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A consortium led by Fujitsu was appointed to a major tech contract in 2021, and the department now intends to relet this deal and sign a new agreement in 2026

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HM Revenue and Customs is to go back to market and seek a provider to support the digital service enabling trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland – a platform which is currently supported by a Fujitsu-led consortium.

The digital Trader Support Service (TSS) was first launched in 2020 and provides firms with training and support on adapting to the post-Brexit Windsor Framework measures that now govern trade between Northern Ireland – which remains in the EU single market for goods – and the other countries of the UK. The free-to-use GOV.UK-based service can also automatically complete customs declarations and other requirement documents on behalf of users.

To support the management of the service, in 2021 HMRC signed a near-£300m contract with a consortium led by Fujitsu, and also featuring consultancy McKinsey and outsourcer HGS. That deal originally ran until the end of 2022, and has since been extended.

HMRC has published a prior information notice to “notify the market of our intention to compete and appoint a new provider for the TSS service from 2026”.

Potential providers are invited to register their interest in taking part in “market-engagement sessions” that will take place next month.

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“The purpose of these sessions is to inform the future delivery model and commercial strategy of the TSS, to test market capability and to identify opportunities for efficiencies and innovation for the future service,” the notice said.

After feedback has been gathered from this process, the tax department expects to open bids in February 2025.

Once one or more suppliers are ultimately appointed, HMRC anticipates that the chosen firms will be tasked with delivering a service that “is expected to include, but not be limited to, a digital portal to facilitate the movement of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, self-serve guidance and specialist support for meeting customs obligations”.

The PIN document adds: “HMRC intends for the TSS to: provide a free end-to-end support package to manage the processes required to move goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland on behalf of traders registered with the service; educate businesses on the regime for moving goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, including changes introduced by the Windsor Framework, and the steps they need to take to comply with it; and be available to all sizes of businesses moving goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.”

Alongside the increased attention brought in recent months to the Post Office Horizon IT scandal, there has been growing scrutiny on the role of Fujitsu in fulfilling hundreds of millions of pounds of other public-sector contracts. MPs from both sides of the house have called for the Japanese tech firm to be suspended from winning future contracts while the public inquiry into Horizon continues.