Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 7
7
Acknowledged
The Ministry and HMPPS told us that they have learnt lessons from pursuing technology which...
Conclusion
The Ministry and HMPPS told us that they have learnt lessons from pursuing technology which have to be developed from scratch. HMPPS took a detailed and prescriptive approach to setting requirements for Gemini. This introduced complexity and inflexibility, and limited innovation in the programme.11 The Ministry told us that at the outset of the programme, government tended to prefer “bespoke and better” technology. Following a review of the programme in 2016, it opted to buy hardware off-the-shelf and is now also pursuing off-the-shelf hardware and software in its expansion programme. It explained that given how technology had now moved on and the range of products which were now available on the market, it would not be sensible to pursue bespoke solutions.12 Governance and scrutiny
Government Response Summary
The government states that it anticipated that the contract will be let by the end of 2022 and will inform the Committee when this has happened, but does not commit to specific changes in response to lessons learned.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation anticipated that the contract will be let by the end of 2022. The department will write to inform the Committee when this has happened. It will take some time to onboard the supplier and agree the plan for full implementation with them. The department will provide a timeframe for this when it has written to confirm that the contract has been let.