Incumbent provider supporting creation of new nationwide people database is to be retained on a deal lasting almost a year, as the project delivery deadline of March 2026 draws near

The Home Office has revealed plans to directly award a near-£40m contract, with the aim of ensuring successful delivery of the “critical” phase of the creation of a new nationwide police database.

The department is in the process of replacing the 50-year-old Police National Computer (PNC) – the UK’s core central law-enforcement database, housing records of 13 million people linked to crimes, as well as 62.6 million vehicles and 58.5 million drivers.

The PNC will be superseded by the Law Enforcement Data Service (LEDS), as part of a £900m, 12-year project due to conclude in March 2026.

With this date little more than six months away, recently published procurement notices indicate that the Home Office plans to directly award a £37.5m, 11-month contract to incumbent supplier PA Consulting. The deal – which is due to come into effect on 19 September, after the conclusion of a standstill period – covers the provision of the new system’s database of individuals.

“LEDS will consist of several products developed to allow the transitioning of PNC users away from the legacy services,” one of the notices said. “One of these products, the LEDS Person Product, is on the critical path for the decommissioning of the PNC. To ensure continuity and timely delivery of this essential component, the remaining work already underway will be completed via a direct award.”

A follow-up notice expands on the justification for awarding the contract without competition, citing the importance of delivering the new police data platform.

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“This direct award is justified under Schedule 5, Paragraph 7 of the Procurement Act 2023, as the services provided by the incumbent supplier form an extension to existing work,” it said. “A change in supplier at this stage would result in incompatible services and disproportionate technical difficulties in operation and maintenance, impacting the continuity of the programme. It would also risk delays to critical delivery timelines, which are essential to ensuring the safe and timely transition of the legacy PNC system.”

The recently published annual round-up of government major projects revealed that, as it entered its final year of delivery, the LEDS programme had been assigned an amber confidence rating – indicating that notable issues or challenges exist, but currently appear solvable.

“Delivery confidence has significantly improved since the 2021 reset, with the move to a product-centric, agile development approach, the strengthening of the leadership team, and the successful product deployments and adoption,” the report said. “However, this programme remains large, complex and high risk. As the programme progresses through further phases of development the complexity and risk continue to pose a risk to plan and budget, this is fully recognised and being managed. Whist, March 2026 remains achievable, ongoing planning and funding pressures continue to present material risks. We are actively addressing these through targeted mitigation strategies, with regular oversight by the programme board.”

It added: “Despite a complex delivery environment, we are consistently achieving key milestones across the remaining LEDS products and enablers. Minor releases are being deployed effectively, ensuring that all live services remain stable and aligned with operational requirements. Strong collaboration with forces and key stakeholders continues to be a priority. This engagement is critical to overcoming adoption challenges and ensuring the successful integration of new capabilities across the operational landscape. This is supported by… reviews which highlighted a high level of confidence in LEDS delivery, but noted continued complexity and risk associated with the development and adoption of this critical national infrastructure.”