As the department prepares for a potential fivefold increase in size via the merger with the NHS’s central entity, a partner has been appointed to deliver the necessary tech infrastructure

The Department of Health and Social Care has signed a potential £10m-plus deal to help bolster the organisation’s IT infrastructure in preparation for NHS England’s dissolution.

Government announced earlier this year that, in a process due to conclude by March 2027, NHS England is to be abolished, with the majority of its operations to be moved into the DHSC. The most recent set of official workforce statistics show that, with close to 16,000 employees, the central health service body is more than four times bigger than the department it will be merged into, which has 3,600 staff.

As it plans the delivery of this major unification and expansion, at the start of this month the DHSC entered into an initial two-year deal with Cognizant, which will support the tech elements of the “DHSC-NHSE transformation programme”.

According to the text of the contract, the US-based consultancy will serve as an “IT service partner to support the buyer with its transformation programme, which ultimately entails the abolishment of NHS England and the transfer of much of its functions to the department”.

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The document adds the programme in question “is a strategic initiative to create a future-ready Department of Health and Social Care by integrating functions and personnel from NHS England”.

“The programme aims to build a more agile, mission-focused organisation capable of leading the health and care system more effectively,” the contract says.

As part of this wider integration project, the engagement with Cognizant has been put in place “to support the design and implementation of the new department’s corporate IT infrastructure”, the agreement says.

The deal will last for an initial term of two years, with an expected value of £9.6m, inclusive of VAT. The engagement can also be extended for a further 12 months at the DHSC’s discretion.

The text of the agreement reveals that London-based tech and strategy consultancy Mozaic will serve a subcontractor working on behalf of Cognizant.

The contract was awarded through the £500m Technology Services 3 framework, using the vehicle’s second lot, which is dedicated to “Transition and Transformation” services.