Gitlab deal aims to consolidate multiple standalone systems into SaaS-based platforms so that all groups within the organisation are on the same platform as other analysts, data scientists and coders

HM Revenue and Customs is poised to agree a £14m contract with Gitlab UK that will allow the department to bring together siloed software systems used by multiple groups across the organisation.

The tax-collection agency said it needed a solution that can “develop, share and version control rigorously assured code to produce robust, reproducible analysis which can also allow for collaboration [and] internal transparency coupled with security”.

HMRC said the move would see groups using disparate software consolidated onto software-as-a-service (SaaS) based platforms.

“It is key that all groups in HMRC are on the same platform as other analysists, data scientists and coders in HMRC, to ensure integration and compatibility and therefore efficient use and reuse of analytical components across the department,” the department said. “This includes Gitlab Dedicated SaaS for 4,000 users, large infrastructure and management.”

Transparency documents show that the three-year contract, which could be signed as early as this week, is being made as a direct award to Gitlab because of the firm’s intellectual property rights.

“Gitlab is a key piece of software for the organisation as it is used for software development, allowing teams to plan, build, test, and deploy code collaboratively in a single application,” HMRC said. “Moving to an alternative solution would cause significant disruption and risk to the authority. This would create disproportionate technical and resource challenges that would impact business operations and not demonstrate commercial value or provide the most economically advantageous outcome.”

The contract value is £11,826,872.40 excluding VAT and £14,192,246.88 including VAT.

Ministers have allocated £1.6bn in capital funding to HMRC for it to “modernise and reform” its IT and data infrastructure over the next four years.

The department has also secured £500m for upgrades to front-end IT over the coming years, with the goal of boosting digital interactions with customers.