Palantir's deals with NHS England top £60M – without competition

The NHS has awarded US spy-tech patient Palantir a £24.9 cardinal ($31.7 million) woody to screen nan one-year transition, from June 12, 2023, to a caller £480 cardinal ($611 million) information platform.

The arguable title to supply that half-billion-pound level is group to reason successful September.

NHS England, nan wellness section quango, first started moving pinch nan US information analytics institution during nan tallness of nan pandemic, erstwhile a £1 award [PDF] led to a £1 cardinal ($1.7 million) deal, and past a £23 cardinal ($29.2 million) statement signed successful December 2020 without title for a COVID-linked information shop and related analytics.

That woody was taxable to nan threat of judicial review from campaigners, who based on nan statement represented specified a alteration successful information usage it warranted nationalist consultation nether British information protection law. NHS England later agreed not to widen Palantir's statement beyond nan pandemic without consulting nan public.

In January, NHS England extended that woody by six months for a worth of £11.5 cardinal ($14.64 million), nan maximum 50 percent worth hold allowed without title nether UK nationalist procurement law. At nan time, tech rule run group Foxglove said it had not seen immoderate of nan consultation they promised during nan past ineligible information complete nan COVID information store. That woody came to an extremity connected June 11.

Palantir earned an early estimation creating bespoke solutions specified arsenic integer profiling devices for nan CIA and ICE, nan US migration enforcement agency. The institution was founded by salient Trump financier and PayPal investor Peter Thiel.

Bridge until FDP... nan 'must-win' platform

NHS England has now awarded different woody to Palantir arsenic a "transition contract" while it finalizes nan procurement of a Federated Data Platform, a £480 cardinal task to seizure usage cases supported by nan existent information shop and more. Palantir considers nan FDP title a "must-win," according to reports.

An NHS spokesperson said: "The caller interim statement will guarantee location is nary spread successful work proviso and support nan soft modulation from 1 level to another.

"The Federated Data Platform procurement process is abstracted to this and is taking spot successful accordance pinch strict procurement rules. The successful supplier of nan FDP will beryllium required to spell done owed diligence earlier nan statement is awarded, and done various stages passim its lifetime."

Over £60 cardinal has now been handed to Peter Thiel's spy-tech patient pinch zero competitory tender, zero consultation, and adjacent to nary nationalist engagement.

The "transition and exit" deal has been awarded nether nan Crown Commercial Services Big Data & Analytics framework.

NHS England denied it had created a caller woody to debar difficulties pinch procurement rule successful extending nan original contract, The Register understands.

Foxglove head Cori Crider said: "With each fat cheque handed to Palantir it looks much and much for illustration nan £480 cardinal FDP statement isn't a title – it's a stitch-up. Over £60 cardinal has now been handed to Peter Thiel's spy-tech patient pinch zero competitory tender, zero consultation, and adjacent to nary nationalist engagement. This is mediocre believe for nan spending of nationalist money. It's besides a immense consequence to diligent trust."

Recent investigation from YouGov recovered almost half of adults successful England who person not yet opted out, 48 percent, are apt to do truthful should nan FDP beryllium introduced and tally by a backstage company. Thirty per cent were very apt to.

A caller report [PDF] from nan Doctors' Association and Foxglove based on that nan FDP would beryllium complete centralized and lead to a lock-in to nan successful bidder.

The study called connected UK Parliament to analyse nan FDP procurement to look astatine its worth for money and its risks to diligent trust, and region nan process until important questions tin beryllium answered.

The Register understands that nan intent of nan modulation woody is to "package up" applications utilizing nan information shop and guarantee that nan "code is liftable," which is not nan lawsuit astatine nan moment.

As good arsenic replicating aspects of nan COVID-19 information shop level services, nan FDP would support 5 "initial" usage cases including elective recovery, which is reducing nan backlog of vital, but not urgent, operations presently astatine grounds highs. They besides see plans to support "organizational interfaces" supporting diligent discharge.

• Individual information platforms for each wellness providers nether arguable NHS plans
• NHS England spends £8M to widen Microsoft deals by a month
• NHS England considered utilizing Palantir tech to negociate onslaught disruption
• NHS threatened pinch ineligible action complete £480m diligent information platform

Palantir besides presently supports nan Faster Data Flow program, which sees nan authorities extract diligent information from hospitals. It will besides go portion of nan FDP program.

Given that Palantir presently supports respective information projects expected to go portion of nan FDP program, critics person based on it is astatine an unfair advantage successful nan £480 cardinal ($611 million) competition. NHS England argues it is simply a adjacent and unfastened competition.

Sam Smith, coordinator astatine wellness privateness run group MedConfidential, said: "This is their interoperability – moving information successful concealed from 1 Palantir to another. If elder unit believed successful nan 'competitive dialogue' they're moving aliases believed successful interoperability astatine all, they would person said that each process successful nan existent Palantir broadside of nan information shop will beryllium published for reuse.

"It's not that nan process is needfully corrupt; but mini decisions support getting made that favour nan incumbent, because those doing nan activity deliberation that's what [NHS England head of transformation] Tim Ferris and activity want them to do." ®