The UK government has launched a £370 million tender for a post-Brexit digital trade support service, with current supplier Fujitsu expected to place a controversial bid.
HMRC’s tender comes as the department looks to move to the “next phase” of the Trader Support Services (TSS) platform supporting businesses trading between Britain and Northern Ireland after multiple extensions of the contract with a Fujitsu-led consortium, following the service’s launch in late 2020.
Fujitsu is expected to bid to retain responsibility for the service, with the company’s head of UK public sector only recently reportedly telling staff that claims it would be replaced on the TSS contract were inaccurate.
Fujitsu says Trader Support Services is...
The Japanese IT services giant received a £67 million extension on its previous contract last year and claimed last week, behind closed doors, it had been invited to partake in the new tender and would be “bidding to win”.
The potential of a Fujitsu bid on the tender would almost certainly spark controversy given the company’s 2024 commitment to hold back on UK public sector bids amid its involvement in the inquiry into the Horizon Post Office scandal.
Fujitsu would not confirm to The Stack its intentions for this tender, stating only that “We are working with the UK Government to ensure we adhere to the voluntary restrictions we put in place regarding bidding for new contracts.”
It did not specify whether it would consider this a "new" contract.
Exclusive: Fujitsu spilled private client data, passwords into the open unnoticed for a year
Whoever the successful supplier is, it would be responsible for both the digital TSS platform, which allows traders to submit documents required under the Windsor Framework, and customer support services, providing businesses with information on regulatory compliance.
The service is described in the tender as including “a digital portal to facilitate the movement of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, self-serve guidance and specialist support for meeting customs obligations.”
TSS initially covered support for businesses trading under the Northern Ireland Protocol before adapting to new regulations under the Windsor Framework after it was approved by parliament.
First agreed under former UK PM Rishi Sunak and the EU’s Ursula von der Leyen in early 2023, three years after Brexit, the framework outlined a new set of regulations for moving goods across the UK and created a de facto trade border in the Irish Sea.
While the tender is unclear about whether a potential new TSS supplier would be creating an entirely new digital portal to deliver the services or taking on aspects of Fujitsu’s existing platform, the government has previously highlighted the thousands of businesses that have used the current service and it appears to have been well received by those in the industry.
The Stack has contacted HMRC for clarification on the nature of the new contract.
