Public Accounts Committee raises more concerns over ESN

Its latest report on ESN states that despite the reset of the programme in 2018, “We are not yet convinced that it [the Home Office] has done enough to turn the programme around. The plan for delivering ESN is still not sufficiently robust and the department does not yet have the skills to make it work. The programme faces substantial levels of technical and commercial risk, and failures to date have undermined the confidence of users that the programme will deliver a system that is fit for purpose and meets their needs. On current evidence it seems inevitable that there will be further delays and cost increases.”

“The department has put itself in a position where the status quo is costly and leaves little option but to progress with ESN. One company, Motorola [Solutions], is involved in both the new and the old contract leading to perverse incentives and putting the department in a weak negotiating position. We will continue to be concerned about the progress of this programme until the department has a clear plan for delivery and can demonstrate that it has the skills and capacity to meet the substantial challenges ahead.”