Prevista - Merlin Report April 2016 -...

TMX – Report Template V2 – 02.04.12

PREVISTA

Assessment Dates: 29/03/2016 to 01/04/2016

Contents

1. About the Organisations ........................................................................... 1

2. Assessment Methodology ......................................................................... 3

3. Assessment Outcome ................................................................................ 4

4. Areas of Significant Strength ..................................................................... 5

5. Areas for Improvement .............................................................................. 6

6. Areas Requiring Significant Development………..………………………….……….7

7. Findings Against the Merlin Standard ......................................................... 8

8. Conclusion .............................................................................................. 21

1 TMX – Merlin Report Template V7 – 01.01.2016

1. About the Organisations Prevista is a private sector organisation working in the areas of enterprise, employment and skills as they relate to economic, social and cultural development. It has been in operation since 1995 and has experience of delivering national, regional and local level services that inspire businesses and strengthen communities. It has a Governing Board that oversee the strategic direction of the business and a relatively flat structure with a small executive team and then front line staff. Prevista describes itself as a “slim Prime”. It has contracts that deliver services to a diverse customer base on behalf of major regeneration agencies, publicly funded Government bodies, local authorities and other stakeholders. Prevista’s work often involves delivering services to support people who are at the margins of society and for this the Supply Chain Partners are of vital importance. Prevista works with a diverse supply chain across a range of government programmes to meet the needs of clients and funders. These range from small local niche providers, colleges and other large Prime organisations as well as many varied organisations representing the voluntary and community sector. At the time of the Merlin assessment, contracts delivered with the support of Supply Chain Partners included the DWP Youth Engagement Fund, DWP Mental Health and Wellbeing, DWP 50+, Skills Funding Agency Adult Skills and Apprenticeships contract, GLA contract for increasing employer engagement in Apprenticeships and Southwark Council Enterprise contract (due to end 31.03.16). Recently completed contracts include the DWP Innovation Fund and ESF Sector Skills for the Workforce. There are also a number of contracts that Prevista is aiming to secure in the next few months. Through its broad portfolio of funding, Prevista and its Supply Chain Partners have the ability to work with a young person at risk of being NEET right through to achieving Level 5 qualifications whilst in work. This is known as the ‘Prevista offer’. There are currently 44 active Supply Chain Partners across the current range of contracts described, these form part of the Prevista Partnership Network (PPN). Currently Prevista directly delivers:

• 27% of its Apprenticeship contract with the Supply Chain Network delivering 73% • 44% of its GLA contract with the Supply Chain Network delivering 56% • 0% of its DWP Youth Engagement Fund, Mental Health and Wellbeing and 50+ contracts

with the associated Supply Chain Networks delivering 100%, and finally, • 50% of its Southwark Council Enterprise contract with the Supply Chain Network

delivering 50% (one Supply Chain Partner). Prevista aims to build long term sustainable relationships with Supply Chain Partners using its values as a framework and this is underpinned by a set of mutually consulted on principles that include fairness, integrity, a focus on consideration for the environment, openness, honesty, transparency and supportive capacity building. Prevista’s ethos is to support every learner, business or Supply Chain Partner it engages with to achieve their maximum potential and to ensure that there is jointly sustainable success. The organisation holds a number of quality accreditations such as the matrix Standard, Investors in People Bronze, Customer First, Green Mark and ISO 9001 and 27001. It is an Ofsted Grade 2 “Good” provider.


2. Assessment Methodology Initial planning conversations took place in January 2016 where the scope of the Merlin Standard was discussed and agreed in accordance with the guidelines. All Supply Chain Partners involved in supporting Prevista to deliver their services were informed of the assessment via email by the Performance Director and all received an invitation to take part in the Assessment Services online Merlin survey. The assessment team (Lead Assessor Susan Smith and Team Assessor Ruth Regan) interviewed representatives from 27 Supply Chain Partner organisations, including unsuccessful organisations and potential new subcontract partners. The sample included representatives of organisations who deliver the range of services and projects on behalf of Prevista, including end to end partners, ‘spot purchase’ and specialist service providers. Supply Chain Partners interviewed were at various stages of their working relationship with Prevista. As part of the assessment, Prevista staff were interviewed, including those involved in the strategic and day to day development and management of the Supply Chain Partners. During the assessment, a significant number of written documents were made available, including those relating to supply chain design, improvement plans, contracts, Supply Chain Framework, Financial Management Handbook, quality, communications and contract and performance / quality management.


3. Assessment Outcome

Overall Outcome 73% Supply Chain Design 80% Commitment 71% Conduct 70% Review 70%


4. Areas of Significant Strength A number of significant strengths and areas of excellence in practice were identified during this Merlin assessment and summaries of these are given below. The numbers in brackets refer to the criteria of the Standard to which the areas relate.

• Supply Chain Partners are routinely and strongly encouraged to develop their staff and their business proposition. This is facilitated through a weekly Tender update communication, proactive communications about other business opportunities, putting partners in touch with new business opportunities and general business advice. Prevista also advises on how small Supply Chain Partners can manage business risk and helps partners to balance their contract portfolio. (2b.2)

• Prevista has a strong commitment to diversity and equality (D&E) as demonstrated

through its robust policy and Diversity and Equality Steering Group. Diversity and equality statistics are routinely reported to the Governing Board and Supply Chain Partners. Additionally, Prevista’s research, data and support has enabled one Supply Chain Partner to be short listed for two national D&E awards. At an operational level there are numerous examples of where Prevista and Supply Chain Partners have used the D&E data provided to work together to share best practice approaches. (3e.3)


5. Areas for Improvement The following areas for improvement could be considered for review and improvement. The numbers in brackets cross-reference the findings to the relevant element and criteria of the Merlin Standard.

• Consider sharing scoring of Expressions of Interest (EoI) with all Supply Chain Partners as this may help direct actions in their individual Quality Improvement Plans (QIPs). Supply Chain Partners are notified of being successful but the process may be enhanced by sharing the scoring so that they might develop capacity or capability in their ‘weaker’ areas. (1a.1)

• Consider how to develop the mutually agreed core business principles into the contract

management and review processes for Supply Chain Partners and rate their performance against the principles. This is already used in staff appraisals where behaviours that demonstrate core principles are reviewed. (3a.1)

• Ensure that the plans in the Quality Management framework to introduce quality

observations (including peer moderation of Observations of Teaching, Learning and Assessment) in all Supply Chain Partners take place over the forthcoming period. (3b.1, 3b.3)

• Prevista is encouraged to maintain and communicate (perhaps through Dropbox – a cloud

based storage system for documents), the schedule of planned quarterly meetings to share excellent / good practice. This will additionally enhance opportunities for collaboration. (3b.8)

• More could be done to promote the Merlin Mediation Service in order to ensure Supply

Chain Partners are made aware of it. (3c.3)


6. Areas Requiring Significant Development Although the Merlin Standard overall has been achieved with a ‘good’ outcome, there are a number of criterion within the requirements of the Standard where limited evidence was presented and require significant development in order to support the organisation to achieve excellence in supply chain partnership working. The numbers in brackets cross-reference the findings to the relevant element and criteria of the Merlin Standard.

• Prevista is aware that data security, health and safety, safeguarding and environmental sustainability policies, implementation actions, and where necessary, improvement targets, need to be reviewed and set with Supply Chain Partners on an on going basis and not just at the due diligence phase. (3b.4. 3b.5, 3b.6, 3b.7)


7. Findings Against the Merlin Standard

1) Supply Chain Design 1a) Supply Chain Design Prevista’s Business Development Team assess funding opportunities using a ten point Tender Qualification Framework which forms the basis of a recommendation to the Prevista Managing Director and Governing Board about which opportunities to pursue as a “slim Prime”. The primary focus are those opportunities relating to four key sectors: Employment, Youth, Enterprise and Skills. The process of supply chain design incorporates consideration of stakeholder research and demographic information. Prevista uses its knowledge of the local labour market and partners to design supply chains to meet the needs of the various commissioners and contracts it holds or would potentially like to hold. It also uses information from government education and employment data sources as well as academic research. Based on this knowledge, Prevista is proactive in encouraging organisations with the required capacity, capability and delivery track record to consider becoming part of their delivery network. For example the Youth Engagement Fund contract operates across 10 Boroughs so Prevista looked for delivery partners who are based in or around the Boroughs to ensure longer term sustainability. Prevista’s supply chain design incorporates a varied mix of organisations that meet the needs of the funder as identified through the research activities. It includes organisations such as colleges, local authorities, private training providers and charities. For example, the Youth Engagement Fund contract includes a number of small community and voluntary sector organisations due to their ability to engage with hard to reach young people and as a result of their good connections in schools and other alternative education providers. To further ensure Prevista has a good blend and scope of Supply Chain Partners, it also engages with stakeholders such as Local Enterprise Partnerships and Local Authorities to understand issues more thoroughly, for example regeneration priorities or ‘at risk of NEET’ factors for young people. An illustrative quote from a member of staff was “we have a well balanced supply chain – local authorities, charities, social enterprises, with a varying size and geographical spread.” Communication about opportunities to join supply chains are a mixture of direct approaches to known and trusted partners in the Prevista Partner Network (PPN), through open calls for partners on the ‘Compete For’ web portal and through research. The Prevista Business Development Team also provide all Supply Chain Partners with a weekly contract opportunities bulletin and this includes opportunities for joining with Prevista or to bid alone or with others. By sharing all commissioners’ information and Prevista’s own delivery share of contracts, Supply Chain Partners confirm that the tendering process is open, honest and transparent. There is a Tender Management Process Map that outlines a clear rationale for selection of Supply Chain Partners and scoring of Expressions of Interest takes place by an internal team. Supply Chain Partners are notified of being successful but the process may be enhanced by sharing the scoring so that the Supply Chain Partner organisations might develop capacity of capability in their ‘weaker’ areas. Unsuccessful potential Supply Chain Partners confirmed they were communicated with personally about the reasons for them not being selected and this was valued. All were confident moving forward of becoming a member of the Prevista supply chain in the future.


The procurement approach includes preparing the specification, advertising, evaluating tenders, post tender negotiations and preparing and finalising contracts. It is felt by Prevista senior managers and Supply Chain Partners that this process is now well embedded and works effectively. One stakeholder commented that “…our £50k investment has levered DWP funding into the Borough.” The make-up of the supply chain has been flexed to respond to changing needs of the client group and the performance of partner organisations. For example, in order to support the increased requirement of Supply Chain Partners to understand and have support for clients with well being / mental health issues, Prevista engaged an occupational psychologist to train and support supply chain partners front line delivery staff in supporting condition management programmes for customers and have provided a list of organisations who offer additional support in this area. These include national charities such as the Samaritans or to online support services.


2) Commitment 2a) Collaboration, Cooperation and Communication Information is provided to potential Supply Chain Partners about the procurement process through meetings, telephone calls and emails. Supply Chain Partners who had experience of the procurement process used by Prevista over the last 15 months confirmed that communications during all stages of activity were proactive and relevant and proportionate to the service being procured. For example, when developing bids, potential Supply Chain Partner have been asked to comment on draft bids to ensure they are happy with what is being suggested. Prevista has consulted with Supply Chain Partners about their systems and processes, for example, when a contract is won, the Prevista Business Development Team works with the Management Information and Claims teams to pull together a Delivery Manual which is then shared with Supply Chain Partners during the mobilisation period. During this training, Supply Chain Partners may identify something that they haven’t got right and Prevista will make changes based on this feedback. A number of Apprenticeship partners have taken time to adapt their approach to the One-File on-line portfolio approach required by Prevista. In some instances, Prevista also accepts Supply Chain Partners paperwork and systems. Many Supply Chain Partners can now see the benefits of using an e-portfolio and some have made links to environmental sustainability. A staff member commented “we do not want to disadvantage our Partners in any way so we will discuss any issues or ideas they have and incorporate them were we can.” Collaboration across the supply chain is encouraged by Prevista. For each contract Prevista establishes a Steering Group where people meet to discuss issues being faced in delivering the contract, share ideas on how to make improvements or agree what needs to be fed back to the commissioner. These meetings operate more effectively in some contracts than others and Prevista is aware that a more regular, published schedule would benefit Supply Chain Partners. More generally though interactions between Supply Chain Partners, marketing ideas, lessons learned, and good practice is shared. There are examples of Supply Chain Partners acting as Buddies working collaboratively after being encouraged to collaborate by Prevista. Communication channels and business relationships between Prevista and Supply Chain Partners are clear and understood. There are regular communications by email, phone, Skype and in person. With the majority of Supply Chain Partners, email is used as a key communication tool. However, efforts are made to ensure the language used throughout is positive. This has been an area which most Supply Chain Partners indicate has improved over the last 15 months. Illustrative comments included “Prevista have been extremely helpful – good, open communications – they have made the contract work.” (Stakeholder). “Staff use positive language to try and keep the positive relationship.” (Manager) and “Communications have improved – the flow of communications is good and consistent now.” (Supply Chain Partner) The culture of communications is open and honest. The majority of Supply Chain Partners used words such as open, transparent, positive and felt they can raise a grievance openly. Staff talk about “taking time to build relationships” with Supply Chain Partners and sharing information to help all partners to understand their contribution to the success of the contract or project overall.


By offering Supply Chain Partners the opportunity to share concerns, Prevista can then offer opportunities to help, for example, one Supply Chain Partner commented that “I had a problem with payment – I questioned it and it was explained in full what was needed.” 2b) Developing Supply Chain Partners Prevista supports and encourages the development of all Supply Chain Partners. This includes providing training and support for Supply Chain Partner staff in the systems and paperwork as well as quality processes and safeguarding. Additionally, support has been provided to Supply Chain Partners on the implementation of the Ofsted Common Inspection Framework, achieving matrix Standard and other accreditations, such as Green Mark. An illustrative comment from a Supply Chain Partner was “the support offered on this whole contract has helped us lift our game.” Support for business development is provided in a variety of means. For some Supply Chain Partners this has been through the support in developing and /or refining policies and procedures and for others, it has been guidance on how to spread business risk through holding a variety of other contracts to reduce reliance on one funding stream. Prevista staff assisted by as a counter signing assessor and undertook the Internal Quality Assurance role which enabled a Supply Chain Partner to gain NCFE approval and subsequently to progress towards gaining direct claims’ status. One Supply Cain Partner commented that “we have grown as a business since working with Prevista – they have been instrumental in supporting our growth so we can now work with other Primes on other contracts.” Prevista assists Supply Chain Partners to develop their business propositions by communicating about funding and partnership opportunities. There is a weekly tender alert issued by email to all Supply Chain Partners. An example of a new development was in June 2015 when all Supply Chain Partners were notified that the Big Lottery specification was being launched and a link to the appropriate website provided. Additionally, in October 2015 all Supply Chain Partners were invited to a Business Growth Event organised by Grant Thornton UK with an explanation of the potential benefits of attending shared. Capacity Building Events are scheduled throughout the year which are aimed at improving performance on areas such as quality of interventions, caseload management, safeguarding and employer engagement and evidence of the transmission of these communications was seen during the Assessment. Comments included “they bid on behalf of other organisations that are not big enough to bid on their own.” (Stakeholder); “we have had the opportunity to expand our business through working with Prevista.” (Supply Chain Partner); and “There is an email every week regarding other tender opportunities.” (Supply Chain Partner) All Supply Chain Partners that attended the Capacity Building Events commented on their effectiveness as learning events. In addition, individual partners commented on receiving ‘coaching’ type support from administration activities / paperwork. A stakeholder commented that “the bottom line is Supply Chain Partners have to perform and Prevista supports them to perform through support and events.” 2c) Contracting and Funding Prevista has managed processes and procedures to support procurement effectively in line with the requirements and expectations of the commissioners, and is active and open about encouraging prospective Supply Chain Partners to come forward.


A defined process for making decisions about future bids has been developed and utilised. It enables them to judge how a potential bid ‘fits’ with the organisation, the financial implications, and the potential balance of Prevista and Supply Chain Partner capacity and capability to deliver. Prevista consults with Supply Chain Partners in the PPN to help them decide if they could deliver the requirements of the contract and will issue a request for Expression of Interest (EOI) asking for organisations to confirm their capabilities to deliver. A staff member commented that “Supply Chain Partners will give an indication of numbers, delivery targets they believe they can achieve within their EOI so we have some indicative values and numbers.” One Supply Chain Partner commented that “This is our first payment by results contract so we had lots of questions and Prevista has communicated openly and consistently throughout to the point where we have chosen not to sign our SLA.” Supply Chain Partners confirm that Expressions of Interest and Due Diligence forms are straight- forward to complete and that support is readily available to assist completion. They comment that “Prevista’s systems are the simplest we have come across and make it easy for us to engage with new ideas and opportunities.” As there are a number of commissioners, there is a range of financial models in place. With larger contracts, a range of delivery mechanisms are modelled both centrally and with potential Supply Chain Partners before arriving at the final tender submission. The majority of Supply Chain Partners confirmed that discussions about finances took place and those joining more recent supply chains confirmed that they are fully aware of the funding model used prior to contracting. The financial model used takes account of potential financial risks to both Prevista and the different tiers of Supply Chain Partners. The arrangements are discussed and agreed between Prevista and individual members of the supply chain. An example was where Partners are able to claim an output after a young person has been on programme for 13 weeks; however this excludes school holidays and due to the number of Supply Chain Partners claiming incorrectly as result of this, the Prevista Claims Team put together a spreadsheet identifying the qualifying weeks and holidays in order that all the Supply Chain Partners could put in the start date and the 13 weeks claim date was identified. Further, an example was given of how post contract exchange, a Supply Chain Partner approached Prevista to inform them that they could no longer deliver a contract on the fee negotiated and contracted. Prevista renegotiated an increased fee because it made sense to do so and made it clear to the Supply Chain Partner that this was a one off / special agreement. One Skills Funding Agency (SFA) Supply Chain Partner was struggling with the fee they were receiving from their other Primes, so Prevista suggested they consolidate their SFA delivery with them who were able to reduce their management fee as they had the flexibility when other Primes did not. Small charity providers receive a flat monthly fee despite the contact being payment by results in order to support their cash flow. Quotes to illustrate this picture included: • “open discussion about expectations – payment is clear – timelines are clear for payment.”

(Supply Chain Partner) • “Supply Chain Partners know exactly when the 13 weeks are up – we have cut out the

bureaucracy, it takes away the risk of them not getting paid – or getting paid and then them not being compliant.” (staff member)

• “we want to pay our Partners – we all strive to reducing error reports.” (staff member) • “they are paying our reasonable costs and have been paid already.” – Supply Chain Partner“


Contract documentation is in place for all Supply Chain Partners and efforts have been made by Prevista to ensure that the contracts provided reflect the commissioner requirements as well as meeting the requirements of the Supply Chain Partners. Clauses have been changed over time and where a Supply Chain Partner has required clauses to be explained, a meeting has taken place and the oral explanation of the clause documented and added as an appendix to the contract, thus ensuring that if personnel change there is no ambiguity about what was agreed. Documented signposting to legal advice was seen during the assessment and many Supply Chain Partners confirmed that they were encouraged to take legal guidance on the contract before they signed it. “…clauses were pointed out and explained but we were also encouraged to get our legal rep to review the SLA before we signed it.” (Supply Chain Partner) Prevista described how market share was discussed as part of the bidding activity and then negotiated with each potential partner organisation based on the contract or project requirements. Post contract there are examples within the supply chain of negotiations taking place to move market share to support successful delivery partners. One such example is that Prevista has no direct delivery in the Youth Engagement Fund contract as it believes Supply Chain Partners are better placed to meet the needs of young people. The majority of Supply Chain Partners confirm that they are clear on market share allocations and that these support what Prevista communicated and agreed pre and post contract award. At the point of contracting with Prevista partner organisations agree the payment profile, which varies between contracts. For spot purchase Supply Chain Partners, a rate for the service is agreed. Supply Chain Partners confirmed that Prevista have been sympathetic to contract variations and have adjusted fee and re-profiling to support their delivery. Supply Chain Partners indicated that where re-profiling has happened, Prevista has not placed any value judgements on the Supply Chain Partner’s individual re-profiling requests. It has been a supportive process that is about the supply chain as a whole working to best effect. The transfer of funds within the partnership network is managed carefully by Prevista. The invoice and payment process is clearly set out and understood by Supply Chain Partners; the majority of whom judge the process fair and accurate. To support Supply Chain Partners to produce claims which are compliant and can be paid in a timely manner, the Claims Team produces a quarterly Common Errors Report. This involves sanitized screen shots of paperwork received which is non-compliant, with clear details on what is required to enable the document to be put through for payment. The whole ethos of this is to support the transfer of funds across the network – i.e. Partners getting paid in a timely way. There appears to be a legacy with some Supply Chain Partners questioning the time taken to approve payments. For Youth Engagement Fund, the payment dates are set whereby payment documents are to be sent to Prevista by the 15th of the month, with the 7th of the following month requiring that Prevista produce Management Information and share with this with Supply Chain Partners (errors sent out in between). This is then sent to DWP who have 30 days to validate the claim, the Supply Chain Partner is then requested the accepted amount to invoice and is paid within 3 days. . “They are very strict in terms of payment – if you miss a date they do not override their system for you – but you know that so shouldn’t expect it.” (Supply Chain Partner). Another Supply Chain Partner noted that the contract term to withhold funds at the end of a contract has been explained and understood as “an insurance so that any future audit, which could be up to 10 years in the future, means my business is protected from unexpected future claims which we may not be able to afford”.


The management fee for each contract is set based on the level of involvement Prevista will have in managing and administering the contracts. This analysis enables Prevista to work out how much funding is left to distribute across the delivery partners. The management fee strategy is published for all to see on the Prevista website. There are examples of how Prevista has used a sliding scale for the Management Fee as the Supply Chain Partner demonstrates that they require less administration and management support. Prevista is transparent about the support it provides for the management fee levied. This includes the overall communications and negotiations with commissioners, provision of and support for the Management Information system, management of the payments, contract management, support and training for Supply Chain Partners. Based on Supply Chain Partners’ requests, an Information and Administration Fee has been separated out from the Management Fee and there are numerous examples of this being waived. There were many comments from Supply Chain Partners that “…management fee is very clear and transparent.”


3) Conduct 3a) Demonstrating Commercial and Business Integrity Prevista’s vision and values are clear and understood by all staff and Supply Chain Partners. These include being honest, transparent and ensuring that the customer is at the heart of everything. Most Supply Chain Partners believe there is a match between the principles of Prevista and their own organisations as follows; “the values of Prevista are customer centred.” (Stakeholder); “personal relationships are important – our strategy is to build those close business relationships.” (staff member); and “if you drew a Venn diagram our core principles would overlap in the middle.” (Supply Chain Partner). In a number of cases, Supply Chain Partners were looking to Prevista to be a commercial edge to their practices that they were lacking themselves due to their size or constitution. This commercial principle was then conversely a challenge for some Supply Chain Partners who wanted it but didn’t necessary like the impact; i.e. not being paid if there are paper work errors. In order to develop this area further, Prevista may wish to consider how to develop the mutually agreed core business principles into the contract management and review processes for Supply Chain Partners and rate their performance against the principles. This would then be similar to the approach taken in staff appraisal where behaviours that demonstrate core principles are reviewed. There have been no recent incidences of TUPE transfer involving the supply chain. Supply Chain Partners also confirmed there was no TUPE requirement. All Supply Chain Partners reported on supportive and positive relationships and interactions with the Prevista Supply Chain Management Team and Performance Director. See section 2a and other examples throughout this report. Illustrative comments included “I can reach out to our Supply Chain Manager at any time and will get help.” (Supply Chain Partner) and “I have not had a question that hasn’t been answered.” (Supply Chain Partner). Information access is made easier by the use of contract specific Dropbox use and as one Supply Chain Partner commented “I have no excuse, even if Prevista closed for a week, I could get anything I need from Dropbox.” Supply Chain Partners confirmed that audit reviews of all due diligence documents and requirements at the beginning of any new contract take place. If there are legislative or regulatory changes such as the Common Inspection Framework or Prevent agenda and safeguarding, then Supply Chain Partners are notified. Both Supply Chain Manager and the Lead Auditor share this responsibility. 3b) Quality Assurance and Compliance Prevista operates to ISO standards and has a quality system, which includes measuring and monitoring Supply Chain Partners against a set of clear criteria including targets and key performance indicators. Supply Chain Manager monitoring takes place on a monthly and quarterly basis to formally review progress against the performance monitoring schedule. Currently this includes accepting the Supply Chain Partner’s own reports on observation of teaching, learning and assessment, quality and accuracy of evidence, customer feedback through surveys and questionnaires, and any Safeguarding issues that have been reported. The plan is to include a schedule of Prevista direct observation of Supply Chain Partner’s practice and this is to be encouraged.


It is also recognised that data security, health and safety, Safeguarding and environmental sustainability need to be reviewed with Supply Chain Partners on an on going basis and not just at the due diligence phase. Additionally the Prevista Quality Manager engages with new Supply Chain Partners by asking them to complete a Self Assessment Report and Quality Improvement Plan. This is used as the basis for her initial quality visit to the partner. New providers are invited to a training session where they are briefed about the quality standards expected by Prevista and the Ofsted Common Inspection Framework. Quality monitoring visits are completed at least bi-annually to check on delivery. Findings are communicated with the Supply Chain Partner on site and followed up with a report with written actions and recommendations. Partners are asked to provide their own dates for completion and these are then followed up. Supply Chain Partners commented that the quality of paper work has improved following quality assurance activities and these have been shared via Dropbox and in meetings. One Supply Chain Partner commented that “Prevista has really helped us get our structure and policies in place.” Supply Chain Partners are aware of the importance of ensuring any Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) they provide is accurate, up to date and impartial. Prevista has supported Supply Chain Partners in looking at the benefits of matrix Accreditation and providing appropriate support. Additionally the IAG provided by Prevista to Supply Chain Partners was felt to be accurate and timely; “The Safeguarding Capacity Building Event was very helpful” commented one Supply Chain Partner. Prevista has a data consent and information sharing policy that it implements across all aspects of its work. For example “…all clients are given a unique identifier code to ensure no personal details are shared that shouldn’t be.” (staff member). Contracts exchanged with Supply Chain Partners included requirements aligned to Prevista’s own policy and / or those of the commissioner. Data security is robustly checked at the start of contract delivery; however, more could be done by Prevista to assure its ongoing robustness in Supply Chain Partners during the life of contract delivery. However it was clear from Supply Chain Partners that the security of information relating to customer’s personal data is given a high priority. Good or excellent practice is highlighted during individual conversations or meetings between Prevista staff and Supply Chain Partners. It is also discussed at the Supply Chain Managers’ meetings and there were examples of good or excellent practice being identified and shared within the supply chain. An example was the recording of delivery of IAG to learners shared amongst the Apprenticeship supply chain. Yammer (a private social network to support collaboration) has been set up for use by Prevista and the supply chain as a vehicle for exchanging and sharing resources and good practice ideas. Supply Chain Partners gave examples of being buddied with other partners who were delivering well and / or had been identified as having good practice ideas. Comments from Supply Chain Partners included “I am a member of Yammer – there are lots of articles shared and useful tips”; “I was introduced to one of Prevista’s best delivering Supply Chain Partners who were happy to share their delivery process and discuss ideas for improvement”; and “…we are learning from Prevista.” 3c) Honouring Commitments Pre-contract communication with potential partners continues to take place in a variety of ways, for example, with groups of potential partners, in meetings with individual potential partners and via e-mails and telephone calls.


These discussions included negotiation around quality, value for money and delivery. The formality of discussions depends on the size of the contract and the specific requirements within the funding regime (e.g. DWP, ESF, SFA) and these requirements are made clear to partners at pre-contracting stage and reiterated or updated throughout the life of the contract. Supply Chain Partners also shared a number of examples of post-contract negotiations where they had been able to negotiate an increased offer and / or some re-profiling and / or re-allocations. There are mixed perceptions about how finances can be negotiated post contract. A small minority of historic Supply Chain Partners believe there is no negotiation (and consequently perhaps don’t ask), while the majority gave examples of variations to contract terms being negotiated as either a one–off payment or longer term funding arrangements. Prevista’s dispute resolution process is clearly defined and explained in the Service Level Agreement contracts. The overwhelming majority of Supply Chain Partners felt the relationship with Prevista would mean that informal methods would be their preferred initial option. A staff member explained that “we have had no disputes for a while now – no legal challenges or difficult problems to resolve as the process and practices are now all very clear.” As Prevista hasn’t held the Merlin Standard for some time, it has been previously requested to be careful about the promotion of the Merlin Mediation Service. However now this situation is altered and as contracts where the commissioner requires the use of the Merlin Mediation Service, this is now an area to address and consideration made to how this is communicated to partners. Within the different supply chains led by Prevista, there is an understanding of what each party is and should be doing. Delivery plans, contract specific handbooks and training sessions ensure that both Prevista and its Supply Chain Partners are still honouring what was agreed prior to contracting. 3d) Performance As described in section 2a of this report, collaboration is strongly encouraged to improve performance within supply chain areas but not necessarily across them – although this is beginning to happen through the introduction of Yammer, and there are examples of Prevista bringing Supply Chain Partners together and encouraging collaboration. For example, following these initial Prevista led events, Supply Chain Partners have formed ongoing relationship in support of the contract delivery. New Youth Engagement Fund partners have also been buddied up by the Supply Chain Manager so that a less experienced, underperforming Supply Chain Partner is linked to an experienced, well performing Supply Chain Partner. There are also cross contractual collaborations such as Youth Engagement Fund partners linking with Apprenticeship partners to enable further education and work pathways and vacancies to be explored. One Supply Chain Partner commented that “We have met with other partner to discuss delivery etc., and I am now in touch with a couple and we help each other out – that was facilitated by Prevista.” Supply Chain Partners are very clear about what they need to achieve and have contractual schedules and programme plans in place which detail the outcomes required on a monthly basis. Performance reviews between Supply Chain Partners and Prevista Supply Chain Managers have been taking place at least monthly. Monthly performance report emails are sent to Supply Chain Partners followed up by additional performance reviews where necessary.


Quality and Data Performance Reports are used to create RAG (red, amber, green) ratings to make success rates are clear. Supply Chain Managers confirmed that every month the Supply Chain Partners complete a Partner Reporting Tool that highlights performance and also lets the Supply Chain Manager know of any performance concerns or safeguarding issues. Performance Improvement Plans are put in place if informal support and guidance doesn’t get the partner back on track regarding performance. One Supply Chain Partner commented that the process of Performance Improvement had assisted them greatly in improving their delivery position. Performance expectations appear clear to all parties and are in the main discussed and negotiated prior to tender and then followed through into the Service Level Agreement contract. “Targets and outputs are set and linked to changing attitudes, perceptions and increasing qualifications – they are a mix of qualitative and quantitative” commented one Stakeholder. Supply Chain Partner’s views included that “performance is about keeping young people in school and the Prevista contract fulfils this as we work on behaviour, attitude and learning – all very clear outputs and the outcome is reduced NEETS” and “reducing NEETs is our ultimate target.” The Management Information systems and approaches used in each contract / project vary according to the funding and contractual requirements. For current projects, Management Information is sent to all Supply Chain Partners on a monthly basis. Prevista has the overall view across the contracts and Partners receive the same Management Information for their individual organisation. One Supply Chain Partner provided copies of driving licenses as evidence when the guidance for Management Information stated that only passports were acceptable. This was fed back to the partner who explained that they were following the guidance provided by another SFA Prime they were working for – but agreed to change their process – the Supply Chain Partner later confirmed that the other Prime had changed their requirements and were now asking partners to provide passports. A stakeholder commented that “The MI provided is enabling us to judge the impact of our investment.” The majority of Supply Chain Partners felt and could evidence the timely receipt of Management Information and one commented that “it helps me to run my business accurately.” Staff members recognised that “MI is now spot on – no surprises now – the information comes from the one source and is open and transparent” and “the claims team will speak to providers if there are errors – we have a joint interest in resolving issues.” Examples of activities that demonstrate value for money are shared by Prevista and valued by many Supply Chain Partners. The concept and definition of value for money starts within the tender where Prevista will include pricing discounts in their bids. “We are getting value for money – it’s a very important part of our portfolio” commented one Funder. Whereas a staff member highlighted in another instance that “…the Commissioner may only want 50% of clients to gain employment but we will discuss with our Supply Chain Partners who say they might achieve say 75%.” Other examples include achieving more outputs or conversion rates than required within the contract. One Supply Chain Partner commented that the opportunity to access the ‘MyWorkSearch’ online system was an excellent way of adding value across the contacts as it supported their achievements of outcomes. All Supply Chain Partners described the importance they placed on measuring the progress of clients. Methods used across all contracts vary depending on the requirements of the commissioner and include data collection, case studies, client feedback, progress towards or sustainment of education, employment or training or mental wellbeing. “We all work to achieve the objectives of the project –we use our own delivery model – but we are all working to the same outcomes” stated a Supply Chain Partner in support of this.


3e) Promoting Diversity and Equality Prevista holds a strong commitment to diversity and equality (D&E). It is specifically highlighted in all bids and documentation for potential partners and captures specific information with regard to D&E. Supply Chain Partners confirmed that the initial due diligence process they engaged in with Prevista included sharing their policy and a commitment to being positive about D&E. Additionally there is specific training provided for Supply Chain Partners. Client data input into the Management Information system includes contractual D&E categories such as gender, race and disability. In other projects and bids there are specific targets for representation of minority ethnic young people and representation of male and female participants. Prevista has a strong commitment to D&E as demonstrated through its robust policy and Diversity and Equality Steering Group. As stated, statistics are routinely reported to the Governing Board and Supply Chain Partners. Additionally Prevista’s research, data and support has enabled one Supply Chain Partner to be short listed for two national D&E Awards. At an operational level there were examples provided by Supply Chain Partners of how data had been used to learn about the make-up of their customer base which in turn had been used to seek support from a Supply Chain Partner network member with a track record of working with a different client group - enabling the initial Supply Chain Partner to provide a more gender balanced delivery. Data about D&E is monitored and shared with partners who respond accordingly to ensure actual participation within the project reflects the requirements of the commissioner.


4. Review 4a) Supply Chain Review Prevista has clearly defined stakeholder groups and it was found that they play an active role in receiving and giving feedback on the impact of the contracts and projects being delivered through the supply chain. The consultation cycle includes participant feedback through meetings, the use of observation of activities, questionnaires and feedback from stakeholders such as Board members, staff, young people, adults, schools, voluntary sector organisations and national and regional partners. One of the Funders provided feedback to the London Assembly that Prevista were one of the few Primes who demonstrated a genuine desire to work with the voluntary and third sector organisations. One stakeholder commented that “Prevista deliver the contract by building relationships with key stakeholders such as local authorities and local delivery partners.” All Supply Chain Partners were asked in November 2015 to participate in producing the Prevista Self-Assessment Report by completing their own assessment in line with the Common Inspection Framework. A proforma was provided to ensure consistency. Additionally, in line with SFA requirements Prevista had an external assurance report undertaken by MHA Macintyre Hudson. It highlighted that ‘there is an effective framework in place for assuring the quality of subcontracting provision which includes partner review meetings, monitoring visits and observations.’ Prevista also annually commissions a ‘mock Ofsted’ inspection. Illustrative comments included “External accreditations are important to us and knowing that Prevista has matrix, ISO, Green Mark and Ofsted Grade 2 is all taken into account in our commissioning.” (Stakeholder) and “the mobilization process for YEF was very smooth because it was all clear before hand – we have learnt from our previous experience.” (staff member) Supply Chain Partners interviewed were aware of the wider policy and strategies of commissioners. For example, they were aware of the SFA role in supporting the development of Apprenticeships, the DWP focus on supporting vulnerable groups to access employment and skills opportunities etc. This is communicated through meetings and emails and on the Prevista website where policy changes and reports and analysis are provided. Both Prevista and Supply Chain Partners were able to share numerous examples of how the work they are delivering is having a measurable impact on the commissioner’s wider social objectives. This included gaining and sustaining employment, improvements in adult skills and qualifications, unemployment reduction, NEET reduction and impact on attendance, attitude and behaviour of school age young people (pre-NEET). One Supply Chain Partner indicated that schools in the Borough are some of the most improved in the Country and another commented that there has been “leverage that has increased the focus and support on young people in support of reducing a gang culture and the radicalization agenda.” The outcomes of the various processes and mechanisms to review and develop the supply chain have given rise to some changes, including the loss of organisations from the partnership and the introduction of new organisations with different delivery methodologies. A funder commented that “we like the fact that a lot of the current supply chain is made up of small, locally based enterprises” when illustrating how Prevista has demonstrated how it improves to meet the changing needs of customers and the commissioner.


As outlined above, Prevista and the activities of its Supply Chain Partners are positively impacting on external stakeholders. Comments from external stakeholders included that “…they are not a big Prime – they are London based and both these are important” and “They have a strong track record of understanding the issues of local Boroughs.” Information data is collected and shared by the Prime Contractor which demonstrates how customers, through the work of the supply chain, have been encouraged to develop themselves and their wellbeing such as improved school attainment, gaining qualifications, improved mental wellbeing and accessing skills and employment. Improving environmental sustainability is evidenced through Prevista’s Green Mark accreditation and its support for Supply Chain Partners to do so; however this is an area for development.


8. Conclusion This assessment provided the opportunity to review the Prevista practices for the current contracts and projects against the Merlin Standard. The senior leaders should be mindful that any significant organisational or senior staff changes or additional contracts, for example a new contract using a significant different supply chain, may require a strategic review to ensure the organisation continues to operate in line with the Merlin principles. Some of the processes assessed are still in the development stage, some have been recently changed and as such require time to embed, however the assessment confirmed that the fundamentals of good supply chain design and the use of diversity and equality information are strengths of Prevista. In March 2018 Prevista will be required to undertake a further assessment against the Merlin Standard in order to retain the accreditation. However, due to the commitment to continuous improvement consideration could be made to a continuous improvement review being undertaken in March 2017. The purpose of the review would be to establish progress made against the areas recommended for further improvement following this assessment.

Assessment Type INITIAL

Assessor’s Decision STANDARD MET

Lead Assessor’s Name SUSAN SMITH

Visit Date 29/03/2016 – 01/04/2016

Client ID C19608

Assessment Reference PN101712

Prevista - Merlin Report April 2016 -...

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