Updated 15:50 March 15. Corrects million to billion.
HMRC is seeking a new technology partner to help it contract £23 billion in tech services, as new Chief Digital and Information Officer (CDIO) Daljit Rehal continues efforts to wind back a complex legacy of contracts and infrastructure in a bid to create "one of the most digitally advanced tax administrations in the world".
A pre-market engagement exercise that opened earlier this month closes March 31, 2021 and aims to assess what the market can provide. It comes months after HMRC promised to "deliver a step change in how HMRC delivers IT, works with IT suppliers to procure and utilise technology, and how we work more broadly as an organisation", under a new Technology Sourcing Programme that aims to "address HMRC’s entire IT run and change spend of £900 million/annum."
HMRC is launching the market engagement exercise as it winds down its controversial and long-standing "Aspire" IT contract with Capgemini, and after it signed a two-year managed desktop services contract extension with Fujitsu in 2020. (Those interested in what HMRC was paying both Fujitsu and Capgemini on a monthly basis as recently as December 2019 can take a peak at the response to this FOI request...)
HMRC said: "Current Mobility and Workplace (MWS) services cover provision and support for all HMRC's device services (e.g. Laptops, Mobile Devices, Virtual Desktops, Workstations and central login mechanism, etc), and Workplace environments (e.g. Identity and Admin Infrastructure, Collaboration and Monitoring tools).
"There are other service agreements that sit outside current MWS contract, which are Service Desk, End User Hardware Purchase, IT Disposals and Managed Print Services.The future model of this service will cover the following service areas," HMRC said in a pre-market engagement notice. "This includes, the contracts that sit outside of the existing MWS agreement, which are Managed Print Services, support for Network devices and potentially IT disposals at a future date. The end of the contract enables HMRC to review the delivery model and to align delivery with other technology projects within the organisation."
Wanted: "Economies of scale, operational efficiencies or alternative methods of delivering the service."
HMRC says it wants to hear from "different organisations who can offer increased value through economies of scale, operational efficiencies or alternative methods of delivering the service as well as flexibility in approach as HMRCs ways of working are changing", and notes that "the end of [an existing] contract enables HMRC to review the delivery model and to align delivery with other technology projects within the organisation."
See also: Resistance to change is yesterday’s logic
The tax authority said in a tender notice: "HMRC is keen to engage with suppliers who can demonstrate a strong track record within the UK Public Sector, importantly with similar organisations of HMRC's size, and position. HMRC would like to talk to relevant framework suppliers at an early stage - ideally, those who have achieved outcomes of a similar nature and scale to HMRC... Our focus is on ensuring consistent and excellent Employee Experience, putting our "customers at the heart" of all that we do.
The agency wants a "a 'safe pair of hands' to enable customer exploitation of the CDIO delivered tools, which in turn enables HMRC's ambition to become one of the most digitally advanced tax administrations in the world" it added. The partner will need to be capable of "proactively managing our services to ensure a positive Digital Experience and creating a frictionless IT environment across HMRC. HMRC is looking to work with a technology partner who can support the HMRC vision to develop digital workplace strategy, manages risk and efficiency, and promotes collaborative dialogue to form a long-term relationship."
The closing date for responses (via the HMRC Ariba e-sourcing portal) is 17:00 on 31st March 2021
