In anticipation of the end of the Aspire contract held between HMRC and various service providers, due in 2017, Capgemini has agreed to transfer 250 “business-critical” employees to HMRC by December 2015.

The personnel transferred will be those working on either the Case Management unified platform, the Customs and International (Excite platform) and other third-party supplier contracts.

“We have an ambitious digital vision – to transform our IT services and use the data we hold in smarter ways, so we can deliver world-beating digital services for our customers and colleagues,” said Mark Dearnley, chief digital and information officer at HMRC.

“The changes we’re announcing today will allow us to maintain consistency of service for customers while we plan for the future which, as now, will include a mixed model of both internal and external delivery using multiple partners.”

The Aspire contract was worth £800 million-a-year, and involved Capgemini and Fujitsu as service providers. In June HMRC issued a £20 million tender for consultants to advise on how to shift away from this current arrangement, towards a deal that will involve a larger network of smaller IT service providers.

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