Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 23
23
Acknowledged
Department acknowledges suboptimal ESN supplier responsibilities but is constrained to make tweaks
Conclusion
The Department recognised that the split of responsibilities between its ESN suppliers is suboptimal.76 The Independent Assurance Panel told us that the complexity had been increased in 2015, when amended contracts had made the Home Office responsible for systems integration, a task it did not have the skills to do.77 The Department acknowledged that if it looked at ESN through a purely commercial, financial or technical lens, it would not retain its current approach, which it called a ‘recommended’ rather than ‘preferred’ option. It felt that had it been able to start again with a blank sheet of paper it would probably prefer to adopt a prime contractor approach, which would allow it to step back from the systems integration role.78 But it felt constrained by the need to turn off Airwave off as quickly as possible, which meant it could only make ‘tweaks’ to the programme’s commercial structure.79 Running ESN as a live service
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the committee's observations regarding the suboptimal split of responsibilities, stating it has focused on addressing integration complexity. It will commission the IAP to monitor integration plans for the User Services contract and is strengthening its Programme Management team with specialist recruitment and external technical expertise.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
4.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: July 2024 4.2 The department has concentrated efforts on addressing the complexity of the integration required for success. 4.3 The department will commission the IAP to monitor, comment on and assure both the integration plans of the bidders for the User Services contract; the later delivery of them by the successful consortium; the appropriateness and scale of the resources dedicated to it; and the overall integration with the mobile services contract. 4.4 The Home Office continues to strengthen the core capabilities of the Programme Management team, by recruiting experienced specialists and by establishing partnerships with external technical delivery experts. This includes ensuring the Home Office procures the full range of technical capabilities required from the new Lot 2 supplier.