UK's NS&I extends Atos contract as procurement drags on
(2023/05/09)
- Reference: 1683627373
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2023/05/09/uks_nsi_extends_atos_contract/
- Source link:
National Savings & Investment has extended its contract with French IT services and outsourcing provider Atos as the UK state-owned bank's struggle to find a replacement continues.
Last year the bank – an executive agency of the UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer – went to market with nearly $1 billion in contracts aiming to replace Atos, which was set to see its contract end in March 2024, according to procurement documents published at the time. Last week, a spokesperson for NS&I told The Register the procurement was in its “advanced stages” and winners would be announced in due course.
“We began a competitive procurement process in 2021 as part of a transformation programme to switch from a single outsource provider to a multi-provider model. To ensure we maintain delivery of services to our retail savings customers while we complete the switch to a multi-supplier model, we have exercised an option for Atos to provide operational continuity through to March 2025. Atos manages NS&I’s sales processing and customer servicing, together with IT and infrastructure services. This contract will expire in March 2025,” it said.
[1]
NS&I serves around 25 million people and manages funds worth £202 billion ($255 billion). It is best known for providing Premium Bonds, a form of investment that also offers winnings under a lottery system, an approach designed to persuade people to accrue long-term savings which dates back to 1956.
[2]
[3]
Last week, The Register [4]reported customers’ ongoing frustration with poor customer service and apparent failures in its two factor authentication system. A spokesperson apologized to customers who had “not received the high standard of service that they have come to expect from us.”
In July last year, [5]IBM won a contract worth £34.2 million (c $41.2 million) to provide NS&I with "Digital integration and ServiceOps", intended to be its technical and operational center.
[6]
However, two chunks of work that went to tender over a year ago are yet to be awarded.
In February last year, [7]the bank tendered for Digital Experience and Enablement with up to £172 million ($216 million) in the offing.
In May last year, the bank went to [8]the market for a set of technology contracts worth up to £756.1 million ($938 million). [9]Split into two lots , the contracts were designed to "deliver and integrate front-office (contact centre) services” and core banking services, respectively.
[10]Users complain over UK state-owned bank's services as Atos eyes the exit
[11]Tiny Brit tech firms win spots on £1.84B public sector contract. Kidding, it's the usual suspects
[12]Unless things change, first zettaflop systems will need nuclear power, AMD's Su says
[13]Atos tossed €20m to build Max Planck Society supercomputer
These contracts are yet to be awarded, seemingly forcing NS&I to extend the Atos contracts to allow time for handover of services. Hopeful suppliers had been asked to keep their tenders valid until the end of March this year.
NS&I is not the only UK state-owned financial services company changing its plans for Atos. Earlier this year, The Register revealed NEST, the pensions provider, [14]cancelled a deal with the French outsourcing company just two years into a contract – worth up to £1.5 billion – which could have lasted 18 years. It has retained the service of the incumbent supplier, India’s TCS. ®
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[4] https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/05/uk_nationalised_bank_hit_with_complaint/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/05/ibm_national_savings_investment/
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZFpuJTFO@RXkP3AoXJo5VQAAAAg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2022/02/16/nsandi_172m_it_deal/
[8] https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/011240-2022
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/04/nsandi_it_procurement/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/05/uk_nationalised_bank_hit_with_complaint/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2023/04/12/uk_public_sector_framework_deal/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/23/amd_zettaflop_systems_nuclear/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/13/atos_max_planck_supercomputer/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/01/atos_and_nest_part_company/
[15] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Last year the bank – an executive agency of the UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer – went to market with nearly $1 billion in contracts aiming to replace Atos, which was set to see its contract end in March 2024, according to procurement documents published at the time. Last week, a spokesperson for NS&I told The Register the procurement was in its “advanced stages” and winners would be announced in due course.
“We began a competitive procurement process in 2021 as part of a transformation programme to switch from a single outsource provider to a multi-provider model. To ensure we maintain delivery of services to our retail savings customers while we complete the switch to a multi-supplier model, we have exercised an option for Atos to provide operational continuity through to March 2025. Atos manages NS&I’s sales processing and customer servicing, together with IT and infrastructure services. This contract will expire in March 2025,” it said.
[1]
NS&I serves around 25 million people and manages funds worth £202 billion ($255 billion). It is best known for providing Premium Bonds, a form of investment that also offers winnings under a lottery system, an approach designed to persuade people to accrue long-term savings which dates back to 1956.
[2]
[3]
Last week, The Register [4]reported customers’ ongoing frustration with poor customer service and apparent failures in its two factor authentication system. A spokesperson apologized to customers who had “not received the high standard of service that they have come to expect from us.”
In July last year, [5]IBM won a contract worth £34.2 million (c $41.2 million) to provide NS&I with "Digital integration and ServiceOps", intended to be its technical and operational center.
[6]
However, two chunks of work that went to tender over a year ago are yet to be awarded.
In February last year, [7]the bank tendered for Digital Experience and Enablement with up to £172 million ($216 million) in the offing.
In May last year, the bank went to [8]the market for a set of technology contracts worth up to £756.1 million ($938 million). [9]Split into two lots , the contracts were designed to "deliver and integrate front-office (contact centre) services” and core banking services, respectively.
[10]Users complain over UK state-owned bank's services as Atos eyes the exit
[11]Tiny Brit tech firms win spots on £1.84B public sector contract. Kidding, it's the usual suspects
[12]Unless things change, first zettaflop systems will need nuclear power, AMD's Su says
[13]Atos tossed €20m to build Max Planck Society supercomputer
These contracts are yet to be awarded, seemingly forcing NS&I to extend the Atos contracts to allow time for handover of services. Hopeful suppliers had been asked to keep their tenders valid until the end of March this year.
NS&I is not the only UK state-owned financial services company changing its plans for Atos. Earlier this year, The Register revealed NEST, the pensions provider, [14]cancelled a deal with the French outsourcing company just two years into a contract – worth up to £1.5 billion – which could have lasted 18 years. It has retained the service of the incumbent supplier, India’s TCS. ®
Get our [15]Tech Resources
[1] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZFpuJTFO@RXkP3AoXJo5VQAAAAg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
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[4] https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/05/uk_nationalised_bank_hit_with_complaint/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/05/ibm_national_savings_investment/
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZFpuJTFO@RXkP3AoXJo5VQAAAAg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2022/02/16/nsandi_172m_it_deal/
[8] https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/011240-2022
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/04/nsandi_it_procurement/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/05/uk_nationalised_bank_hit_with_complaint/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2023/04/12/uk_public_sector_framework_deal/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/23/amd_zettaflop_systems_nuclear/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/13/atos_max_planck_supercomputer/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/01/atos_and_nest_part_company/
[15] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/