The myth of multiple contractors
If A4E’s position as a prime contractor of the Work Programme becomes untenable amid the current fraud furor, the Minister, Chris Grayling, has said he will terminate their contracts and take all their jobseekers away. As of last week, according to the Department for Work and Pensions figures, A4E are currently responsible for just over … Continue reading
Another kind of welfare to work cream
(An edited version of this first appeared on The Guardian’s website on 21st February 2012.) At the recent hearing, both contractors and the DWP steadfastly refused to reveal to the Public Accounts Committee how well, or badly, the Work Progamme is performing. This week, the department revealed the number of people referred to the Programme; … Continue reading
Making the Work Programme work
(An edited version of the following article first appeared in The Guardian on 7th February 2012.) The contracts for the Work Programme were competed on price. That is, would-be providers were invited to say how cheaply they could do it, and the cheapest were then awarded the most contracts. Unfortunately, this entirely misses the point. … Continue reading
Buying Quality Performance 