how?

A54: All aspects of the service, including documents, are to be available to the public through the medium of the Irish language.

Q55: Ref Page 104 - Appendix 8: Tenderer’s Statement. In the instance where Providers may avail of ‘JobBridge’ Scheme or any Irish State funded employment incentive scheme, please can the Department provide more information on the Provider's obligation



to comply with all the terms and conditions of these schemes and what this compliance entails.

Please can the Department provide more detail on the referral process and access to such services?

A55: It is the responsibility of successful Tenderers to ensure that they fully adhere to any and all obligations, terms and conditions any State funded employment incentive scheme. Information on JobBridge and other supports for employers is available on the Department’s website www.welfare.ie. Other websites, that may contain useful information for Tenderers, include but are not limited to, www.enterprise.gov.ie and www.revenue.ie

Q56: Ref Page 106 – Appendix 9. Please can the Department confirm whether the Terms & Conditions are final or whether proposed amendments will be considered?

A56: Tenderers should treat the terms and conditions as final and submit tenders on the basis that the terms and conditions will not be changed.

Q57: Are electronic signatures acceptable for the bid?

A57: No, electronic signatures are not acceptable. As per Part 2, Section 2.5.10 of the RFT, scanned signed copies of any documentation such as the Tenderer’s Statement may be submitted electronically via the eTenders postbox. The Contracting Authority must be able to read the scanned signature of the Tenderer. If possible, please sign documents using blue ink.

Q58: Section 14.2 of the RFT states that Tenderers must outline their approach to management of supply-chain members including but not limited to:

14.2.1 identification and selection of supply chain members and the envisaged timelines for having a supply chain in place

Could the Department confirm whether Tenderers are expected to have their supply chain in place prior to tender submission?

http://www.welfare.ie/

http://www.enterprise.gov.ie/

http://www.revenue.ie/



A58: The Department does not expect Tenderers to have their supply chain in place prior to their Tender submission.

Q59 (i) We are a newly formed Joint Venture with two sets of turnover, how should we present this in the table provided (p17 – 3.2.A 1)

A59(i): If the Prime Contractor is a Joint Venture (JV), the Tenderer must include turnover amounts for the previous 3 years for each member of the JV and for the JV members combined. Please insert additional “Turnover Amount” columns in the table in Section 3.2.A 1 as necessary and label each column.

(ii) We are a newly formed Joint Venture with two sets of audited accounts, how should we present this in the table provided [p18 – 3.2.A 2(i)]

A59(ii): The Department notes that there is no table to be completed for Section 3.2.A 2 (II). If the Prime Contractor is a Joint Venture, the Tenderer must provide the information required under each part of Section 3.2.A 2 for each member of the Joint Venture.

(iii) Will the provider be required to provide information in the Irish language when requested by a client/customer or should all digital/printed information be available in Irish and English from the outset?

A59(iii): See response to question 54.

(iv) Validating claims for job outcome/sustainment payments: Will the provider be required to provide some evidence of employment from the employer/self-employed individual or will the DSP use off-benefit data to evidence claims that the client has left the live register?



A59(iv): A successful Tenderer will be required to have evidence (the evidence required will be determined by the Department) of employment/self-employment which must be held for inspection by the Department.

In addition, the Department will also carry out off-benefit checks and other checks when validating employment / self-employment.

(v)Will electronic signatures be accepted as signatures e.g. when gaining client consent/confirmation or evidence from employers?

A59(v): This is acceptable.

(vi) Childcare – is the tenderer responsible for childcare costs of clients when travelling/attending appointments only or for more substantial costs such as full-time childcare while client is attending training or work placements?

A59(vi): For the purposes of the RFT, Tenderers should give estimated total number of Clients requiring childcare for travelling/attending appointments and job interviews.

(vii)Our customers do not give references, but will confirm that we have operated services for them. Will this be sufficient and will it place us at a disadvantage?

A59(vii): As per Part three of the RFT, Qualification and Award criteria section 3.2.B the Department requires two satisfactory references from Tenderers in order to pass the qualification criteria.



Q60: How do I show the costs of my sub-contractors in the Costs Sheet? Can DSP add a new row for ‘sub-contractor costs’?

A60: Tenderers should ensure all of the costs of sub-contractors are incorporated under the existing headings. If necessary, this can be done by inserting new rows to allow for information such as job titles and pay costs for different sub-contractors.

Tenderers should note that it is their responsibility, in negotiation with potential sub-contractors, to determine how sub-contractors are paid.

The Department is not requiring tenderers to pay sub-contractors on the same terms as the Department will pay successful tenderers.

Further, bidders should note that successful tenderers may be required to regularly report on the financial value and nature of sub-contracted services. As such, you should take this into account when responding to paragraphs 14.4 to 14.15.

Q61: Please can you clarify when you are expecting to release a new version of the "JobPath Tenderer Bid Spreadsheet" as this will impact our financial modelling.

A61: An updated version of the JobPath Tenderer Bid Spreadsheet was issued on the 17/01/14.

Q62: (i) Will JobPath Providers be able to claim the JobsPlus guarantee payment for eligible clients they employ?

A62(i): Yes, subject to the successful Tenderer meeting all the conditions/requirements of the JobsPlus incentive: full details of the incentive are available on the Department’s website or by accessing the following link

http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/jobsplus.aspx

http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/jobsplus.aspx



(ii) Will providers who are being used as subcontractors for JobPath be eligible to bid for the next round of Momentum contracts?

A62(ii): It is not proposed to exclude successful JobPath tenderers or their sub-contractors from Momentum contracts.

(iii) Resource 2.1 (P22): Where we are planning to recruit/appoint senior personnel upon contract award is it sufficient to provide names/CVs of interim assigned managers?

A62(iii): As stated in Part 3 at 3.2.B, paragraph 2.1, Tenderers must name the senior personnel whom they will assign to the listed key functions in relation to the provision of the Services. This information must be provided in the Tender.

Tenderers should also note Appendix 9, Section 19.1 Key Personal:

The Successful Tenderer shall ensure that all key personnel as required by paragraph 3.2B 2 of Part II of the RFT as specified in the Tender, will be assigned by it to discharge the obligations under the Service Contract and shall be available for the Term of the Service Contract (“Key Personnel”). The key personnel are essential to the proper provision of the Services to the Contracting Authority. In the event that any of the key personnel assigned by the successful Tenderer to provide the Services under the Service Contract become unable to provide the Services, for whatever reason then the successful Tenderer shall immediately notify the Contracting Authority in writing of the inability of any of the key personnel to discharge their obligations and replace that person with a person of equivalent experience and expertise (“Replacement Personnel”). The successful Tenderer shall provide to the Contracting Authority such details as the Contracting Authority may require in writing regarding any Replacement Personnel. The Contracting Authority shall have absolute discretion as to the suitability of any proposed Replacement Personnel.



(iv) Sections 3.4 and 3.5 (P26): Can you please confirm what your expectations are for site visits and demonstrations in the case of new market entrant i.e. would the Department want to visit a UK site or potential subcontractor site?

A62(iv): Yes, the Contracting Authority may deem this necessary.

(v) Section 6.8 (page 40): Can the Department clarify under what circumstances it might withdraw a client from the programme, and if it has any expectations as to how frequently this might be invoked.

A62(v): As per Appendix one section 6.8 the Department reserves the right to withdraw any Client from the programme at its sole discretion and without provision of a stated reason.

(vi) Section 11.1 / 11.2 (page 49): Can the Department confirm if these sections are requesting two different project plans or the same plan.

A62(vi): One consolidated plan can be submitted when replying to paragraphs 11.1 and 11.2. It is not necessary to repeat your plan in both sections.

Q63: Ref Page 91 – Appendix 6: Tenderer Costs worksheet. Please can the Department confirm what "mandatory activity" comprises and exactly what travel costs the Provider is expected to reimburse for each Client?

A63: It is a matter for each Tenderer to determine which activities are mandatory. However the Department would expect any mandatory activity not to be unreasonable.

It is a matter for Tenderers to estimate the number of Clients that will require funding support in order to attend appointments and job interviews etc.



Q64: (i) Can you please confirm what length of time out of work/between jobs will be allowed once the client has gone past the initial year with the Prime before the client will be deemed to have left the Prime’s programme?

A64(i): If a client is out of work/between jobs and have completed the Engagement Period of fifty two (52) weeks they are deemed to have completed that iteration on the JobPath programme.

(ii)Can you also please confirm whether a twelve month payment is available if a client is out of work for any period of time between jobs as it would appear from the documents we have seen that unless the client has twelve months of continuous employment in a fixed twelve month period then only the three, six and nine month payments will be available (based on weeks in work within the twelve month fixed period).

A64(ii): As per section 10.4 Appendix one:

For the purpose of claiming a Job Sustainment Fee, period(s) of employment or self-employment, must commence during the fifty two (52) week engagement period on the programme.

A period of employment or self-employment, to a maximum of fifty two (52) weeks’ duration, that commences on or before the last day of the fifty two (52) week period of engagement, but extends beyond the final day of the period of engagement, may be counted in determining a Job Sustainment employment period.

No payments will be made for employment that commences before the commencement or after the completion of the fifty two (52) week Engagement Period.



Q65 (i) What happens to customers who are categorised as ‘high risk’ of leaving the LR?

A65(i): Only those clients as set out in appendix one section 5 will be referred to JobPath providers. It is unlikely that a person with a high probability of leaving the Live Register would be referred to JobPath

(ii) Please could you provide further clarification regarding the referral process? Page 41 refers to a web based service for referrals but no details are provided regarding the transfer of data and interface with other systems?

A65(ii): Please see Appendix one section 7(client information), Appendix 4 (exchanges of information), Appendix 12 (overview of the Departments current IT environment) and Appendix 13 (Data protection).

(iii) The tender specification does not contain any details regarding: a) the format of the document to be returned to the Department.

Page 9 indicates that tenders must be compatible with Microsoft Word Office 2007 but it is not clear whether this is for return of the proposal or other associated documents e.g. references, letters of support from the board etc. or; b) desired font and size.

A65(iii): Tenderers should respond from the beginning of the document and should follow the sequence of the RFT itself.

Tenderers may use their own branded template and must fully respond to each section of the RFT as required.

Response should be comprehensive and concise.

As per part two of the RFT “Instructions to Tenders” section 2.5.4 Tenders must be compatible with Microsoft Word Microsoft Office 2007.



(iv) Please could you provide a likely contract award date? The specification doesn’t give any indication of this timeline.

A65(iv): It is anticipated that the Department will be offering contracts in April / May 2014.

(v) Would it be possible for the successful provider to share facilities at the new Intreo centres or have staff representation at these centres to support the referral process?

A65(v):As per Appendix one section 12.1

Tenderers must prepare their Tenders on the basis that they will have to procure and/or provide all of their own accommodation and other infrastructural facilities. [N]

As per Appendix one section 5.8

The Department will engage with the selected Clients to brief them on the services to be provided by the successful Tenderer and to emphasise the mandatory nature of JobPath so as to ensure that the maximum number of Clients engage with the programme. This engagement may take the form of written communications, group or individual meetings.

Successful Tenderers will be required to host and/or attend and/or present at any Group or individual briefing meetings if so requested by the Department

(vi) Will there be a warm handover for referrals from the Department or local office so that the successful bidder gains an understanding of the customer and their needs. For example will we receive a phone call informing us of the referral?

A65(vi): As per Appendix one section 5.8

The Department will engage with the selected Clients to brief them on the services to be provided by the successful Tenderer and to emphasise the mandatory nature of JobPath so as to ensure that the



maximum number of Clients engage with the programme. This engagement may take the form of written communications, group or individual meetings.


Q66: Could the Department please advise on the envisaged timescales for notification of preferred bidders and contract award?

A66: It is anticipated that the Department will be offering contracts in April / May 2014.

Q67: Appendix 10 highlights the need to return the document with €2.00. Please could you clarify whether Appendix 10 needs to be submitted before the bid deadline or if this is only required by the successful bidders?

A67: This is required only by the successful Tenderer.

Q68: (i) Do we develop a Word document copy which exactly mirrors the PDF as it is or are we allowed to develop our own document with our branding, supporting imagery, charts, graphics and annexes, with all of the content in the required sequence as requested?

A68(i):Tenderers should respond from the beginning of the document and should follow the sequence of the RFT itself. Tenderers may use their own branded template and must fully respond to each section of the RFT as required.

(ii) Do we replicate the entire 139 page PDF document titled 20131212RFTJobpath in its entirety, inserting our responses in the appropriate sections? Or do we create a version which contains



the required response sections only (Appendix 1 Section 1 page 29 – Section 14 page 56 inclusive)?

A68(ii): Tenderers should respond from the beginning of the document and should follow the sequence of the RFT itself. Tenderers may use their own branded template and must fully respond to each section of the RFT as required.

(iii) The DSP issued a Q&A list on the 23rd October 2013, prior to the issue of the RfT. Do the answers to the Questions raised still stand? In particular, Q63 in relation DSP not proposing to pay providers a fee for placing jobseekers into employment outside of the state – this will have a bearing on JobPath customers’ opportunity to obtain employment in Northern Ireland, or overseas.

A68(iii): Tenderers are referred to Part 2 Section 2.1.4. which states that this RFT supersedes and replaces all previous documentation, communications and correspondence between the Contracting Authority and Tenderers, and Tenderers should place no reliance on such previous documentation, communications and correspondence.

Fees will be paid for placement into sustained employment only within the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

(iv) Can DSP advise what version of word which is required?

A68(iv):As set out in part two “Instructions to Tenderers” section 2.5.4 - Microsoft Word Microsoft Office 2007.



Q69: Is it a requirement for a UK registered organisation to have to set up a new company in the Republic of Ireland to deliver the JobPath programme?

A69: No, this is not a requirement.

Q70 (i) At the meeting on the 9th Jan, the Authority were going to show the “Job Start Curve” (i.e. which months after registration in which a referee starts a job) within the model. Can you advise when this will be made available with the ability to add our own as this is key to profiling our resources and performance over the contract life.

A70(i): Please see clarification question and answer 42: issued on the 21/01/14.

(ii) Please can the Authority let us know when they can respond to these and previous questions as they are having a critical impact on our solution as there is limited time left before bid submission.

A70(ii): Clarifications are issued on an ongoing basis - following a review of clarifications sought and as and when the Contracting Authority is in a position to respond to same in full.

The following should also be noted, as per the RFT:

- Part two instructions to Tenderers section 2.6.1

Queries or requests for clarifications will be accepted no later than 12.00 noon UTC/GMT on 7 February 2014 unless otherwise published by the Contracting Authority.

- Part two instructions to Tenderers section 2.6.4

The Contracting Authority reserves the right to update or alter the information contained in this document (The RFT) at any time up to 14 February 2014.



Q71: Can the DSP clarify if there is any restriction on the number of meetings a referred client can be mandated to attend at the JobPath providers’ offices in any one week or month?

A71: There is no restriction on the number of meetings; however, the Department expects that proposals for meetings should not be unreasonable.



Q72: At present an Internship scheme is in operation where employers are incentivised to take on an unemployed person at no cost. Does the Department see JobPath competing with the Internship scheme? There does not seem to be an incentive for an employer to take on a paid employee when an Intern can be “recruited” at no cost. Government departments, hospital, Health Boards etc. are currently using the Internship scheme extensively.

A72: JobBridge, the National Internship Scheme, is one option available to JobPath providers to support clients in gaining employment experience which may then help them to secure paid employment. It is to be noted that (i) jobseeker participation on JobBridge is voluntary (ii) there are limits to the number and duration of internships under JobBridge (iii) the number of job vacancies posted and filled in the Irish economy is greatly in excess of the number of available JobBridge places and (iv) JobBridge has been in operation throughout the period which was used to set the reference performance levels (progression to employment rates) for JobPath. Accordingly it is not considered that JobBridge will act in competition to JobPath.

Q73: Please can the Authority explain the link between the indicative referral volumes and the flows on and off the Live Register data (referred to on page 61 of the RfT document; http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/JobPath-Tenders.aspx).

A73: The referral volumes indicated are based on inflows to the Live Register and subsequent “survival” rates. Tenderers should also note Appendix one sections 5.4 and 5.9 with reference to same.

Q74 (i)Will the Department include client’s PEX scores in the client’s referral data?

A74(i): It is the intention of the Department to monitor the distribution of Clients across the different groups using the profiling scores so as to ensure that, as far as possible, a reasonable distribution of Clients within each payment group is achieved. The Department may make these scores available to successful Tenderers at its sole discretion.

http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/JobPath-Tenders.aspx



(ii) We anticipate that some clients will enter into multiple jobs i.e. a number of part-time jobs. How will multiple jobs be validated on this contract?

A74(ii): For the purposes of JobPath, full-time employment and self-employment is defined as employment of at least thirty (30) hours work per week and which disqualifies the Client concerned from any entitlement to a jobseeker related income support payment from the State. Multiple part-time jobs which, when combined, meet or exceed the 30 hour per week threshold and which disqualifies the Client concerned from any entitlement to a jobseeker payment will be accepted as fulfilling this requirement provided no more than three (3) part-time jobs per week are involved. The thirty (30) hours requirement may be averaged over a four (4) week period. However, during this period the client must not be entitled to any jobseeker-related income support from the State.

Job information is to be provided at commencement of employment as set out in section 6 of Appendix 4 in respect of all jobs commencements.

Claims for job sustainment fees must include the information set out at section 7 of Appendix 4.

The Department will carry out off-benefit checks and other checks (including cross-checks with Revenue data) when validating employment / self-employment.

Providers will be also required to secure and retain evidence of employment/self-employment for inspection by the Department. The evidence required may be determined by the Department.

(iii) Can you please confirm that two part-time jobs that exceed 30 hours per week would qualify as a job – could this be made up of two p/t jobs?

A74(iii): See answer above A74(ii).



(iv) Section 6.6 (page 40): Can you please confirm if we need to obtain approval for each client or each training, education and employment experience.

A74(iv): As per Appendix one section 6.6:

Successful Tenderers may be required to get approval from the Department for each programme of training, education, or employment experience in respect of which it will seek an extension of Client Engagement periods. This approval will not be required for each client.

(v) Appendix 4 – 4.2 (page 68) if someone moves contract areas and transfers to the provider in that area, does their provision reset to day 1 of the 52 weeks or is the provision regarded as continuous?

A74(v): The combined duration of any two engagement periods should normally be no longer than 12 months However the Department reserves the right to determine the duration of the engagement period with the second provider on a case by case basis and shall advise the second provider on referral of the client.

Q75 The tender specification highlights the requirements for a number of additional documents to be submitted with the tender response e.g. report templates/examples, processes etc. Please could you confirm whether it is possible to add these additional documents to the portal, the format for uploading these attachments and the required naming convention for each additional document?

A75: As per part two of the RFT “Instructions to Tenders” section 2.5.4 Tenders must be compatible with Microsoft Word Microsoft Office 2007. Tenderers should respond from the beginning of the document and should follow the sequence of the RFT itself. Tenderers may use their own branded template and must fully respond to each section of the RFT as required.

Tenderers may submit additional documents; this is facilitated on the etenders site. Responses should be comprehensive and concise.



Note: it has been assumed that the use of the term ‘portal’ above equates to the eTenders website.

Q76: We note paragraph 2.5.4 of the RFT; “Tenders must be compatible with Microsoft Word Microsoft Office 2007”. Can the Authority confirm whether submission of Tender documents in PDF format is acceptable?

A76: As per part two of the RFT “Instructions to Tenderers” section 2.5.4 Tenders must be compatible with Microsoft Word Microsoft Office 2007. PDF is acceptable.

Q77 (i) What’s the maximum file size upload?

A77(i): eTenders have advised the Department that there is currently no limit to file sizes that can be uploaded on eTenders for buyers or suppliers.

Tenderers should note that: If they need assistance with eTenders they should please email the eTenders helpdesk on [email protected] or call 021 243 92 77 (please dial +353 21 243 92 77 if you call outside of Ireland) during office hours ONLY (09:00 – 17:30).

(ii) Do we have to collate our total response and annexes into one file or can we segment and upload multiple files? How many files can we upload?

A77(ii): See the answers to questions 75 and 77 (i)

(iii) Will DSP print the response document(s) once submitted?

A77(iii):Yes.





(iv)The wording is that for files to be compatible with Microsoft Word 2007: if we save our documents as an Adobe PDF document (to make it easier to read and print) is that acceptable to DSP?

A77(iv):As per part two of the RFT “Instructions to Tenderers” section 2.5.4 Tenders must be compatible with Microsoft Word Microsoft Office 2007. PDF is acceptable.

(v)(a) What is the correct place in the response document for the pre-qualification section (Executive Summary, Organisational Overview, Economic and Financial Standing, Professional and Technical Capacity)?

A77(v)(a):Tenderers should respond from the beginning of the document and should follow the sequence of the RFT itself. Tenderers must fully respond to each section of the RFT as required.

(v)(b): If the Executive Summary can be a separate document is there a format requirement or is it unrestricted?

A77(v)(b): As set out in Part Two “Instructions to Tenderers”, section 2.5.7

Tenderers must provide an Executive Summary of their Tender, of no more than five (5) pages, providing an overview of the key elements of their proposal. It may be a separate document, there is no required format.



(vi) Some sections e.g. Appendix 13, request information but are not annotated by either an N or D. Should this information be included in D responses or as separate sections as part of the overall response document?

A77(vi): Tenderers should respond from the beginning of the document and should follow the sequence of the RFT itself. Tenderers must fully respond to each section of the RFT as required.

For example, as per Appendix 13, Section 2.1 Tenderers must set out in a clear, comprehensive and detailed manner their proposed methodologies/arrangements for ensuring the security of Personal Data at all times (“Personal Data Plan”). The Personal Data Plan must address the requirements and issues set out in Appendix 13.

Q78 (i)Does the Authority have an affordability limit or expected level of savings as % of total benefit spend.

A78(i):The Authority is not disclosing any information in relation to its financial estimates.

(ii) Please can the Authority confirm if this is a Vatable service i.e. will payment be the unit price plus VAT. On page 86, it states that “all costs must exclude VAT”, however there is not a specific comment regarding the unit price

A78(ii): This is a Vatable service. Unit prices should exclude VAT.

Q79 (i)Please could the Authority provide more information around how Clients will be referred to the programme. How will referral to the programme be raised and discussed at the Intreo office? Is JobPath mandatory for all referred groups? How much choice do Clients have over whether they are referred to the programme?

A79(i): As per appendix one section 5.8



JobPath is mandatory for clients who are referred by the Department. The Department will engage with the selected Clients to brief them on the services to be provided by the successful Tenderer and to emphasise the mandatory nature of JobPath so as to ensure that the maximum number of Clients engage with the programme. This engagement may take the form of written communications, group or individual meetings.

Successful Tenderers will be required to host and/or attend and/or present at any Group or individual briefing meetings if so requested by the Department.

Please also see Appendix one section 7(client information), Appendix 4 (exchanges of information), Appendix 12 (overview of the Department’s current IT environment) and Appendix 13 (Data protection).

(ii) Can the Authority please confirm what information will be sent to providers when Clients are referred?

A79(ii): Please see Appendix one section 7(client information), Appendix 4 (exchanges of information) and Appendix 13 (Data protection).

(iii) How will the Authority confirm that somebody is still in work?

A79(iii): Information is to be provided at commencement of employment as set out in section 6 of Appendix 4.

Claims for Job sustainment fees must include the information set out at section 7 of Appendix 4.





Q80 (i) Question 14.1 refers to a Risk Management and Contingency Plan. Do you wish bidders to submit this plan as part of the response?

A80(i) Yes, as set out in appendix one, section 14.1

(ii) Minimum frequency of contact – In Work Support - Are providers able to claim a sustainability payment if they have attempted to contact the customer/employer without success if the providers records and evidences the attempted contact?

A80(ii): Providers must make all reasonable efforts to contact and support the client as set out at section 3.2.5 of Appendix 1. Providers should create and retain records of all such attempts for inspection by the Department. Where the Department is satisfied from its assessment of the records that the provider has made all reasonable efforts to contact the client(s) retention fees will not be applied. Where it is not so satisfied, retention fees may be applied or other steps taken, as deemed appropriate, including termination of contract.

(iii) Is the counterfactual based on individuals specifically going into employment or based on the figures coming off-benefit?

A80(iii): The counterfactual is based on individuals entering employment.



Q81: Can the Department confirm the referral offices for each contract area? For example, the offices of Thomastown and Carrick-on-Suir are included in Contract Area 2 but are in Kilkenny and Tipperary which do not appear to be included in Contract Area 2 on the maps provided in the specification. There is a similar issue with the Maynooth office in the Dublin contract area which is in Kildare. Are the successful providers in these contract areas expected to receive all flows from these offices or will they be split between the providers in adjacent areas?

A81: The Contract Areas and offices are as listed in appendix two of the RFT. The geographic location of an office does not necessarily determine the Contract Area to which it is assigned. The maps are provided for illustrative purposes only.

Tenderers should note the Department reserves the right to change the assignment of an office to a Contract Area at its sole discretion.

Q82: As JobPath is a new programme will the authority be conducting an awareness campaign to both DSP staff and customers prior to contract start to ensure timely referrals?

A82: Yes.

In addition Tenderers should note, appendix one, section 5.8 The Department will engage with the selected Clients to brief them on the services to be provided by the successful Tenderer and to emphasise the mandatory nature of JobPath so as to ensure that the maximum number of Clients engage with the programme. This engagement may take the form of written communications, group or individual meetings. Successful Tenderers will be required to host and/or attend and/or present at any Group or individual briefing meetings if so requested by the Department.



Q83 (i)Regarding section 5.9 in Appendix 1 of the RFT, could the Department please confirm that all referrals will be mandated to JobPath and thus sanctioned if they fail to attend their initial appointment, therefore guaranteeing providers referral of “not less than 60% of the aggregate indicative volumes” as stated?"

A83(i): Participation in JobPath will be mandatory for all Clients referred by the Department.

The imposition of sanctions is entirely a matter for the Department. The

Department’s sanction policy and approach is set out in Appendix 5.

(ii)Regarding section Appendix 1: Section 10.3 of the RFT (page 44), could the Department please confirm the frequency with which it intends to make payments to successful providers?

A83(ii): The Department intends to make payments on a monthly basis. However the Department reserves the right to change the payment frequency at its sole discretion. Tenderers should note the full content of appendix one section 10.3 as set out below.

10.3 Successful Tenderers must submit claims for payment on a monthly basis or at such other intervals as may be decided by the Department. The format of claims and the arrangements for payments will be determined by the Department from time to time. The successful Tenderer must provide such supporting documentation as may from time to time be required by the Department.

Q84: Can you provide further clarification with regards to the additional periods of post-employment support as mentioned in the statement below: 6.10 A Client will be deemed to have completed the JobPath programme once the Engagement Period has ended. An Engagement Period may be extended beyond fifty two (52) weeks



to take account of additional periods of post-employment support which continue on past the initial fifty two (52) week period as well as periods of time spent on approved training or further education programmes. [N]

A84: The reference to post-employment support in the above section should be read to mean in-employment support. Accordingly the text should be read as follows:

6.10 A Client will be deemed to have completed the JobPath programme once the Engagement Period has ended. An Engagement Period may be extended beyond fifty two (52) weeks to take account of additional periods of in-employment support which continue on past the initial fifty two (52) week period as well as periods of time spent on approved training or further education programmes. [N]

Q85: Re: service guarantee – Appendix 1 3.2.3 states that the one to one review should be in person; 3.2.1 does not specify that the initial meeting needs to be in person – can we assume that this could be conducted via telephone, video link (e.g. Skype) or similar so long as it is one to one?

A85: The initial meeting must be in person – this means physically present “face to face”.

The Department’s preference is that review meetings should also be physically present “face to face” meetings. However, the Department will consider alternatives to physically present “face to face” solutions if their suitability can be proven to the satisfaction of the Department.

Q86 Following the release of the clarification Q&A on 21/01/14 could we please seek further clarification on the answers given to questions 30 and 31, as the responses given imply that once a client has passed their 1 year anniversary of initial engagement (e.g. If the start of the engagement on Job Path is 1st October



2014 – their anniversary will be the 1st October 2015), that the employment must be with the same employer. Therefore could you please confirm: (i) Can a Client be employed by more than 1 employer during their 12 month period of employment?

A86(i): Yes.

For the purposes of JobPath, full-time employment and self-employment is defined as employment of at least thirty (30) hours work per week and which disqualifies the Client concerned from any entitlement to a jobseeker related income support payment from the State.

(ii) If a Client stops working (e.g. they are made redundant or don’t pass their probationary period) then no support is to be provided once the engagement anniversary has passed?

A86(ii): That is correct.

(iii)Once the 1 year anniversary has passed Clients should be encouraged to ‘sign on’ if they fall out of employment, rather than be supported into alternative employment?’

A86(iii):A Client will be deemed to have completed the JobPath programme once the Engagement Period has ended. If they cease employment after the Engagement Period has ended, they are no longer deemed to be a JobPath Client.



Q87: Will the PEX / RAG rating be provided with the secure file / web service referral?

A87 See answer to question 74(i). It is the intention of the Department to monitor the distribution of Clients across the different groups using the profiling scores so as to ensure that, as far as possible, a reasonable distribution of Clients within each payment group is achieved. The Department may make these scores available to successful Tenderers at its sole discretion. The Department does not operate a RAG system.

Q88: Having completed detailed analysis of the pivot table data related

to unemployment rates across the various divisions, we have noticed a couple of anomalies in-terms of DSP office locations/division against the physical location of the office. For example within Contract Area 1 the office at Birr is listed within the Midlands North Division, however Birr is located in the County of Offaly, which sits in the Midlands South Division in Contract Area 3. Could you please clarify this in terms of how referrals will work, i.e. will Clients be referred to the contractor in Contract Area 1 or Contract Area 3? Will the contractor in Contract Area 1 be expected to have delivery with Contract Area 3 to cover this DSP office?

A88: The Contract Areas and offices are as listed in appendix two of the

RFT. The geographic location of an office does not necessarily determine the Contract Area to which it is assigned. The maps are provided for illustrative purposes only.


Q89: Appendix 9 paragraph 1.2 indicates that the following will form

part of the Contract: this RFT; the successful Tenderer’s Tender; clarifications and responses to queries raised on the foregoing documents; and the final terms and conditions agreed between the parties to the Contract.



This appears to contradict Appendix 8 which indicates 'We accept all of the Contractual Terms and Conditions as set out in Appendix 9 to the RFT.' Please could you therefore clarify whether you anticipate any change and or negotiation to the Terms and Conditions after contract award?

A89: Tenderers should, in submitting their Tenders, treat the terms and

conditions as final and submit Tenders on the basis that the terms and conditions will not be changed.

Q90 (i)How will referral to the programme be raised and discussed at

the Intreo office A90(i): As per Appendix one section 5.8

The Department will engage with the selected Clients to brief them on the services to be provided by the successful Tenderer and to emphasise the mandatory nature of JobPath so as to ensure that the maximum number of Clients engage with the programme. This engagement may take the form of written communications, group or individual meetings.


(ii) Is JobPath mandatory for all referred groups? A90(ii):As per Appendix 1, Section 8.1 participation in JobPath will be

mandatory for all Clients referred by the Department.



(iii): How much choice do Clients have over whether they are referred to the programme or not?

A90(iii):The Department will select Clients for referral to JobPath.

As per Appendix 1, Section 8.1 participation in JobPath will be mandatory for all Clients referred by the Department.

(iv) Will clients be referred directly by the Authority to other entities for example JobClubs during the term of the JobPath contract?

A90(iv): The Department does not intend to refer JobPath Clients to any other

similar service during the Engagement Period.

(v) How will the Authority confirm that somebody is still in work?

A90(v): See answer to question 79 (iii).

Information is to be provided at commencement of employment is set out in section 6 of Appendix 4.

Claims for Job sustainment fees must include the information set out at section 7 of Appendix 4.





(vi) With reference to A32(ii), can the Authority please provide further clarification on the following: if a client fails to attend their referral meeting within the 20 day period, is the start date still from the date of the missed (referral meeting)‘one-to-one’?

A90(vi): If a Client fails to attend their one-to-one meeting within the 20 working

day period the Department should be advised as per the process set out at Appendix 5 section 3.3. The engagement period will be deemed to have commenced no later than the twentieth working day unless otherwise determined by the Department.

Q91 Can the Department confirm that providers will only be able to

receive sustainment payments (at 13, 26, 39 and 52 weeks) if clients have sustained in full time work (or self-employment) that is at least 30 hours per week?

A91: As per Appendix one section 2.2:

For the purposes of JobPath, full-time employment and self-employment is defined as employment of at least thirty (30) hours work per week and which disqualifies the Client concerned from any entitlement to a jobseeker related income support payment from the State. For the purpose of this section the thirty (30) hours requirement may be averaged over a four (4) week period. However, during this period the employee must not be entitled to any jobseeker-related income support payment from the State.

Q92 With reference to section 11.2 of the JobPath response document,

please could you clarify the contract award date? A92: It is anticipated that the Department will be awarding contracts in

April / May 2014.



Q93: Please can the Authority clarify how the commercial offering will be evaluated. Will it be on the basis of Annual Contract Value, Performance Offering, Unit Prices, or a combination of all factors? Is this linked to an affordability target / budget that the Authority have? Will this be shared with tenderers?

A93: The commercial offering will be evaluated on the basis of unit prices.

The prices that are generated in the performance offer sheet of the Tenderer Bid Spreadsheet will be inputted into the Cost Conversion spreadsheet which contains reference performance levels.

The reference performance levels are to allow for a like for like comparison of bids.

The Cost Conversion spreadsheet was issued to Tenderers to allow them to work though / examine various possible scenarios from their own perspective.

The Cost Conversion spreadsheet was published on 7 February 2014 as a separate clarification notice.

Q94: Clause 10.4 appears to indicate that a Job Sustainment fee can be paid for periods of self-employment. Yet clause 2.2 page 30 indicates that any job seeker related payment will disqualify the Prime contractor from claiming a sustainment fee. Are Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA) or Short Term Enterprise Allowance (STEA) considered to be a job seeker related payment? Is this interpretation correct with regard to no sustainment fee being paid for periods of self employment?

A94: As per Appendix one section 10.4, periods of self-employment may count towards a job sustainment fee subject to the conditions set out in Appendix one section 2.2 and Appendix 14, “Accessing Other Employment Supports from JobPath.”



Q95 (i)Section 4.1 of the RFT states: “The successful Tenderer shall not, nor permit any party, to process (including holding, transferring or store) any Personal Data, outside of Ireland. If the successful Tenderer wants to process the Personal Data in a territory or state outside of the European Economic Area (“EEA”) then it must do so only in accordance with the law and the Minister must consent to such processing. The Contracting Authority may approve or refuse consent to all such transfers and can attach such conditions as it may determine from time to time including the mandatory use of the EU Commission’s approved contracts for the transfer of Personal Data outside of the EEA.”

Can bidders offshore data outside the Ireland in England which is within the EEA? Or can data be offshored to outside of the EEA?

A95 (i) Tenderers should note that Appendix 13, Section 4.1 has been revised. as follows: “The successful Tenderer shall not, nor permit any party to, process (including holding, transferring or storing) any Personal Data, outside of the European Economic Area (“EEA”).

Note: For the purposes of the procurement process and the evaluation of bids, Tenderers must submit their Data Protection Plan, and cost same, on the basis that they will be processing (including holding, transferring or storing) all Personal Data within the EEA.

If the successful Tenderer wants to process the Personal Data in a territory or state outside of the EEA then it must do so only in accordance with the law and the Minister must consent to such processing. The Contracting Authority may approve or refuse consent to all such transfers and can attach such conditions as it may determine from time to time including the mandatory use of the EU Commission’s approved contracts for the transfer of Personal Data outside of the EEA.”

Note: If following the procurement process a successful Tenderer wishes to request processing (including holding, transferring or storing) any Personal Data in a territory or state that is outside of the EEA, the



request may be considered by the Department and may be subject to the above requirements and any other conditions deemed necessary.

(ii) Section 4.4 of Appendix 13 states: “Only in exceptional circumstances and where necessary, will the successful Tenderer use portable or temporary data storage devices to store Personal Data and in all cases, the data shall be encrypted and kept secure. The Personal Data shall be so stored only for the duration of the exceptional circumstance and when passed, the successful Tenderer shall delete the Personal Data from the temporary or permanent storage.”

Does the meaning of portable devices refer to USB or memory sticks, or CDs and NOT encrypted laptops? Also, how long should the personal data be stored for?

A95 (ii): Portable devices include, but are not limited to USB, memory sticks, CDs, encrypted laptops, tablets, mobile phones and smart phones. Data should be stored for the least amount of time necessary to deal with the exceptional circumstance.

Q96: The RFT document does not clarify if data can be processed (holding, transferring and storing of data) within the UK? Would the contracting authority consider a request to process the data in the UK? If yes, at what stage would approval for this be made?

A96: See answer to question 95 (i).

Q97: Can you clarify the position regarding welfare to self employment as an outcome for Jobpath. Will transfer to different set of benefits be counted towards positive outcomes or is there another mechanism by which self employment can be measured positively

A97: See answer to question 94



Q98: (i) JobPath Tender Bid Spreadsheet (Performance Offer Worksheet): Please could you confirm how the minimum and reference performance is calculated from the 3, 6, 9 and 12 month job sustainment offer. This is particularly relevant in Year 1 when the average client time on programme will restrict the number of possible sustainable job outcomes.

A98(i): Minimum and reference performance refer to job entries and not the 3,

6, 9 and 12 month sustainment offer. They are fixed values for each contract area and group. The values are calculated from the historical live register exits (counterfactual) and policy decisions about the expectations for JobPath performance.

Because performance and pricing are based on annual cohorts of referrals, there is no ‘restriction’ on year 1 outcomes.

Q98 (ii) Section 9.1.1 (page 43): Can the Department clarify what it means by a schedule of services.

A98(ii): Tenderers should note that Appendix one section 9 (Employer Engagement) has been revised as follows: 9. Employer Engagement 9.1 Tenderers must set out in detail how they propose to develop and maintain relationships with employers including the type of services they intend to provide to employers as a means of securing employment opportunities for Clients. The response to be provided must, as a minimum, include a detailed description of each of the services it is proposed to offer employers to include, but not limited to, the following 9.1.1 the approach to organising employer relations activities including the number of dedicated employer relations staff to be appointed



9.1.2 the approach to marketing and communicating services to employers

9.1.3 details of any partnerships to be developed in the delivery of services to employers

9.1.4 details of the processes and systems to be used to provide employer services

9.1.5 the approach to be used to identify actual or potential job vacancies and to assess employer recruitment needs

9.1.6 the “in-employment” supports to be provided to employers who offer employment to JobPath Clients

9.1.7 the approach to be used to measure and monitor employer satisfaction with the services to be provided

9.1.8 evidence of previous employer engagements where applicable. [D]. 9.2 Tenderers should note that they will be required, if requested, to attend and present at employer engagement events and meetings organised by the Department. [N]

Q99: Please could we have some further details and guidance on the

PEX and LMD? For example what is tested and measured, what are the outputs and what systems do they run on and can they interface with other systems/technology?

A99: Please see Appendix 3 of the RFT (profiling of clients) for details of the PEX and LMD approach. As per Appendix three section four (application of Profiling to JobPath) Tenderers should note, it is the intention of the Department to monitor



the distribution of Clients across the different groups using the profiling scores so as to ensure that, as far as possible, a reasonable distribution of Clients within each payment group is achieved. The Department may, at its sole discretion, make these scores available to successful Tenderers. The Economic and Social Research Institute (ERSI) worked with the Department to develop the PEX approach and in 2009 they published the report “National Profiling of the Unemployed in Ireland” which Tenderers may find a useful reference document. The report can be accessed using the link below. http://www.esri.ie/__uuid/0d17fc57-8726-40ab-b362-d4877cb921a4/index.xml?id=2825

Q100: Page 15 of the tender specification, paragraph 2.18.4 highlights that insurance policies shall be required to be maintained for a period of six (6) years beyond the end of the Service Contract’s Term without significant dilution’.

Please could you clarify whether this means we would need to pay for insurance for 6 years after the contract has ended or whether this is referring to the point that claims can be made up to 6 years after the event?

A100: As per part two Instructions to Tenders section 2.18.4: These insurance policies shall be required to be maintained for a period of six (6) years beyond the end of the Service Contract’s term without significant dilution beyond the period of the Service Contract, unless provided for otherwise. Successful Tenderers must have these insurances in place for the full 6 year period beyond the term of the contract, to account for any claims that might arise after the contract has ended.

http://www.esri.ie/__uuid/0d17fc57-8726-40ab-b362-d4877cb921a4/index.xml?id=2825

http://www.esri.ie/__uuid/0d17fc57-8726-40ab-b362-d4877cb921a4/index.xml?id=2825



Q101: (i) What’s the difference between the service statement in 3.4 and

the previous responses in 3.2 and 3.3?

A101 (i): The Service Guarantee is one element of the Service Statement.

The Service Guarantee (as per Appendix 1, Section 3.2) sets out the baseline service that Clients will receive from Providers whilst on JobPath. Successful Tenderers may deliver a level of service above the Service Guarantee.

As per Appendix 1, Section 3.3 - Tenderers must provide a Service Statement which includes the Service Guarantee as well as such other elements and commitments proposed by the successful Tenderer. Such additional service elements must be identified and described and the method of delivery must be detailed in the Tender response.

The Department reserves the right to approve and require reasonable amendments to the Service Statement.

Tenderers should also note Appendix 1, Section 3.1: Tenderers are required to detail their proposed service solution to meet the JobPath Objectives and KPIs, in respect of each category of jobseeker to be referred by the Department by reference to their Referral Group.

(ii) Can DSP accept embedded documents within our submission document, or would DSP prefer these to be included as separate documents

A101(ii):Embedded documents are not permitted.

All documents must be included as part of the submission. Tenderers may submit separate documents if they wish.



(iii) Appendix 13: Data Protection, Security Plan 4.1. Could DSP clarify whether the restrictions on data hosting are: 1) Republic of Ireland only, or, 2) anywhere within the EEA?

A101(iii): See answer to question 95 (i).

(iv) Appendix 13: Data Protection, Security Plan 4.4. Could DSP please clarify whether the reference to ‘portable’ data storage devices includes laptops or is referring only to USB drives?

A101(iv): See answer to question 95 (ii).

(v): We would like to ensure that our electronic referral and payment claims systems will be compatible with those which the DSP is intending to use.

Please can the DSP provide further technical details as to how it envisages the electronic referrals between the DSP and successful tenderers will work in practice at the time of start of service delivery.

Is it correct to assume that the referrals and claims systems will not be paper based in the first instance?

A101(v): The Department intends that information will be transferred through secure electronic data exchange mechanisms.

Tenderers are referred to Appendix 1 section 7 (client information), in particular section 7.3 “The Department will, from time to time, agree the format and the structure in which information is to be exchanged with the successful Tenderers. It is intended that the information will be published and consumed via Web Services. Tenderers must confirm their ability to publish and consume information using Web Services.”

Tenderers are referred to section 7.4 “In the event that the Department decides not to use Web Services, or is delayed in the use of Web Services, the information will be exchanged via secure file transfer at a



frequency and at times to be determined by the Department. Tenderers must confirm their ability to exchange and process information via secure file transfer.”

The Department utilises open standard formats such as JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) and XML and secure data transfer mechanisms such as connect:direct. The Department will agree the format and the structure in which information is to be exchanged with the successful Tenderers.

Tenderers are referred to Appendix 4 (exchanges of information), Appendix 12 (overview of the Departments current IT environment) and Appendix 13 (Data protection).

(vi) Please can the DSP advise when it will be in a position to issue the worked example of the pricing model that was mentioned at the Financial briefing on the 9th January.

A101(vi) Please see answer to question 93.

Q102 (i) Please note that the formula in cells DQ44:DX44 appear to be incorrect on tab “Summary”. Can you clarify if they should be linked to month 12, 24, 36, etc.. and not sum().

A102(i): No, it is correct as it is. The monthly figures are summed to generate annual job sustainment payments.



(ii) At the meeting on the 9th Jan, the Authority indicated they were going to provide an example of how they intend to evaluate the commercial proposal. This will have a significant impact on our commercial offer and we would request that it be provided as soon as possible.

A102(ii): Please see answer to question 93.

(iii)Is the intention of the Authority through their “Unit Price Calculation” to have the following impact:

a. By increasing our sustainment offer for 26, 39, 52 weeks, the cashflow position worsens i.e. the maximum borrowing is increased and so is the length of time to break even. b. The calculation of unit price does not take into account that some groups (e.g. Group 1) are significantly easier to work with than others (e.g. Group 3). c. The cost of sustainment for weeks 39 through to 52 is significantly lower than those for the initial job start and initial sustainment. This is not reflected in the unit price calculation where a smaller proportion of the revenue is allocated to the 13 week sustainment. This is not comparable to similar programmes elsewhere including the Work Programme in the UK where a greater proportion of funding is allocated to the earlier milestones to reflect the effort and resources required at this stage. This has also been requested by our Supply chain who require earlier funding in order to participate in the programme.

A102(iii): Tenderers are free to estimate costs and vary profit margins as they wish.

a) Holding all other tender inputs constant, increasing the sustainment rates will not increase the borrowing requirement or the length of time to break even.



b) The Unit price for each group is dependent on a Tenderer’s Performance Offer for each group. For example, if the Reference Performance is used there is a differential between Groups that takes into account their relative difficulty according to the percentage that already leave to a job (counterfactual). A Tenderer’s actual Performance Offer could vary this differential.

c) The intention of the Authority is to reward sustainment by offering higher prices the longer someone is sustained in employment. It is a Tenderer’s judgement as to how the costs of encouraging sustainment should be managed. It will be up to successful Tenderers, through negotiation, to determine how and when sub-contractors are paid.

Q103 (i) In response to Clarification Response A42, please can the Authority confirm their assumptions behind this distribution curve of job starts? Due to the very significant impact to cash flows that this curve has, please can the model be amended to allow bidders to input their own curve based upon their own prior experience on other similar schemes (e.g. the Work programme in the UK). In addition, would this form part of the evaluation of the commercial response?

A103(i): The Contracting Authority recognises the curve can have a significant impact on model estimates of in-work and out-of-work monthly caseloads, but these figures are not judged directly in the evaluation of the response. In the model the costs inputted by the Tenderer are not linked to this curve to generate a price. Tenderers can base their costs on their own assumptions if they wish. The distribution curve has a modest impact on subsequent job (re)entry (see clarifications to questions 43 and 44), but the magnitude of this is small.



(ii) In response to the answers to clarification questions 43 and 44, please can the Authority allow bidders to input their own “subsequent job (re) entry” data rather than the 1% to 2.5% increase imposed by the Authority’s model. Please note that the answers to Q43 (i) and (ii) are identical, and refer to answer to Q43 above which is not given.

A103(ii): For the purposes of evaluation the Tenderer Bid Spreadsheets need to be based on the same assumptions. However, Tenderers are not obliged to use the data furnished in the model but are free to make their own assumptions in their own model. Answers to 43 (i) and 43(ii) are identical as they are addressing the same issue.

Q104: Question 3.1 requests that tenderers “detail their proposed service solution”. Question 3.3 requests that tenderers identify and detail any service elements above those required by the Service Guarantee.

If we have detailed our proposed service solution then 3.3 will be a repetition of parts of 3.1. Is this what you are looking for? If not, please clarify what additional information you are looking for in 3.3.

A104: The Service Guarantee is one element of the Service Statement.

The Service Guarantee (as per Appendix 1, Section 3.2) sets out the baseline service that Clients will receive from Providers whilst on JobPath. Successful Tenderers may deliver a level of service above the Service Guarantee.

As per Appendix 1, Section 3.3 - Tenderers must provide a Service Statement which includes the Service Guarantee as well as such other elements and commitments proposed by the successful Tenderer. Such additional service elements must be identified and described and the method of delivery must be detailed in the Tender response.



The Department reserves the right to approve and require reasonable amendments to the Service Statement.

Tenderers should also note Appendix 1, Section 3.1: Tenderers are required to detail their proposed service solution to meet the JobPath Objectives and KPIs, in respect of each category of jobseeker to be referred by the Department by reference to their Referral Group.

Q105: In section 13 (para 4.1) of the specification it states that information cannot be processed outside of Ireland but then states if a provider wants to process information outside of the EEA only if approved by the Minister. Can the Department clarify if data can be processed inside the EEA, for example in the UK?

A105: Please see answer to question 95 (i).

Q106 (i) The specification mentions Personal Data - what does that include.

A106(i) Personal Data is as defined in the Data Protection Acts 1998 and 2003

(ii)The specification states that data must not go outside of Ireland but also implies that it must not be outside of the EEA - what is the position for data that is outside of Ireland but held within the EEA I.e. Held in the UK.

A106(ii): Please see Answer to Q95 (i).



(iii) How will customer data be received by the prime contractor as a referral will this be by electronic or paper based referral mechanism? Can further information/clarification on the referral mechanism be provided?

A106(iii): It is the intention of the Contracting Authority to use electronic systems wherever possible.

Q107(i) Regarding commercially sensitive information (2.14.2) - Can the tenderer supply a template which references the information and outlines the reasoning with their submission or should this information be highlighted wherever it occurs throughout the tender

A107(i): Where Tenderers deem information to be commercially sensitive , such information must be set out in a separate document in tabular form following the sequence of the RFT.

(ii)p50 Para 11.3 states that providers need to seek the Department’s permission to introduce significant changes to delivery outlets as detailed in the response. Can the Department please clarify what is meant by significant and detail the process that would need to be followed should a change be deemed ‘significant’.

A107(ii): This will be addressed as part of the on-going management of the contractual arrangements. For example, a significant change would include, but not be limited to, a proposal to close or relocate an outlet. Please see Appendix 1 Section 11.3.

Q108 (i) Please could the Department provide more details on how referrals are provided? If possible please could the Department provide a sample file / format of the data and the specification (including definitions) that this relates to?



A108(i): Tenderers are referred to Appendix 1 section 7 (client information), Tenderers are also referred to Appendix 4 (exchanges of information), Appendix 12 (overview of the Departments current IT environment) and Appendix 13 (Data protection).

Appendix 4 (Exchanges of Information) section 1.2 states “The data to be exchanged and the time and intervals of the exchange will be prescribed by the Contracting Authority from time to time and may include some or all of the information listed hereunder.”. The Department will agree the format and the structure in which information is to be exchanged with the successful Tenderers.

(ii) Is the web service a two way system? i.e. can we write information back to the system?

A108(ii): Tenderers are referred to Appendix 4 Exchanges of Information and requirement for successful tenderer to notify the Department in relation to specified events and to provide to the Department updated information.

The solution must support a two way exchange of information.

Appendix 1 section 7.3 states that “The Department will, from time to time, agree the format and the structure in which information is to be exchanged with the successful Tenderers. It is intended that the information will be published and consumed via Web Services. Tenderers must confirm their ability to publish and consume information using Web Services.”



(iii)According to page 70 para 7.2 to claim a ‘registration fee’ we need to provide: Clients PPSN; Clients Name and Surname; and Date PPP completed for Client how does DSP envisage this data sharing / transfer taking place?

A108(iii): Please see Appendix one section 7 (client information), Appendix 4 (exchanges of information), Appendix 12 (overview of the Departments current IT environment) and Appendix 13 (Data protection).

(iv)Is it acceptable for our back-office operations/support team (i.e. claim processing, data management) to be located outside of the Republic of Ireland?

A108(iv): Yes . Tenderers should note response to question 95 (i).

Q109 (i) Please could the Authority provide more information around

how Clients will be referred to the programme A109(i): As per Appendix one section 5.8 - the Department will engage with

the selected Clients to brief them on the services to be provided by the successful Tenderer and to emphasise the mandatory nature of JobPath so as to ensure that the maximum number of Clients engage with the programme. This engagement may take the form of written communications, group or individual meetings.




(ii) Can the Authority please confirm what information will be sent to providers when Clients are referred?

A109(ii): Please see Appendix 4 Exchanges of information

(iii) In response to Clarification Response A42, please can the Authority confirm their assumptions behind this distribution curve of job starts. Due to the very significant impact to cashflows that this curve has, please can the model be amended to allow bidders to input their own curve based upon their own prior experience on other similar schemes (e.g. the Work programme in the UK). In addition, would this form part of the evaluation of the commercial response?

A109(iii):Please see response to 103(i)

(iv) Further to your A30 response, it would appear, from your

response, that a client who is in the last 13 weeks of the engagement period and who cannot secure a minimum of 13 weeks employment with the same employer cannot generate a sustainment fee for the Prime. Is this correct?

A109(iv): A successful Tenderer may claim a job sustainment payment for

employment commencing at any time up to the end of the Engagement Period provided that employment is subsequently maintained for at least 13 weeks.



Q110 (i) Can the Department clarify whether the 52 week job sustainment period can consist of more than one job, i.e. if a client falls out of work but is then supported back into employment providers can still claim sustainment payments. And if this is the case, what length of time do providers have to place the client back into work?

A110(i): The fifty two (52) week job sustainment period may consist of more

that one job.

As per Appendix 1, Section 10.4 of the RFT no payments will be made for employment that commences after the end of the fifty two (52) week Engagement period. A provider may place a Client back into employment at any stage up to the end of the fifty two (52) week Engagement period and such employment may count towards a job sustainment payment.

(ii) When completing our response to the Request for Tenders, are bidding organisations allowed to cross-refer between responses in different sections?

A110(ii): Cross referencing is permitted. Tenderers must follow the sequence

of the RFT.



Q111: (i) Can DSP confirm that Birr and Edenderry are included in the Midlands North Region as both are in County Offaly. If they are, can you confirm that Birr would be covered from within County Galway and that Edenderry would be covered from within County Meath?

A111(i):The Contract Areas and offices are as listed in appendix two of the

RFT. The geographic location of an office does not necessarily determine the Contract Area to which it is assigned. The maps are provided for illustrative purposes only.


(ii) Also, can you confirm whether the indicated total 1000 staff across all LOTS is a maximum number?

A111(ii):Tenderers are referred to Part 2 Section 2.1.4. which states that this

RFT supersedes and replaces all previous documentation, communications and correspondence between the Contracting Authority and Tenderers, and Tenderers should place no reliance on such previous documentation, communications and correspondence.

It is a matter for individual Tenderers, as part of their Tender

submission, to indicate the number or staff they will employ.

Q112: We have found that cells P66 to P77 on the Tenderer Costs tab on the JobPath finance template are incorrect. Please could you correct this error and issue a new spreadsheet?

A112: This has been corrected and a revised version was issued dated 7

February 2014.



Q113: Our company has been talking to a number of LES companies and there seems to be a question mark over whether we are able to contract with these providers to deliver JobPath as they are already working on some government funded projects. Please can you clarify if we are able to contract with these organisations if so on what basis?

A113: Notwithstanding the provisions of the RFT, the Department is not excluding any companies or organisations from participating in JobPath.

Note:

The Local Employment Service (LES) and Job Clubs are services delivered by providers under contract to the Department. In the event that such providers become involved in the delivery of JobPath, they will be required to honour existing contracts with the Department.

A client may not be registered with a LES or Job Club while participating on JobPath.

Q114 (i) With regard to 9.1.1 A schedule and detailed description of each

of the services it is proposed to offer employers can you please define what the Department means by 'Schedule'?

A114(i): Please see response to Q 98(ii).



(ii) Will the Department accept tender responses in PDF? A114(ii):Yes, PDF is acceptable. Q115: (i) The reference employment level for Q4 2014 is 1,930,000. The

employment level at the end of Q3 2013 is 1,892,300. On the current economic performance indicators it would appear that the reference employment level will be reached by Q4 2013. Will the numbers in the table of 10.8 be recalibrated for the latest economic data? Would the Department consider using percentage movement indicators rather than absolute numbers for the table in 10.8?

A115(i): The Department intends to retain the reference employment levels and

the approach as set out in the RFT.

(ii) The current movement between discount levels and years is a

25,000 change in employment. For the period to September 2013 the increase in employment was 58,000 – therefore at the current rate in job growth this represents one quarter’s change. Therefore will the DSP be recalibrating the mechanism to allow for the annual change rate to be the trigger between discount levels or allow and /or to change to a percentage based mechanism?

A115(ii): Please see answer to question 115(i)



(iii) Will the DSP clarify that the discount level is discrete to the year and is not a cumulative discount value. If the discount is cumulative then will the DSP clarify how contractors can deliver the service as they are still guaranteed 60% of the referral level (5.9).

A115(iii): The discount levels are not cumulative.

(iv) Will the DSP clarify that the discount mechanism will be split by lot to recognise the differential levels of economic growth in the Irish economy so that contractors of regional lots will not be adversely affected by the growth that may occur in the Dublin area.

A115(iv): The discount will be applied uniformly. However, successful

Tenderers are not limited to placing people into employment in their own contract area

(v) Will the DSP explain the purpose of the discount mechanism as it appears that it will force contractors to cut their costs when they are being asked to deal with those who require the most effort to find them sustained work? This is especially true if the minimum level of referrals is reached as other groups (who are even harder to help) will be referred into the programme

A115(v): The discount mechanism is intended to rebalance payments arising

from higher than anticipated increases in employment levels. All things being equal, higher employment levels should improve progression rates to employment.



(vi) In 5.9 the DSP warrants a minimum level of referrals equivalent to not less than 60% of the aggregate indicative volumes over the contract term per Lot. Can the DSP clarify what form this warrant will take?

A115(vi): This issue will be addressed at contract stage. Q116: While self employment is a legitimate outcome under JobPath, the

exclusion of BTWEA as an outcome in its own right will discourage if not exclude many otherwise suitable candidates for self employment. Would the DSP be open to reviewing this anomaly and regard BTWEA as an outcome rather than a payment, particularly as self employment will take time to become a sustainable income source. We have noted that Jobseeker Clients already on this scheme will not be referred

A116: Please see answer to question no. 94. Q117: Please could you tell me if organisations are expected to host our

IT system in Ireland?

A117: Please see answer to question 95 (i).

Q118: With reference to points in General 2.2 and Appendix 14 relating to self-employment, the BTWEA is clearly the best model for a potential self-employment customers on the basis that they can retain 100% of benefits in year one and 75% of their benefits in year 2, an important consideration for such a client when taking the first steps into Self Employment. On JobPath it appears that in order for a provider to gain successful outcome payments for self-employment the client



needs to develop a fully income sustaining business within the 12 months of the programme, without the security of further income support (i.e. BTWEA). With this in mind our questions are: (i) If a client wished to set up their own business is it intended that the JobPath provider advise and assist them to pursue the BTWEA route?

A118(i): Please see answer to question no. 94.

(ii)If the client is accepted for BTWEA, could that be considered a successful outcome if the client is working over 30 hours a week?

A118(ii): Please see answer to question no. 94.

Q119: 9.1.1 A schedule and detailed description of each of the services it is proposed to offer employers. Question - Can the Department please define what the word 'Schedule' means in this context?

A119: Please see response to Q 98(ii).

Q120: The Department outlines in section 13.4 of the RFT that it intends

to determine the lowest cost Tender by means of comparing net present values through the fixing of performance variables at reference rates. Can the Department please update its model to include a field, which captures the value that will be used for Tender comparison, or else provide the methodology and fixed values that it intends to use for its Tender assessment?

A120: please see answer to Q 93.



Q121: The Department has proposed a total contract term for JobPath at

six years, with no referrals after the end of year four. Additionally, the maximum programme duration that any Client can be on programme is 52 weeks, but the clock can be “stopped” for up to 26 weeks due to full time training or work experience. It is theoretically possible that some Client referred late in year four will not achieve their final job sustainment fee payments before the total contract period ends (for example, referral on last day of Contract Year 4, 1 Year on programme, plus 6 months of training, and the Client starts a job on the last day of our programme, which lasts for over 12 months). Please can you comment on this scenario?

A121: The Department will consider extending the contract to cater for such a

scenario. Q122: Noting the Department’s proposal to set a discount if the

performance of the economy improves above reference employment levels (10.8), we note that the QNHS employment growth forecasts on which the data was based are likely to be exceeded in 2013. Will the Department reset the discounting bands to bring them in line with the state of the economy at the point of entering into contract?

A122: Please see answer to questions 115.



Q123 What are the metrics and time periods over which the Department will measure the successful Tenderer’s performance against their Performance Bid, specifically:

Will the above performance criteria be monitored by their rate cumulatively from Contract Start, or performance during each Contract Year?

A123: Performance will be measured on an annual basis. Q124: Please could the Department explain the methodology behind the

30% uplift to counterfactual for Minimum Performance and 60 & 70% uplift to counterfactual for Reference Performance for each Client Group?

A124: These are policy decisions by the Department. Q125: Would the Department consider making payment to Prime

Contractors within the month claimed by the Prime Contractor, rather than one month after (as the model is currently defaulted to)?

A125: The Department intends to make payments on a monthly basis in

arrears.

However the Department reserves the right to change the payment frequency at its sole discretion. Tenderers should note the full content of appendix one section 10.3 as set out below. 10.3 Successful Tenderers must submit claims for payment on a monthly basis or at such other intervals as may be decided by the Department. The format of claims and the arrangements for payments will be determined by the Department from time to time.



The successful Tenderer must provide such supporting documentation as may from time to time be required by the Department

Q126: The Department has confirmed that bidders may use their own

branded template for their responses. Will it be acceptable to vary the orientation of the document so that some pages appear landscape and others remain portrait?

A126: Yes, this is acceptable.

Q127: The Department has confirmed that Tenderers may submit additional documents, as facilitated by the RfT e-tenders site, and that Tenderers should respond from the beginning of the RfT document, and should follow the sequence of the document itself. Would it be acceptable to the Department to break up the main RfT document into a series of smaller .pdf files to facilitate easier uploading to the e-tenders site or does the Department require the main RfT document to be contained within a single .pdf file?

A127: Yes, a series of files is acceptable. Q128: The Department illustrates in section 10.8 of the RFT a table which

indicates discounts to be applied in the event of better than expected job creation in the economy. The figures presented rise in groups of 25,000 from the listed base of 1,930,000 in employment

(i) Will the discounts definitely be applied or are they at the discretion of the Department?

A128(i):As per Appendix 1, Section 10.8, “…but note that the Department

reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to discount the prices submitted



(Registration and Sustainment Fees) if employment levels in the economy exceed the reference employment levels set out in the Table below…”

(ii) Will the Department allow for differing economic performance across the CPAs and apply different discounts on this basis or will a uniform discount be applied across all the CPAs? If different discounts are to be applied, can you confirm that the QNHS maps accurately onto the CPAs?

A128 (ii): The discount will be applied uniformly. However, successful

Tenderers are not limited to placing people into employment in their own contract area.

Note: it has been assumed that the use of the term ‘CPAs’ above equates to the term ‘Contract Areas’ (CAs) as per the RFT

(iii) Since the QNHS employment growth forecasts on which the data was based are likely to be exceeded in 2013, will the Department reset the discounting bands to bring them in line with the state of the economy at the point of entering into contract?

A128(iii) Please see answer to questions 115.

(iv) Would the Department consider an alternative discounting scheme since the consequences for a single job at each tipping point are so dramatic on cash flow?

A128(iv): The Department does not proposes to change its current approach in

this regard.



Q129: In a scenario where a client obtains sustained employment on a part time basis – for example for 19 hours a week – and develop a self employment option that pays the client for at least a further 11 hours each week, to meet the 30 hour hurdle rate set by the Department to move off benefits,

(i) Can the two elements be summed to count towards sustainable employment payments?

A129 (i) Multiple part-time jobs which, when combined, meet or exceed the 30 hour per week threshold and which disqualifies the Client concerned from any entitlement to a jobseeker payment will be accepted as fulfilling this requirement provided no more than three (3) part-time jobs per week are involved.

(ii) If yes, what evidence will the Department accept to verify the self employment element?

A129(ii):The Department will carry out off-benefit checks and other checks

(including cross-checks with Revenue data) when validating employment / self-employment. Providers will be also required to secure and retain evidence of employment/self-employment for inspection by the Department. The evidence required may be determined by the Department.

Q130: To further clarify the response to question 86 on 03/02/14, could

you please confirm that:

(i) employment with multiple employers can only take place within the 1 year engagement period?

A130(i): Employment may extend beyond the 52 week period of engagement but must commence before the end of the 52 week period.



(ii) 3, 6, 9, 12 month job sustainment payments cannot be claimed if the client moves from 1 employer to another after the 1 year anniversary of the start of the engagement period, even if no claim for jobseekers support is made?

A130(ii) Any employment that commences after the 52 week Engagement Period does not count towards a job sustainment period.

Q131: How will the Department hold back the Retention fee?

A131: As stated in the RFT (Appendix 1, Section 10.10) the Department may,

starting in the second year of the Service Contract, retain fifteen percent (15.0%) of all fees payable to a successful Tenderer. Sections 10.11, 10.12, 10.13, 10.14 and 10.17 provide more information on the application of retention fees.

Q132: What is the DSP referral protocol for high risk (e.g. those with an

offending background) /special needs customers (e.g. auditory impairment)?

A132: The Department has not yet drawn up such protocols for JobPath.

Q133: (i) Please describe the Department’s view on the use of Tokenized data (personally identifiable data replaced) as a method of ensuring anonymisation of personal data as a suitable solution for storing data outside of Ireland and the EU. If so could you provide guidance on the process required to gain the Ministers consent for such processing.

A133(i): The Department is reserving its position on the use of tokenised data. The Department will liaise with successful Tenderers on the most suitable solution in this regard. Please also see answer to Q95.



(ii) Could you provide a copy and/or link to the “EU Commission’s approved contracts for the transfer of Personal Data outside of the EEA” as detailed in section 4.1?

A133(iii): Tenderers should note the answer to question 95 (i). Information on the transfer of data to third countries is available via the following link:

http://www.dataprotection.ie/viewdoc.asp?Docid=1041&Catid=66&StartDate=01+January+2010&m=

Q134: For companies registered outside of the ROI, will VAT be paid in addition to the agreed prices?

A134: Where a service is provided by a non-Irish supplier that attracts VAT,

the payment to the supplier is made net of the Irish rate of VAT applicable. The VAT amount is subsequently remitted to the Irish Revenue Commissioners.

The following are the generally accepted guidelines relating to the

Issue/Receipt of invoices under intra-community rules. A VAT invoice should show the following particulars:

o Name & address of the supplier issuing the invoice o The supplier’s VAT registration number. o Name & address of the purchaser / customer o Date of the invoice o Date of the supply of the goods / services o Full description of the goods / services o Quantity / volume of the goods / services o Consideration exclusive of VAT [ sub-total ] o Rate including zero –rate and the amount of VAT at the

appropriate rates [s].

http://www.dataprotection.ie/viewdoc.asp?Docid=1041&Catid=66&StartDate=01+January+2010&m

http://www.dataprotection.ie/viewdoc.asp?Docid=1041&Catid=66&StartDate=01+January+2010&m



One of the conditions for the supply of Intra – Community goods / services in addition to the above is to clearly show the VAT registration number of the customer in the other EU Member State.

Where an invoice showing an amount of VAT is issued by a trader not

registered for VAT, that trader is liable for the VAT shown on the invoice and is also liable for prosecution for incorrect operation of VAT law.

It is therefore imperative that sections ensure that the supplier of

goods/services has a VAT registration number on their invoice. It is the sole reasonability of Tenderers themselves to establish their

own VAT or other similar obligations and liabilities. Tenderers should consult with Ireland’s Revenue service to establish

their obligations and liabilities.

Further information and contact details are available at:

www.revenue.ie

and

VAT - Value Added Tax

Q135: If after the 52 weeks the client moves to another job but there is no break in employment can this count towards an outcome payment? For example, if a client gets a new job through a period of agency work with the company they have been working for (as is very common on these programmes) would this be counted towards the total period of sustainment?

A135: If the agency is the employer and continues to employ the client after

the end of the 52 week engagement period then such a period of employment may count towards a job sustainment fee. Employment with a new employer that commences after the end of the 52 week Engagement Period does not count towards a job sustainment fee.


http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/vat/index.html



Q136 Does the Department intend to apply any form of caps to fee claims made by the successful Tenderer, e.g. a cap against a monthly profile or a maximum number of claims that can be made for Registration or Sustainment fees?

A136: It is not the Department’s intention to operate such limits.

Q137: Can the Department confirm if it intends to apply Professional

Services Withholding Tax (PSWT) to fee payments made on JobPath?

A137: It is solely the reasonability of Tenderers themselves to establish their

own PSWT or other similar obligations and liabilities. The following is provided is for information purposes only.

Tenderers should consult with Ireland’s Revenue service to establish their obligations and liabilities.

In general, all professional services are subject to PSWT - the current rate of PSWT is 20%. Professional Services Withholding Tax (PSWT) would be applicable to fee payments made on JobPath with the exception of instances where an organisation has charitable status. Payments by an organisation to a charity that has been granted an exemption from income tax by the Revenue Commissioners are not subject to PSWT.

Companies registered outside the State are also subject to PSWT. However, the PSWT deducted is available for offset against the provider’s income tax/corporation tax liability.

Where a non-resident provider has no liability to tax in the State for the period in which the PSWT is deducted, repayment can be claimed from the Revenue Commissioners.

Further information and contact details are available at www.revenue.ie




Q138: What was the Department’s methodology behind determining the Client referral rate profiles in its model? Can the Department further explain the premise behind the points at which the “Low” and “High” Flow values were set?

A138: As per Appendix 1 Section 5.4 – Tenderers should form their own

judgements as to the likely number and profile of Clients to be referred and of the progression to employment rates that will be achieved.

Q139 What are the metrics and time periods over which the Department

will measure the successful Tenderer’s performance against their Performance Bid, specifically:

(i) What performance criteria will the Department monitor Contractor performance by during operations?

A139(i) Performance will be measured against the bid submitted by the

Tenderer. Performance against registration will be measured on a monthly basis while performance against job placement will be over a twelve month period from data of referral. In addition, for the first year of the contract, the Department intends to undertake a Client satisfaction survey across all four contract areas. Clients will be asked to indicate their level of satisfaction across a number of criteria on a five point scale from very dissatisfied (1) to very satisfied (5). Providers will be required to achieve an average score, across all criteria, of at least 3. Providers who do not achieve this average score or who achieve a score of 1 on any of the criteria to be assessed may be subject to the retention fee arrangements. The criteria to be assessed may include, but not limited to Client satisfaction with the following: o Quality of orientation/introduction arrangements

o Quality of one-to-one engagements

o Quality of support for job search

o Quality of support for training options

o Quality of physical environment for one-to-one meetings/reviews

o Quality of in-employment support



In subsequent years the Department may decide to set Client satisfaction targets for each individual contract area based on Year 1 experience. (ii) Will the performance criteria be measured by overall rates or by individual Client Group?

A139(ii): Performance will be measured at overall level and at individual client

group level.

(iii) Which performance criteria will input into fee retention decisions, and how will performance translate into an absolute retention value?

A139(iii): All performance criteria will be taken into account. Any decision to

apply retention fees will have regard to the circumstances of the case and the views put forward by the successful Tenderer. As per Appendix 1, section 10.10 the value of retention fees has been set at 15% of all fees payable.

Q140: The DSP Counterfactual levels of performance for Job Starts for

the 6 JobPath Client groups are based on job starts by Live Register leavers over the 12 months from November 12 to October 13. Does the Department have any job sustainment data in relation to these leavers, and is it prepared to share this with bidders?

A140: The Department’s estimate of job sustainment levels is based on a

cohort of unemployed persons who exited to employment from June to August 2012 (inclusive). It found that, on average, 82.4% of persons who exited to employment sustained employment for the next three months. This sustainment level remained the same regardless of the employment duration. The figures are based on a specific group at a specific time and as such are not necessarily representative. Tenderers



should make their own judgments as to the job sustainment levels they expect to achieve.

Q141 The Department illustrates in section 10.8 of the RFT a table which

indicates discounts to be applied in the event of better than expected job creation in the economy. The figures presented rise in groups of 25,000 from the listed base of 1,930,000 in employment

(i) Are these cumulative, e.g. if 33,000 are created in year 1 leading to a 4% discount in year2 and 17,001 in year 2, totally 50,0001 over the two years, what discount - if any - will apply in year 3?

A141(i): The rates are not cumulative.

(ii):Will the Department be applying discounts for full time positions only or will it (as within the QNHS) also include part time positions?

A141(ii): The measure of employment will be that used in the QNHS.



Q142: We have concern regarding the impact of JobPath on people with a disability and people with support needs and also those most distant from the labour market. With the introduction of Intreo and JobPath there appears to be no easily identifiable gateway for these individuals to access EmployAbility Services. Q. Can the Department introduce a filtering system to ensure that individuals with a disability or support need, and those most distant from the labour market and most likely to become long term unemployed, be identified and referred to EmployAbility Services and not be referred to JobPath. Further can the Department instruct JobPath service providers to also re-refer these individuals if and when identified by JobPath to the Employability Services.

A142: The focus of JobPath is on the activation of the long-term unemployed

and those most distant from the labour market whereas EmployAbility services are targeted at people with disabilities, including those recovering from injury or illness, who are job ready but need support to get a job in the open labour market. Job readiness in this context means a capacity to work at least 8 hours per week and the motivation and capacity to engage in the open labour market. The introduction of JobPath is not intended to overlap with the service provided by EmployAbility companies.

Q143 Further to my message on Monday 3rd regarding our IT system,

please could you provide me with an indication of when this question is likely to be answered? As I am aware the cut off for any more questions is tomorrow at noon and we could potentially have further questions, where the answers are crucial as they will inform our response.

A143: Please see answer to question 95(i)



Q144 (i) We understand that there have been a number of questions in relation to employment post the Engagement Period, we would request further clarity on how the sustainment fee will be paid/not paid if a client simply moves jobs post engagement period. i.e. Prime places a client in a full or part-time position with an employer and after a period of employment the client moves to another employer. Will the Prime be paid the sustainment fee if the client has not reached the 13, 26, 39 or 52 week milestone before moving to another employer?

A144 (i): Employment which commences after the 52 week Engagement

Period will not count towards a job sustainment fee.

(ii) Can DSP confirm that payments made for each contract milestone will be at the values quoted in columns AD, AH, AR, AY, BF in sheet named “Performance Offer”. Can DSP confirm that the amounts indicated in these columns are excluding VAT and that VAT will be added to the amounts in these columns before a payment is made to the Tenderer.

A144(ii) The prices quoted in the Performance Offer sheet will be fixed for

contract purposes. Prices should be quoted exclusive of VAT

(iii) Can the Authority confirm how long providers will be required to keep data on servers following the contract end date? Clause 9.5 on page 109 of the RFT and clause 5.3 on page 118 would suggest that it is destroyed immediately on contract end but could this be confirmed?

A144(iii) The provisions contained in these sections are confirmed.



(iv) Pending CQs: Clarification questions raised on the 20th of January are pending a response (See below in bold). It is likely that upon receipt of your clarifications, we may have further questions to raise. We understand that CQs are due to close on the 7th of February. Can we request this deadline to be extended to address queries arising on the below. a) Please note that the formula in cells DQ44:DX44 are incorrect on tab “Summary”. They should be linked to month 12, 24, 36, etc.. and not sum() b) At the meeting on the 9th Jan, the Authority were going to provide an example of how they intend to evaluate the commercial proposal. Please can this be provided. This will have a significant impact on both our negotiations with our supply chain and our commercial offer. ci) In response to Clarification Response A42, please can the Authority confirm their assumptions behind this distribution curve of job starts. Due to the very significant impact to cashflows that this curve has, please can the model be amended to allow bidders to input their own curve based upon their own prior experience on other similar schemes (e.g. the Work programme in the UK). In addition, would this form part of the evaluation of the commercial response?

A144 (iv) The closing date for the receipt of clarification questions is not being

extended.

(a) Please see answer to question 102(i) (b) Please see answer to question 93.

(c ) Please see answer to question 103 (i)



Q145 In regards to submitting our tenders, we understand that we are

able to create our own template providing it follows the RFT. Within this template, are we able to embed the additional documents? (for example the financial information and signed tenderer statement). Or would you rather these were uploaded as separate attachments?

A145 The embedding of documents is not permitted. Documents may be

uploaded as separate attachments.



Q146: (i) Clause 10.2 & 10.4 appears to indicate that a Job Sustainment Fee will be paid should a client become self employed during the 52 week period of engagement yet clause 2.2 indicates that a Back to work allowance is considered a job seeker related payment and therefore would disqualify a Prime Contractor from being paid a Job sustainment fee. Can you clarify the contradictory nature of these clauses or is there a reason why a Back to Work allowance would not be paid or claimed by a self employed person?

A146(i): As per Appendix one section 10.4, periods of self-employment may count towards a sustainment fee.

The above is subject to the conditions set out in Appendix one section 2.2 and Appendix 14, “Accessing Other Employment Supports from JobPath.”

(ii) Clause 10.4 appears to indicate that a Job Sustainment fee can be paid for periods of self-employment. Yet clause 2.2 page 30 indicates that any job seeker related payment will disqualify the Prime contractor from claiming a sustainment fee.

Are Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA) or Short Term Enterprise Allowance (STEA) considered to be a job seeker related payment?

Is this interpretation correct with regard to no sustainment fee being paid for periods of self employment?

A146(ii): As set out in Appendix one section 2.2

“………….. For the avoidance of doubt Family Income Supplement (FIS) is not considered a jobseeker related income support payment for the purpose of this section. Back to Work Enterprise Allowance and Part Time Job Incentive payments are, however, considered jobseeker related income support payments……” As per Appendix one section



10.4, periods of self-employment may count towards a sustainment fee. This is subject to the conditions set out in Appendix one section 2.2 and Appendix 14, “Accessing Other Employment Supports from JobPath.” Job sustainment fees will be paid for self-employment where such self-employment satisfies these conditions.

Q147 (i) Can you please clarify how the performance offer will be managed through the life of the contract?

i.e. If we submit a 25% job start performance for year 1 then this means that 25% of the cohort of clients referred in year 1 will enter work over the life of the contract and therefore we will be at 25% job to referral conversion by the end of year 1. Will the contract management regime account for this? In the UK on the WP the Minimum Levels of Performance in the contract were adjusted to account for the passing of time as opposed to being cohort measures.

A147 (i) Performance will be monitored and measured by reference to the progression of each monthly cohort of referrals.

(ii) Referring back to question 43 and the figures given in the example, if we insert 100% in cell C17 (Job Entries sustaining 3 months). The model returns a number of customers entering employment of 1,402 (which is correct at 25% of registrations) and 1,402 Job Entries sustaining 3 months, which would also be correct. The model also returns 166 Job Entries sustaining 6 months. It seems improbable that we can end up with more sustainments than job starts. Can you please confirm this is correct or not.

A147(ii):This is because the modelling in the Tenderer spreadsheet accounts for clients who achieve a job entry during their registration period, leave work, and then re-enter a job during their registration period.



To take the ‘Year 1’ section of the Performance Offer spreadsheet as an example, cells Q15-W15 show the number of initial job entries produced by the performance offer. These numbers are equal to the number of registrations (C14-H14) multiplied by the performance offer (C15-H15). The number of jobs sustained to 3 months in cells Q17-W17 is higher than the number of initial job entries in cells Q15-W15 multiplied by the job entries sustaining 3 months percentages in cells C17-H17. This is because some of those who leave a job between 0 and 3 months will achieve a subsequent job entry / subsequent job entries. The initial job entry performance offer (C15-H15), the assumptions about the length of time that clients spend with providers before entering jobs (see above question 43), and the job entries sustaining 3 months percentages (C17-H17) are applied again (and in the same way) to calculate those clients who re-enter work and then sustain a job to 3 months in one of their subsequent spells in employment. It is for these reasons that the number of jobs sustained 6, 9 and 12 months (Q18-W20) are also higher than what you would get if you multiplied the number sustained to the previous time threshold by the percentage sustaining to the next threshold in cells C18-H20. Using reference job entry performance (cells C8-H8 on the Performance_Offer spreadsheet) and the counterfactual figure for sustainment in employment for the next 3 months (cell N189 on the Flows & Counterfactuals spreadsheet) we estimate that this uplift in sustainment outcomes produces between a 1% to 2.5% increase in the figures that would be expected by a straight multiplication of the percentages in rows C-H on the Performance_Offer spreadsheet

Q148(i) Please can you provide a worked example of how you will evaluate and mark the financial assessment?

A148(i): The commercial offering will be evaluated on the basis of unit prices.




The reference performance levels are to allow for a like for like comparison of bids.

An example Cost Conversion spreadsheet was issued to Tenderers to allow them to work though / examine various possible scenarios from their own perspective.

This Cost Conversion spreadsheet was published on 7 February 2014 as a separate clarification notice.

(ii) Will the financial assessment be based on the total cost of the service over the full 6 years? (where total costs equal all attachment and sustainment outcomes). If so, a provider with a high sustainment outcome is likely to cost DSP more and therefore may be penalised in the assessment process.

A148(ii): The commercial offering will be evaluated on the basis of unit prices.


The reference performance levels are to allow for a like for like comparison of bids. Accordingly, proposing high sustainment levels will not lead to a Tenderer being penalised in the Tender evaluation process. Tenderers are also referred to the revision of Part 3 and Appendix 1 of the JobPath RFT issued on 5 February 2014.

An example Cost Conversion spreadsheet was issued to Tenderers to allow them to work though / examine various possible scenarios from their own perspective.

The Cost Conversion spreadsheet was published on 7 February 2014 as a separate clarification notice.



(iii) Part 3 of the specification, you ask for a list of key senior personnel and their CVs. Do you require a full CV for each person named or would a shorter career summary suffice?

A148(iii): A full CV should be submitted.

(iv) Are we able to cross refer within our tender response? (for example, if a particular process is relevant to multiple sections within the RFT, do we have to explain it each time or can we mention it in full once and refer back to it as appropriate?)

A148(iv): Cross referencing is permitted. Tenderers must follow the sequence of the RFT.

Q149: In the event the DSP change or add additional JobPath terms and conditions post submission of tenders are tenderers able to amend pricing prior to agreeing the final contract?

A149: Tenderers should, in submitting their Tenders, treat the terms and conditions as final and submit Tenders on the basis that the terms and conditions will not be changed. The prices quoted in the Performance Offer sheet will be fixed for contract purposes. Prices should be quoted exclusive of VAT

Q150 (i) Could you please confirm that the successful Tenderer could

process Personal Data outside Ireland but within the European Economic Area? We are just trying to reconcile the first and second sentences of Appendix 13, paragraph 4.1. We have existing data storage and protection facilities within the EEA but outside of Ireland which, if used, would allow for cost savings. However, we don't wish to present this as an option to the



Purchaser if to do so amounts to a failure to comply with Appendix 13, paragraph 4.1.

A150(i): Tenderers should note that Appendix 13, Section 4.1 has been revised. as follows: “The successful Tenderer shall not, nor permit any party to, process (including holding, transferring or storing) any Personal Data, outside of the European Economic Area (“EEA”).



Note: If following the procurement process a successful Tenderer wishes to request processing (including holding, transferring or storing) any Personal Data in a territory or state that is outside of the EEA , the request will be considered by the Department and will be subject to the above requirements and conditions.

(ii) Is the process for assessing bids 'blind'?

A150(ii): No



(iii) To enable our preparations for the presentation, what format will the demonstrations take? Please also inform us when dates have been agreed so that we can ensure the relevant people are available. [Please see Part 3.4.2]

A150(iii):The Department will determine requirements and arrangements in this regard following receipt of Tenders. As per part 3 section 3.4

Presentations

Tenderers may be required to make a presentation of the proposals contained in their Tender. The Contracting Authority will not be responsible for the cost of such presentations (in accordance with paragraph 2.7 of Part 2 above). Performance at presentations will NOT be evaluate

Demonstrations

Tenderers may be required to make a demonstration of their proposal. The Contracting Authority will not be responsible for the cost of such demonstrations (in accordance with Part 2 paragraph 2.7). Performance at demonstrations will be evaluated in accordance with the award criteria. Details of the requirements for the demonstrations will issue by the Contracting Authority in due course.

(iv) We refer to Appendix 14, page 133. It states that no payment will be made to Providers if a JobPath Client goes on PTJIS. Could you please clarify if 'no payment' means no sustained payments, or if it means the engagement fee will be withheld as well? Please also address this question for clients who go on the BTWEA, BTWA and STEA.

A150(iv): ‘No payment’ refers to sustainment fees only. Sustainment fees will not be paid if a client is in receipt of PTJIS, BTWEA, BTWA or STEA.



(v) Are there any exit to employment rates available for client groups 1 (Passing 12 months) and 5 (High probability of becoming LTU)

A150(v): In terms of counterfactuals, Referral Group 1 (Passing 12 months) has the same exit to employment rate as Referral Group 2 (LTU 1-2 years), as they have the same duration of unemployment (between 1 and 2 years). As there is insufficient historic data on Referral Group 5, the exits to employment rate for the Referral Group 4 (LTU 3 years plus) was judged the most equivalent.

(vi) What criteria will DSP use to compare and mark the joint contract areas (Lots 5 and 6) equitably with the single contract areas (Lots 1- 4)?

A150(vi):The criteria will be the same for all lots as set out in Part 3 of the RFT.

(vii) If you bid for a combined lot, you have to provide a template for each lot individually as well as for the combined lot. Does this mean even though you are bidding for the combined lots you could be awarded just one of the individual lots in the combined lot?

A150(vii) The Department will rank-order compliant Tenders received to establish a schedule of economically advantageous Tenders for individual lots ranked in order from most economically advantageous to least economically advantageous (highest to lowest score). A similar rank ordering will be performed on combination lots. These will be merged to provide a rank order in respect of all Tenders received. Based on this rank ordering, and subject to the condition that a Tenderer may be awarded a maximum of two individual lots or one combination lot, contracts will be awarded to the highest ranked



Tenders. This may result in a Tenderer being offered a contract in respect of an individual Tender where the lot to which the individual Tender refers is also part of a combined lot Tender.

(viii) How does JobPath fit in with the youth guarantee?

It is the Department’s intention that newly unemployed young people who, despite the best efforts of the services and the provision of a Youth Guarantee offer, are still unemployed for more than 12 months and not engaged in a training/work placement programme, will be referred to JobPath.

Q151 (i) Appendix 1: Section 3.7: We are proposing to break down the Personal Advisor roles into multiple functions. All of these ‘new’ roles are critical to the successful delivery of the contract as such, would you like potential bidders to answer this question from the perspective of all of these roles rather than just our Personal Advisor role?

A151(i): As per appendix one section 3.7 the Department views the number and calibre of Personal Advisors to be critical to the effective delivery of Services.

Tenderers should note that appendix one section 3.7 is aligned to award criteria 2.3 - as set out in Part three Qualification and Award Criteria, section 3.3.3

Tenderers may however propose additional roles as part of their proposal, see appendix six (Tenderer bid spreadsheet- explanatory notes) section three (Tenderer Cost Worksheet).

Where a Tenderer proposes to split the role of the Personal Advisor, the Tenderer must adequately explain how such multiple roles will work together to deliver an effective advisory service. The Department, in assessing Tenders, will make its own determination, based on the information provided, of the number of equivalent full time Personal Advisors being proposed by the Tenderer.



(ii) What is the feeling from DSP about using an offshore validation contact centre to validate JobPath job outcomes? Staff from this function would require access to client contact details, would this be acceptable under the offshoring data restrictions?

A151(ii): Tenderers should note that Appendix 13, Section 4.1 has been revised as follows: “The successful Tenderer shall not, nor permit any party to, process (including holding, transferring or storing) any Personal Data, outside of the European Economic Area (“EEA”).



Note: If following the procurement process a successful Tenderer wishes to request processing (including holding, transferring or storing) any Personal Data in a territory or state that is outside of the EEA, the request will be considered by the Department and will be subject to the above requirements and conditions.



(iii) To clarify your response to question 58, our understanding is that potential bidders do not need to name the subcontractors that they will use in their bid. Can DSP confirm its expectations as to when subcontractor agreements would need to be in place and how it will evaluate bids that have subcontractors in place as opposed to ones that do not.

A151(iii): Tenderers are referred to Appendix 1 Section 14.2 and in particular to 14.2.1 which relates to the identification and selection of supply chain members and the envisaged timelines for having a supply chain in place. While it is not necessary to have a supply chain in place prior to Tender submission, Tenderers are not precluded from doing so. It is a matter for Tenderers to outline their approach to identification and selection of their supply chain. In evaluating Tenders the Department will have regard to the level of clarity and certainty attaching to the proposed supply chain arrangements.

(iv): Please can you confirm the Department’s approach to sanctioning clients on the JobPath programme? How will this work in practice i.e. if a client misses one meeting will they lose some or all of their benefits? If they miss a second or third meeting what will happen?

A151(iv): Tenderers are referred to Appendix 5 (Sanctions Policy and Requirements). It is a matter for the Department’s Deciding Officers to determine the application of sanctions having regard to the circumstances of each case.

Q152 Further to our message on the online tender portal on 30th January (message ID 340702), please could you confirm whether you will be amending the Finance Template Spreadsheet further to our question (issue with cells P66 to P77 on the Tenderer Costs tab) or whether we are using the spreadsheet incorrectly.



A152: This has been corrected and a revised version was issued dated 7 February 2014.

Q153 (i) The exponential curve to distribute job entries across the 12 month registration period in A42 – Q&A issued on 21/01/2014 Based on our past experiences delivering similar programs to similar recipients, the job placement curve assumed inA42 Q&A dated 21/01/2014 assumes a much quicker return to work than which will happen in reality. For example, your model assumes 53% of all job starts occur within the first 3 months (please see the table below) but our experience to date shows that figure to be closer to 33% and cumulatively over the first 6 months your model assumes 75% but our experience to date shows that figure to be 67%. Will the job start curve the DSP is using be based to produce targets for year one placements and outcomes, or will this be negotiated post-award?

If the former applies, we believe there is significant risk that targets over the earlier months of the program and indeed the whole of year one will be unrealistic and unachievable.

A153(i):The Department will not be setting targets for successful Tenderers, rather it is a matter for each Tenderer to propose their own “targets” in the form of their Performance Offer.



(ii) Can the Department clarify the logic behind the curve provided and also provide clarity on whether the curve will be used for target setting? JobPath DSP Cumulative Month 1 26% Month 2 16% Month 3 11%______________53% Month 4 9% Month 5 7% Month 6 6%______________75% Month 7 5% Month 8 5% Month 9 4%______________89% Month 10 4% Month 11 3% Month 12 3%______________100% 100%

A153(ii): The curve was used for modelling purposes and not for setting

targets. Please see answer to question 153 (i)

(iii) Referral phase 1 potential extension to a further 1 or 2 years (RFTpg4 1.4)

(a)What will be the referral volumes for the extended periods?

A153(iii)(a): The Department expects to be in a position to determine such volumes

(if any) in year 3 of the contract.



(b)Will there be additional volumes referred to the providers in the extended periods? Or can the current indicated volume be deferred?

A153(iii)(b): Please see answer to question 153(iii)(a)

(iv)Client cost is left for provider to estimate but can the Department confirm the following questions (RFT pg91-92):

(a)DSP definition of Discretionary Fund, Specialist Support;

A153(iv)(a): This is a matter of judgement for each Tenderer.

(b) DSP clarification / confirm on which stage of the client journey required the relevant cost items:

a. Transport cost – is this the period between registration and job entry? b. Child care – does this include jobsearch period or after job entry only? c. Discretionary fund - does this relate to before job entry or the entire client journey? d. Specialist support – does this relate to before job entry or the entire client journey? e. Other



A153(iv)(b): These are matters of judgement for each Tenderer. It is envisaged that successful Tenderers will offer such supports based on their assessment of individual Client needs.

Q154 (i) Re the 26 weeks extension period, please can the Department provide more information on the following stages: a) Training, further education, work experience last for a minimum duration of 4 weeks (RFT6.4pg 40) – Question: Is the training undertaken upon registration before placement, or is the training under taken after placement (or placement drop-out) also taken into account?

A154(i)(a): The extension is intended to cover periods of training, further education, work experience etc. that take place after successful registration and before job placement

(b) Additional periods of post employment support continue on past the initial 52 week periods (RFT6.10 pg41) – Question: Is this for clients who had a job entry during engagement period and require additional post employment support outside the 52 weeks engagement period? How do we define the additional support (categories of additional support)? Is the extension period same as the additional support period capped to 26 weeks?

A154(i)(b): The reference to post-employment support in the above section should be read to mean in-employment support. Accordingly the text should be read as follows:

6.10 A Client will be deemed to have completed the JobPath programme once the Engagement Period has ended. An Engagement Period may be extended beyond fifty two (52) weeks to take account of additional periods of in-employment support which continue on past



the initial fifty two (52) week period as well as periods of time spent on approved training or further education programmes. [N]

(c) Extend for the same period as the suspension period if sanction takes form of a disallowance or disqualification of a jobseeker-related payment (RFT8.5 pg42) – Question: Is there any historic data available from DSP on the suspension for modelling assumption?

A154(i)(c): The Department does not have such data available

(ii) The project will incur significant capital and set up costs. The way the pricing model works, these costs are recovered within the unit pricing over the six year period. In the event of early contract termination, can the department please advise whether the balance of these costs would become payable? Also, whether any termination costs would be payable under the same circumstances e.g. early lease cancellation

A155(ii): These risks are matters for Tenderers to consider.

(iii) With reference to Q83 of the Q&A log, the Department intends to make monthly payments to successful Tenderers. Can the Department please confirm that an invoice therefore dated say 31st March would be paid at the end of April? If not, please can



the Department provide clarity on the payment processes, including information on exact timescales?

A155(iii): The Department will comply with the requirements of the Prompt

Payment of Accounts Act 1997 (as amended)

(iv) Re Appendix 12: Please can the Department provide more information on the IT processes around referral mechanism to the Provider? How does the Department propose to provide the referral information from the DSP system to a Provider?

A155(iv):The Department intends that information will be transferred through secure electronic data exchange mechanisms.

Tenderers are referred to Appendix 1 section 7 (client information), in particular section 7.3 “The Department will, from time to time, agree the format and the structure in which information is to be exchanged with the successful Tenderers. It is intended that the information will be published and consumed via Web Services. Tenderers must confirm their ability to publish and consume information using Web Services.”

Tenderers are referred to section 7.4 “In the event that the Department decides not to use Web Services, or is delayed in the use of Web Services, the information will be exchanged via secure file transfer at a frequency and at times to be determined by the Department. Tenderers must confirm their ability to exchange and process information via secure file transfer.”

The Department utilises open standard formats such as JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) and XML and secure data transfer mechanisms such as connect:direct. The Department will agree the format and the structure in which information is to be exchanged with the successful Tenderers.

Tenderers are referred to Appendix 4 (exchanges of information),) and Appendix 13 (Data protection).



Q156: We would appreciate some clarity regarding the childcare costs we are required to cover. We understand this covers appointments. However, please could you clarify the extent to which childcare costs need to be covered for training. If training last several weeks are we expected to cover childcare costs for this full period? Are we also expected to cover childcare costs when the client starts work?

A156: Please see answer to question 153(iv)

Q157 (i) Is the earliest point that the discount can be applied year two of the contract?

A157(i): Yes – that is the case.

(ii) How will the 15% retention be applied, will it be retained in one lump amount or be a credit against/held back from monthly invoicing payment?

A157(ii): Retention fees will be applied to invoices submitted following the

decision to apply such retention fees and until the reason(s) for the application of retention fees have been satisfactorily addressed.

(iii) How do you assess performance against bid performance annually for the retention, is this based on finished cohorts or based just on annual figures at a particular point in time. The reason we ask is that the performance offer in the bid is based on the completion of all cohorts for that year.



A157(iii):It is intended that assessment will be based on monthly cohorts and Tenders should be prepared on this basis.

(iv) At what point after the contract year will the performance be assessed, will it be within one month or allow time for a sufficient number of cohorts complete and be based on cohorts. If it is not based on cohort, then in the first year no one will reach the performance offer.

A157(iv): It is intended to undertake the assessment at a point which in the

Department’s opinion has allowed sufficient time to elapse in order to form a considered evaluation of performance.

(v) The discount of up to 16%. If we assume the economy is running well and the full discount of 16% is applied in year two. Will this same discount be applied to the fee we offer in year 3 automatically. For example. If you have a fee of 1000 in year two to which a discount is applied so it results in the fee being 840, and the fee you offer to for year three is 800, will the 16% be applied to this fee automatically so it drops to 672 and the same for subsequent years?

A157(v): Discounts will not be applied on a cumulative basis Q158 (i) Are apprenticeships included as job outcomes?

A158(i): Yes, provided the requirements of section 2.2 of Appendix 1 are

satisfied.



(ii) How is the improvement in the economy measured and calculated across regional areas as distinct from Dublin.

A158(ii): In the event of an improvement in the economy, as per the indicators

set out in appendix one section 10.8, the discount applied will be on a uniform basis across all contract lots (the discount mechanism will not be split by lot).

Tenderers should note that they are not limited to placing people into employment in their own contract area.

(iii) Is the counterfactual calculated on a regional basis or for the country as a whole?

A158(iii): The counterfactuals have been set by Contract Area, as set out in the

Tenderers Bid Spreadsheet.

(iv) Will a more detailed outline of the sanction regime be discussed at preferred bidder stage?

A158(iv): The Department will engage with successful Tenderers on this and

other issues at the appropriate stage.

(v) Is it a cumulative calculation of someone working - e.g. if a person is in employment for 2 months and 28 days and leaves employment, do we get a 3 month sustainment payment if we get them back into work after say 3 months for 3 days

A158(v): Tenderers are referred to Appendix 1, Section 10.4. Periods of full-

time employment will be counted in weeks.



(vi) Historically there have been delays for individuals in receiving social welfare payment from DSP when a person becomes unemployed which has been a barrier to unemployed people taking up jobs particularly contracts, short term jobs and part time jobs. Will the DSP ensure that anyone who is in JobPath and gains employment and then leaves employment will have their unemployment claim expedited quickly?

A158(vi): Under the Department’s Intreo service the processing time for claims

has been reduced considerably with the result that such situations should rarely arise.

Q159: Most people on JS/JA will qualify for BTWEA, which makes it

difficult to see how a Provider could support someone into self-employment, even though the provider may have inputted work to get the person ready to consider self-employment, confidence building & motivation. Would DSP consider paying Provider sustainment payment if person is still in self-employment after the two years of BTWEA?

A159: The Department does not propose to pay job sustainment fees for

Clients who retain their income support payments

Q160: Please can the Department provide detail of the evidence required

in order to receive payments? A160: Providers will be required to secure and retain evidence of

employment/self-employment for inspection by the Department. The evidence required may be determined by the Department.

The Department will carry out off-benefit checks and other checks when validating employment / self-employment.



Q161 (i) Are companies required to set up a legal entity in Ireland in order to bid?

A161(i): A Tenderer does not have to be incorporated prior to submitting a

Tender.

(ii) Could we have a worked example with assumptions of the cycling jobs and additional sustains that is causing the higher sustain calculations. What are the assumptions for instance on dropouts and the % of these that will get another job?

A161(ii): This is because the modelling in the Tenderer spreadsheet accounts

for clients who achieve a job entry during their registration period, leave work, and then re-enter a job during their registration period.

To take the ‘Year 1’ section of the Performance Offer spreadsheet as an example, cells Q15-W15 show the number of initial job entries produced by the performance offer. These numbers are equal to the number of registrations (C14-H14) multiplied by the performance offer (C15-H15). The number of jobs sustained to 3 months in cells Q17-W17 is higher than the number of initial job entries in cells Q15-W15 multiplied by the job entries sustaining 3 months percentages in cells C17-H17. This is because some of those who leave a job between 0 and 3 months will achieve a subsequent job entry / subsequent job entries. The initial job entry performance offer (C15-H15), the assumptions about the length of time that clients spend with providers before entering jobs (see above question 43), and the job entries sustaining 3 months percentages (C17-H17) are applied again (and in the same way) to calculate those clients who re-enter work and then sustain a job to 3 months in one of their subsequent spells in employment. It is for these reasons that the number of jobs sustained 6, 9 and 12 months (Q18-W20) are also higher than what you would get if you



multiplied the number sustained to the previous time threshold by the percentage sustaining to the next threshold in cells C18-H20. Using reference job entry performance (cells C8-H8 on the Performance_Offer spreadsheet) and the counterfactual figure for sustainment in employment for the next 3 months (cell N189 on the Flows & Counterfactuals spreadsheet) we estimate that this uplift in sustainment outcomes produces between a 1% to 2.5% increase in the figures that would be expected by a straight multiplication of the percentages in rows C-H on the Performance_Offer spreadsheet

(iii) Given that the bid schedule asks that we provide the lease breakpoints, notice period, rental period, sqf(size). However properties may not be confirmed. What should we include?

A161(iii): Tenderers should include their proposed arrangements for such

items

(iv) How long will DSP reconciliation process take for sustains?

A161(iv) This will be determined during the implementation phase of JobPath

(v) Can you confirm that not all delivery sites need to be open 9-5?

A161(v): Having regard to Appendix 1 Section 3.2.9, while it is a requirement

that the Services be available during the hours 9.00 am to 5.00 pm (Monday to Friday) it is not necessarily the case that all sites need to be open during these hours.



(vi) is it possible that DSP might not refer client group 6 (part-timers)? They are a significant portion of the client volume in the later years. This appears to be at the discretion of DSP.

A161(vi): Details of the clients groups and volumes to be referred to Providers

are set out in appendix one section 5 (Client Referrals).

Regarding group six Tenderers should note:

5.6 Although it is not intended to refer Clients in Referral Group 6 in the short to medium term, the Department will, in the contracts to be concluded with successful Tenderers, reserve the right to refer such Clients in such volumes and at such time as it determines. [N].

(vii) If DSP refer people with disabilities/lone parents/carers etc down the track, what will the terms be? For example will price and SD period be negotiated?

A161(vii): Details of the clients groups and volumes to be referred to Providers

are set out in appendix one section 5 (Client Referrals).

With regards to the above potential clients for JobPath, Tenderers should note: 5.10 Tenderers should note that referrals may include, in time, Clients from other welfare beneficiary categories. This may include, for example, beneficiaries of illness/disability payments, recipients of one parent family payments, recipients of carers’ payments and other beneficiaries who are classified as dependants in the calculation of welfare payments to registered jobseekers. Should such Clients transition to a jobseeker status for any reason their accrued duration as a beneficiary of a welfare payment may be taken into account in determining their eligibility for JobPath. [N]

Such jobseekers may be placed into the existing duration categories for

pricing purposes. For example, a person in receipt of a lone parent payment who moves to a jobseeker payment may have their period of



time on the lone parent payment counted towards the duration category into which they may be placed for referral to a JobPath provider.

(viii) If the retention is enforced and after remediation plan has been put in place, things have improved but not at the level of the service statement, will a partial repayment be made?

A161(viii) No

(ix) Retention can be enforced due to our performance or client feedback or audit. Is it possible to find out what the audit might cover, does it include our financial performance against bid?

A161(ix): The audit will be comprehensive but will focus primarily on Client progression and Client service.

(x) Can you clarify what you mean by open book?

A161(x): Tenderers are referred to Part 2 Section 2.1.4. which states that this

RFT supersedes and replaces all previous documentation, communications and correspondence between the Contracting Authority and Tenderers, and Tenderers should place no reliance on such previous documentation, communications and correspondence.

There is no reference in the RFT to “open book”.



Q162 Experience in UK Work Programme suggests up to 15% of clients progress through self-employment. Both the structure of the Irish job market, the skills of the LTU & Government policy to actively encourage micro-enterprises to kick-start the domestic economy. While the inclusion of self-employment as an eligible outcome is welcomed, the exclusion of BTWEA militates against self-employment as a realistic option. Will DSP consider some mechanism payment to Providers who bring clients into self-employment?

A162: Please see answer to question 159