Connect to Work
DWP · DWP_0304_2324-Q3
Department page: Department for Work and Pensions
| Data as at | Rating | End date | Whole-life cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 2025 | Amber (NISTA's independent assessment) | 31 March 2030 | £1,373.8m (price basis not stated) |
| March 2026 | Green (NISTA's independent assessment) | 31 March 2026 | £1,094.99m (in 2024/25 prices) |
Each year’s cost is shown with its price basis. Costs are not compared between years: the March 2024 and March 2025 reports state no price basis, and from March 2026 costs are in 2024/25 prices.
The department’s commentary
This is the department’s own commentary. It may use different prices from the table above, so its figures may not match.
March 2026
Rating: Compared to financial year 24/25 Q4, the NISTA/SRO Delivery Confidence Assessment (DCA) rating at 25/26 Q4 increased to GREEN. This is primarily due to the following factors‚ successful delivery of the programme appears highly likely and there are no major outstanding issues that at this stage appear to threaten transition to business as usual.
Schedule: Compared to financial year 24/25-Q4, the project's end-date at 25/26-Q4 remained the same, 31/03/2030. This is primarily due to the following factors‚ Grant Funding Agreements that have or are due to be put in place with Accountable Bodies, this end date refers to when the service is due to end, based on current plans and assumptions.
Cost: Compared to the financial year 24/25-Q4, the project's departmentally agreed Whole Life Cost (measured in £m) decreased to 1094.99 for 25/26-Q4 WLC. This is primarily due to a reduction in forecast grant cost due to differences between modelled estimates and agreed local delivery plans, along with changes to optimism bias assumptions.
March 2025
Rating: The Infrastructure Project Authority's Delivery Confidence Assessment rating at 24/25-Q4 is AMBER. This is due to‚ West London Alliance was the first accountable body to start delivering Connect to Work on 28 April 2025. The majority of accountable bodies (AB's) have submitted delivery plans, all of which are currently under review by the appropriate panels. The Programme Business Case was approved by the Investment Committee on 29 April 2025, enabling progression to Treasury Approval Point which is scheduled for June 2025. Funding is secured for three years, after which further approvals will be required. Connect to Work continues to work with Job Centre Plus as more ABs begin implementation.
Schedule: The project's end-date at 24/25-Q4 is scheduled to be 31/03/2030. This is primarily due to the following factors‚ Grant Funding Agreements that have or are due to be put in place with Accountable Bodies, this end date refers to when the service is due to end, based on current plans and assumptions.
Cost: The project's departmentally agreed Whole Life Cost at 24/25-Q4 (measured in £m) is 1373. This is primarily due to the following factors‚ grant funding for local areas to deliver supported employment.
Source: NISTA Annual Report 2024-25 (data)
Names, figures, dates, ratings and commentary are as the department reported them. Where a rating, cost or date is withheld, the file’s wording is shown. Every major project →