ID 3547151 DfC - Ulster Supported Employment Limited (USEL) Transition – Commercial Review and Business Planning

Tender description

USEL is an executive non-departmental public body (NDPB) within the Department for Communities established in 1962 to fulfil the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act (Northern Ireland) 1945 and has gained Arm’s Length Body status due to its underlying mission of supporting those with disabilities to find employment. It is a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity. Financially, it is partially funded by the Department through annual grant-in-aid, whilst also deriving income from a range of social enterprises and delivery of the Department’s employment programmes. USEL also operates a social enterprise model and directly employs those with disabilities within enterprises across ‘Ability Cafes’, ‘Vintage Satchel’, a ‘factory shop’ and ‘Slumberin’ brands that manufacture and sell beds and mattresses to the public and wider hospitality industry. It also operates the ‘USEL Recycling Solutions’ which focuses on the circular economy and ‘U Shred NI’ offering shredding services. In 2019 the Department commissioned a Tailored Review of USEL in line with Cabinet Office guidelines. Based on these functions the review concluded the most appropriate delivery model for USEL was a wholly commercial model which, in the longer term, will provide greater benefits (for both DFC and USEL) by giving USEL greater scope to exploit commercial opportunities and ultimately provide the best outcomes for disabled people living and working in NI.