GMCA1409 - Working Well: Individual Placement & Support in Primary Care (IPSPC)

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) looked to procure a lead provider to deliver the Working Well: Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care (WW: IPSPC) service for Greater Manchester (GM) residents. Funded via GMCA’s Integrated Settlement allocation for employment support, the service will provide support for 2,000 GM residents between May 2025 and 31st March 2027.

Referrals to WW: IPSPC for both out-of-work and in-work participants can be accepted up to the end of March 2026. The budget for the initial period of the contract (end-May 2025 to 31st March 2027) is a maximum of £5,000,000.

The contract also includes provision for a 12-month extension up to 31st March 2028 with an additional maximum value of £2,400,000. This would bring the potential total lifetime value of the contract to a maximum of £7,400,000.

The WW: IPSPC service will sit within the Working Well suite of programmes and delivery is expected to take place in co-locations within a range of primary and community NHS health services. Participants will come from two distinct cohorts: 1) Out-of-work participants with a health condition, disability, or who are experiencing disadvantage and require assistance and support to move into competitive employment. 2) In-work participants who are off sick or struggling in the workplace due to their disability, health condition, or disadvantage and require assistance and support to return to or retain employment.

WW: IPSPC builds on the successful Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model, derived from Supported Employment. The service will support individuals with a physical or mental health disability, or those in a specified disadvantaged group.

The model moves away from a ‘train and place’ model that focuses on job readiness, to a ‘place, train, maintain’ model focused on engagement with employers to make jobs possible - that is real jobs with real pay. Evidence shows consistently that this approach, with its focus on rapid job search, is more effective than a step-by-step pathway to employment for certain cohorts of people. This opportunity was commissioned as a further competition/call off from the GMCA Education, Work and Skills Flexible Procurement System.