Brit tax collector HMRC wants fireside chat with suppliers to discuss ways to spend the annual £900m IT budget

UK taxation collector Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs wants to reboot its proviso concatenation by opening up its full £900m yearly IT fund to nan wider supplier scenery via a caller Technology Sourcing Programme (TSP).

In a tender document published today, HMRC, which is responsible for nan postulation of £600bn successful taxation annually, said it was "breaking down and addressing" nan spending scheme pinch TSP, which will footwear disconnected pinch a "market engagement event" connected 12 October.

At nan event, HMRC said it intends to picture nan strategy and plans for nan programme.

HMRC said nan programme would purpose to "deliver a measurement alteration successful really HMRC delivers IT, useful pinch IT suppliers to procure and utilise exertion and really we activity much broadly arsenic an organisation".

The "ambition is to beryllium 1 of nan astir digitally precocious taxation authorities successful nan world and exertion is astatine nan bosom of its transformation". Seasoned observers of HMRC IT strategy could beryllium forgiven for rolling their eyes astatine specified platitudes.

In 2016, HMRC set retired to switch its £10bn Aspire IT contract pinch Capgemini and Fujitsu done a procurement that was expected to liking smaller and medium-sized companies, arsenic good arsenic larger providers, successful a modulation said to beryllium fraught pinch risk. The section had already said it would prevention £200m renegotiating its Aspire outsourcing statement from 2012 during nan property of austerity.

But by 2017, nan authorities section was forced to defend its decision to ditch a British unreality supplier successful favour of tax-efficient multinational Amazon, claiming it would reap important savings. El Reg revealed HMRC had moved its information retired of Manchester-based Datacentred six months earlier.

Although nan Aspire deal, which dated backmost to 2004, was reconfigured, HMRC's narration pinch nan 2 main contractors did not end. It awarded Capgemini an extension to 2022. And this month, Fujitsu won a two-year hold to its managed desktop services contract, besides moving to 2022.

Back successful February, The Register exclusively revealed Fujitsu was cutting nan workforce that provides projects activity for HMRC pursuing a simplification successful nan level of business.

Although nan worth for money successful nan Aspire task was criticised, it was seen by immoderate arsenic effective. The aforesaid cannot beryllium said of its predecessor. In 2005, EDS, now portion of DXC, paid £71.25m to settle its conflict pinch HMRC complete nan disastrous Tax Credit system, which overpaid mediocre families to nan tune of £1bn.

HMRC will beryllium hoping it tin tick nan worth and capacity boxes pinch its latest information of tendering.

In different UK authorities news, nan Department for Work and Pensions has clarified that its £20m statement hold pinch Accenture will return nan full statement walk to £428m. ®