Whitehall Department Encourages Others to Join Device Reuse Programme
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has become the first central government body to sign the IT Reuse for Good Charter, a sustainability initiative launched by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. After a year of participation, MHCLG reported donating 60 laptops to the Digital Poverty Alliance and supplying devices to other charities and NHS trusts. The charter now counts 43 signatories, including local authorities and major tech firms, and promotes a ‘reuse first’ approach for laptops, smartphones and AV equipment. The programme aims to reduce e‑waste while bridging digital exclusion.
FLock.io Is the Key Technical Partner in a Sovereign AI Government Initiative for Sarawak
FLock.io has become the exclusive technical partner for Sarawak’s sovereign AI programme, signing three MoUs with the Sarawak Artificial Intelligence Centre (SAIC) and UK‑based Unitas Global Advisory during UK‑Sarawak roundtables in Manchester, Cambridge and Oxford. The agreements task FLock.io with...
GDS Puts Three Suppliers in ‘Taxi Rank’ to Test Service Vulnerabilities
The UK Government Digital Service (GDS) has set up a “taxi rank” of three NCSC‑CHECK accredited penetration‑testing firms—NCC Group, Salus and Prism Infosec—to probe security weaknesses in citizen services and internal Whitehall tools. The three contracts together are worth £1.2 million...
Home Office Alerts Market to £300m ‘Modernisation’ Plans for Key Biometrics System
Britain’s Home Office has unveiled a £296.2 million (≈$376 million) modernisation programme for its Strategic Central and Bureau Platform (SCBP), the core system behind the national IDENT1 and IABS biometric databases. The department is launching a market‑engagement phase, requiring suppliers to sign...
Government Picks Two Cyber Incident Response Partners for £7m Contracts
Britain’s Cabinet Office has awarded Deloitte and PwC retained cyber‑incident response contracts worth up to £8.1 million (about $10.4 million). The two‑year agreements, with a possible 12‑month extension, will provide on‑site and remote expertise to any UK government department facing a cyber...
Claimants Not Told Details of AI Use in Analysing Asylum Applications
UK Home Office has deployed two AI‑powered tools to help caseworkers analyse asylum interview transcripts and answer policy queries, but it does not disclose this technology to claimants. Border security minister Alex Norris reiterated that AI only supports, not decides,...
Failure to Invest in Tech Would Leave UK at AI’s ‘Mercy and Whim’, Minister Warns
Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall warned that failing to invest in artificial intelligence would betray the UK and leave it at the mercy of global rivals. She framed AI as the "defining currency" of the era and outlined...
DWP Signs £65m Deals for Extra Digital Resources
The UK Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has signed two two‑year contracts worth a combined £63.6 million (about $80.8 million) to boost its Government Digital and Data (GDaD) workforce. The larger deal, valued at £39.2 million (~$49.8 million), was awarded to Ernst & Young...
Government to Create Task Force to Examine Labelling for AI-Generated Content
The UK government will establish a dedicated task force to examine whether AI‑generated content should be formally labelled. The move follows the EU AI Act’s 2024 transparency requirement and emerging US state laws, though Britain currently lacks such legislation. Ministers...
DVLA Chatbot Supported Half a Million Citizens ‘without Human Intervention’ in FY26
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) reported that its AI‑powered webchat answered nearly half a million citizen queries without human intervention in the 2025‑26 fiscal year. The agency processed 8,929,400 total contacts, with 964,576 routed through webchat and more...
Public Spending Watchdog to Probe Digital ID Plans
The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will launch a formal inquiry into the UK government’s proposed national digital identity programme, using an upcoming National Audit Office (NAO) report as its factual foundation. The scheme, announced in September 2025,...
Accountability without Capacity Will Not Make Public Services More Secure
The UK Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will extend mandatory cyber‑risk reporting to central government, local authorities and NHS bodies, placing cyber security squarely on board agendas. Vsevolod Shabad warns that imposing accountability before organisations have the capacity to act...
‘Live Streaming and Covert Cameras’ – DWP Seeks £2m Suppliers for Surveillance Tech
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is preparing a multimillion‑pound procurement to equip fraud investigators with covert vehicle‑mounted cameras, encrypted live‑streaming and secure video storage. The contract, valued at roughly £2 m (about $2.6 m) for an initial three‑year term, follows...
MoJ Justice AI Unit Seeks Squad of Engineers to ‘Build Products with Real-World Impact’
The UK Ministry of Justice’s Justice AI Unit is hiring five forward‑deployed engineers to design and launch AI tools for courts, prisons and probation services. Salaries range from £71,381 to £85,257 (approximately $90,600‑$108,300), reflecting senior‑level compensation. Engineers will work directly...
Minister: ‘We Will Impose some Form of Age or Functionality Social Media Restrictions for Children’
UK ministers confirmed they will impose age‑based or functionality restrictions on social‑media use for children under 16, though a full ban is not yet legislated. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill gives the government power to enforce a future ban,...
Cabinet Office Adds £60m to Core Digital Delivery Deal
The UK Cabinet Office has increased the ceiling of its strategic delivery partnership with CGI from £120 million to £180 million (about $229 million), adding an extra £60 million ($76 million). The boost funds additional IT professional services needed to launch and operate the Infected...
Why AI Governance Now Looks Like Talent Management
Public‑sector organisations are moving from low‑code apps to AI agents that act as digital workers, demanding a governance model akin to talent management. Microsoft’s Agent 365 introduces identities, role‑based access and sponsorship, embedding ownership from day one. Early governance is now...
Government Spends £60k on Podcast Promotion for Digital ID Consultation
The UK government has allocated £62,817 (≈$80,000) to promote its digital identity public consultation via podcast ads on Acast and Audioboom. The 12‑week campaign runs until 5 May, aiming to broaden participation beyond traditional media channels. Minister James Frith emphasized that...
Whitehall Chips in as Digital Inclusion Drive Nets Thousands of Devices
The UK’s Digital Inclusion Action Plan has delivered 22,000 refurbished laptops and tablets to community centres, homelessness charities, and individuals in under a year. The effort is coordinated by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) together with the...
HMRC Picks Capgemini as Lead Supplier for £600m Contact Centre Deal
HM Revenue & Customs has awarded Capgemini the lead role on a £600 million (≈$770 million) contact‑centre‑as‑a‑service contract. The ten‑year deal, effective 15 May 2025, will replace HMRC’s legacy helpline with a platform that supports up to 200,000 agents, 20,000 inbound calls, 400...
DCMS Offers £125k for CDIO to Helm Microsoft Switch
The UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is recruiting a new chief digital and information officer (CDIO) with a salary of roughly £125,000 (about $155,000). The role will steer a major technology shift, moving DCMS services from Google...
DWP Retains ID-Verification Supplier as One Login Onboarding Continues
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has signed a one‑year, £508,000 (about $650,000) contract with TransUnion to validate pension‑payment bank accounts while its One Login identity platform is still being onboarded. One Login, a £350 million (≈$448 million) cross‑government sign‑in system,...
Home Office Acknowledges ‘Risk’ Posed by Remote English-Language Tests
The UK Home Office plans to shift its visa English‑language assessment to a fully remote format by late 2027, launching a procurement worth up to £816 million (about $1.03 billion). Ministers warned that AI tools, wearable devices and other technologies pose significant...
MoD Working up Enhanced ‘Commercial Leakage’ Analytics Capability, Perm Sec Says
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is rolling out an enhanced "commercial leakage" analytics capability built on Oracle Fusion Cloud and AI‑driven cloud analytics to spot fraud and errors in its massive invoicing process. Over the past three years the...
EXCL: DSIT Mothballs AI Tools and Pauses Digital Procurement Strategy in ‘Strategic Changes’ to Delivery Plans
The UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) announced it is mothballing several internal AI pilots and pausing the Digital Sourcing Strategy to re‑focus on replacing legacy systems. AI tools such as Parlex, Caddy, Redbox and Medguard are being...
Cyber Techniques Being Used to ‘Support the Repression of British Individuals on Our Streets’, NCSC Head Warns
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) warned that Russia and Iran are extending battlefield‑grade cyber techniques to target British interests. Richard Horne said Russia is applying lessons from the Ukraine war to attacks across the UK and Europe, while...
Police Body Looks for £15m Partner to Support Forces’ Plans to Test and Deploy AI Tools
The Home Office and police procurement body BlueLight Commercial have issued a market‑engagement notice for a £15 million (≈$19 million) two‑year contract to act as lead delivery partner for Police.AI, a new national unit that will accelerate AI adoption across England and...
Home Office Signs £90m Duo of Deals for QA and Testing
The UK Home Office announced two three‑year contracts with LA International to provide quality assurance and testing services for its digital programmes. The larger contract, valued at about £50 million (≈ $64 million), will support the Public Safety Group’s law‑enforcement and crime‑policy initiatives....
MoD ‘Has Long Recognised Risks’ of Fitness Apps and Will Issue Guidance Where Necessary
An investigation by the i Paper found that 519 UK military personnel inadvertently disclosed their whereabouts by posting Strava workout data, some of which mapped routes around sensitive bases. The revelations prompted a parliamentary question about the Ministry of Defence’s...
HMRC Signs £1.5m Digital Deal for New Expenses Service for PAYE Taxpayers
HM Revenue & Customs has signed a seven‑month, £1.49 million (≈$1.9 million) contract with Indian‑based consultancy Coforge to build a new online expenses service for PAYE taxpayers. The tool will allow up to 35 million workers to submit expense claims, upload evidence, and...
Minister: ‘There Are No Circumstances in Which the Government Will Sell the Public’s Digital ID Data to Private Companies’
UK minister James Frith reaffirmed that the government will not sell citizens' digital ID data to private firms. The pledge comes amid parliamentary questioning and public concern over commercial involvement in the new state‑issued digital identity, which is being built...
AI Age Estimation Has Been Tested on 2.5m Pics and Shown Signs of ‘Workable Results’ at Pace, Minister Claims
The UK Home Office has trialed an AI system that estimates a person’s age from facial images, using a dataset of roughly 2.5 million photos spanning diverse ethnicities, genders and age groups. Ministers say the technology delivers "workable results" faster and...
DVLA Reveals AI-Powered Automated Contact Centre Agent Has Cut Call Times Significantly
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has replaced its old touchtone menu with an AI‑powered interactive voice response system built on Google Dialogflow and Content Guru’s Storm platform. The natural‑language IVR now handles roughly 900,000 monthly callers across licensing,...
DWP’s £300m Pensions Dashboard Scheme Commissions Security Review Ahead of Provider Connections
The Department for Work and Pensions’ £300 million (≈ $381 million) Pensions Dashboards Programme has commissioned a £50,000 (≈ $63,500) security review as it approaches a six‑month deadline for private‑sector pension providers to connect. Leeds‑based cyber consultancy tmc3 will assess the security of the...
One Login: GDS to Create ‘Easily Digestible Version’ of Privacy Impact Report
The UK Government Digital Service (GDS) announced it will publish an "easily digestible" version of the Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) for the GOV.UK One Login by the end of 2026, though the full unedited report is unlikely to be...
DWP Sees Apprentice Numbers Halve in Past Three Years – but Cites Continued Focus on Digital
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) saw apprenticeship starts drop from 1,824 in 2022 to 907 last year, a decline of more than 50%. Minister Andrew Western attributes the fall to civil‑service headcount caps but stresses that digital and...
Research Warn of Public-Health Risks as Chatbots Generate ‘Problematic’ Advice
A BMJ Open study evaluated five leading AI chatbots—Google Gemini, DeepSeek, Meta AI, ChatGPT and Elon Musk’s Grok—on 50 health‑related queries across cancer, vaccines, stem cells, nutrition and athletic performance. Experts found that half of the responses were either somewhat...
Second Version of MoD’s £1bn-Plus Digital Services Framework to Double in Value and Expand to Other National Security Agencies
The UK Ministry of Defence’s Digital and IT Professional Services (DIPS) framework, launched in November 2023, is being refreshed as DIPS 2.0. The new eight‑year contract, starting 1 September 2027, is valued at £2.9 billion (≈$3.6 billion), roughly double the £1.44 billion (£360 million per year)...
Second AI System Deployed for Asylum Caseworkers to Be Deployed This Month as Ministers Vow ‘Decision-Makers Cannot Use the Tool...
The UK Home Office will roll out a second AI‑driven tool, Asylum Case Summarisation (ACS), to all asylum caseworkers this month. ACS analyses interview transcripts and produces concise summaries to aid decision‑makers, joining the already‑deployed Asylum Policy Search (APS) chat‑based...
‘AI Can Reindustrialise Areas Where Deindustrialisation Hurt Most’
Labour MP Kenneth Stevenson says the AI Growth Zone in Lanarkshire can reindustrialise Scotland’s former manufacturing heartland. The zone, launched three months ago, aims to attract data centres that power AI workloads while using renewable energy and waste‑heat for local...
GDS Economists Create Tech Benefits Framework to Help Depts Quantify Savings or Job Reductions
The UK Government Digital Service (GDS) has published a new benefits framework to help departments quantify savings from AI, digital services, data, capability, and technology initiatives. The guidance estimates AI could generate £6.3bn (≈$7.9bn) in annual civil‑service savings and £23.7bn...
Police Tech Body Adds Six Months and £30m to Deal for Airwave Devices to Cover ESN Delays
The Police Digital Service (PDS) has extended its Airwave handset contract with Sepura and Motorola Solutions by six months, adding roughly $38 million to the deal. The agreement now runs until 30 June 2027, lifting the total contract value to about $114 million. The...
Scotland Plans New National Tax Platform
Scotland’s Revenue Scotland announced a plan to procure a new cloud‑based digital platform to replace the Scottish Electronic Tax System (SETS). The platform will support at least five devolved taxes, case management, workflow automation, and analytics for roughly 80 back‑office...
DVSA’s New £735m Theory Test Contracts to Offer Option to ‘Explore Remote Testing’
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has launched a £735 million (≈ $940 million) procurement to appoint three regional suppliers that will run the UK driving theory test centre network from September 2028 through 2035. The contracts, split into £235 million for the north,...
Government Pledges ‘Local Conversations and Events to Encourage Participation’ in Digital ID Consultation
The UK government announced a series of in‑person roadshows, roundtables and a "workshop in a box" to boost participation in its digital identity consultation, which runs from 10 March to 5 May. Citizens can respond via an online form, email or post,...
DSIT Launches Recruitment for Two More DGs
The UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has launched recruitment for two additional Director General (DG) positions—digital transformation and digital products—offering salaries of £200,000‑£260,000 (approximately $250,000‑$325,000). Both roles are currently filled on an interim basis by Emily Middleton...
Making Tax Digital: HMRC Equality Review Finds Possible ‘Minor Impacts’ Based on Disability, Age and Religion
HMRC’s Making Tax Digital (MTD) regime now requires about 800,000 self‑employed individuals and landlords to submit income‑tax returns via accredited software, with nearly a million more slated for 2027 and 2028. An initial equality screening found only minor impacts for...
NHS Preps for ‘Large-Scale’ Microsoft Procurement with £50k Benchmarking Exercise
NHS England is commissioning IDC for a 20‑week, £46,000 (~$58,400) benchmarking project to map Microsoft software licensing and pricing. The exercise, running from 13 April to 31 August, is a preparatory step for a large‑scale procurement that could dwarf the current £775 million...
New DWP Perm Sec to Lead Use of ‘AI and Emerging Tech to Transform Services’
The UK Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has opened recruitment for a new permanent secretary, offering a salary of £200,000‑£220,000 (approximately $256k‑$282k). The incumbent, Sir Peter Schofield, will step down in July after eight years at the helm. The search...
GDS-Run Spend Controls Retired as Departments to ‘Fully Own and Manage Their Own Approvals Processes’
The UK Government Digital Service (GDS) has retired its digital and technology spend controls after 16 years, replacing them with the Digital Assurance Playbook that devolves approval authority to individual departments. Under the old regime, any digital spend of £100,000...