The Metropolitan Police has formally made the decision to outsource finance, procurement and HR to Shared Services Connected Limited (SSCL), the majority of which is owned by Sopra Steria.

The business case for the new outsourcing partnership has now been passed on to the London Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime for final approval.

The decision came after the Met completed market-testing for the three services, where the future impact of both outsourcing and keeping services in-house was considered. The analysis found that “in order to match the financial performance benefits of a market solution, [their] existing in-house business support services could not make the changes required.”

Deputy assistant commissioner Craig Mackey added that the alternative solution to outsourcing would have seen 30 per cent staff cuts in order to meet the required cost savings.

The Met has been debating the decision to outsource back office services for months, in order to find £800 million in savings by 2020. The Force will be looking to replicate the success of Cleveland Police – its five-year relationship with Sopra Steria has successfully achieved cost-savings, highly integrated processes and more police officers back on the front line.

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Related: Metropolitan Police Weighs Up Pros and Cons of Back Office Outsourcing