Limbo

First we note that Jim Knight, who had to defend the last government's actions on welfare-to-work, lost his seat at the general election. He is no longer an MP but it's fascinating that he is still a minister, because they all remain in office until a new government is in place.

The private companies which profit from government contracts are in limbo, like the rest of us. If, as seems likely, Conservative Theresa May becomes Work & Pensions secretary, contracts for phase 2 of FND will not be signed. Work for Your Benefit, Community Task Force Phase 2, Invest to Save, and the Personalised Employment Programme are also under threat if a Tory government carries out its promise / threat to implement the Work Programme. The problem with that is that it means asking bidders for FND phase 2 to revise their bids, and that could result in legal challenges. We can only wait and see.

Two new contracts

With a general election not much more that 2 months away, the government is pressing ahead with new contracts in the "welfare-to-work" area. The DWP has announced the shortlisted bidders for two contracts, and A4e are on both shortlists. The first is for round 2 of the Community Task Force, which is responsible for work experience placements under the Young Person's Guarantee. 43 organisations have their hats in the ring for this one. The second contract is for the Personalised Employment Programme. The DWP describes this as follows: "The Personalised Employment Programme will combine provision for JSA claimants, ESA claimants and parents with younger children in a single, integrated, flexible employment programme. Through this multi-client group contracting approach the pilot will test a radical new way of tailoring support to individual needs and helping those with multiple barriers to employment back to work. The pilots will also trial the conditionality framework recommended in the Gregg Review and we are exploring the feasibility of testing an innovative ‘accelerator’ funding model in the Personalised Employment Programme pilot areas."

There is a fuller description at the tendersdirect site. The shortlists have been announced for two contract areas, in a pilot for a scheme to replace existing New Deal and other provisions. Whether a new government will press ahead with this remains to be seen.