The Shaw Trust has won preferred bidder status for 16 Work Choice contracts from the Department of Work and Pensions, missing out on just one that it was shortlisted for.

Furthermore, eight of the 16 contracts are in new regions for the Trust.  The Work Choice programme is the successor to Workstep, and aims to help disabled people find employment.

In the past the Trust has delivered up to 40 per cent of the Workstep programme nationwide, but recently the DWP said it didn’t want any one supplier to have more than 25 per cent of the market. 

However, the Shaw Trust still entered prime contractor bids in all 17 of the areas it was shortlisted for – it originally applied for 28 – and has been successful in 16 of them, giving it about 60 per cent of the market.

The Trust has historically been by far the highest performer in the country on the Workstep programme, converting 56 per cent of people into sustainable employment, compared with an average conversion rate of 9 per cent.

Sally Burton (pictured), the Trust’s recently-appointed chief executive, said the organisation was “absolutely delighted” to have been confirmed as preferred bidder in the 16 regions.