Atos wins Met Police applications contract worth up to £350m for six years
Atos, a French outsourcer, has been awarded a six-year contract worth up to £350 million by the Metropolitan Police Service to manage and secure its applications. The deal is intended to support the Met's ongoing digital modernisation and simplification, providing a stable foundation for officers and staff whilst driving greater efficiency in the technology that supports frontline policing. The contract can be extended by two years and expanded to include managed cloud and digital workplace services.
The agreement represents significant ongoing IT investment for the Met, following a £1 billion contract awarded to DXC Technology in April for business process outsourcing services, including development of a new Oracle ERP system. Atos has strengthened its UK public sector portfolio this year with other wins, including a £78.2 million contract with HM Revenue & Customs, though the company faced financial difficulties that led to a restructuring deal with investors in July 2024 and previously lost a major £1.5 billion pension services contract with Nest in 2023.
- Atos wins £350m Met Police IT contract for six years
- Deal covers application management and security for digital modernisation
- Company recovering after restructuring and previous contract losses
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The Metropolitan Police is the police force responsible for policing London and the surrounding areas, serving a population of roughly 9 million. Like other large organisations, it relies on computer systems and applications to support its officers and staff.
Police forces have traditionally operated with ageing technology that struggles to meet modern requirements. Modernising these systems requires significant investment and specialist expertise, which is why police forces hire external technology companies to manage and upgrade their IT infrastructure.
Atos is a French technology services company that provides IT support to governments and large organisations worldwide. Police forces increasingly contract with such companies as they seek to modernise their outdated systems.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The Metropolitan Police requires modern, secure applications infrastructure to support operational effectiveness and frontline policing. Atos is an established UK public sector provider with recent contract wins including HMRC, and a six-year structure provides stability for long-term strategic IT planning. Outsourcing to a dedicated specialist with proven expertise and clear accountability structures is often more efficient than fragmented in-house alternatives.
The case against
Awarding £350 million to a provider that underwent financial restructuring in 2024 and lost a major £1.5 billion contract with Nest in 2023 raises legitimate concerns about operational continuity and risk management. Large-scale IT outsourcing contracts in the public sector have a troubling historical record of cost overruns and service failures, making substantial investment in a financially unstable contractor a considerable exposure.
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Originally published by The Register as “Atos lands £350M beat keeping Met Police applications running”.