Social Security Scotland hands contract to Deloitte Consulting
Deloitte Consulting has landed another major contract from the Scottish Government to help develop its Social Security Scotland programme. The contract worth over £9 million will see Deloitte help develop a low code digital solution aimed at integrating the devolved benefits organisation’s IT systems.
In 2018, the Scottish Government formed Social Security Scotland, an executive agency with responsibility for social security provision across the country. Since the launch of the organisation, it has handed a succession of lucrative contracts to outsourcers, to help build and enhance its service lines for the Scottish public.
Following an award for the development of the client facing online application system in November 2018, the following year saw Deloitte pick up a tow-year contract, worth £2.3 million. That engagement focused on design of the assessment centre network across Scotland, including working with users to look at what major improvements on the current UK system are necessary. A release at the time stated that once the service became fully operational, people would be given greater choice and flexibility over their benefit assessments, including times and locations that suit them wherever possible, and the option of home visits.
Commenting in 2019, Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said, “Nobody should doubt the stress and anxiety associated with the DWP’s current assessment process and the impact this has on people with disabilities. We are using our powers to deliver something better.”
Now, Deloitte has taken on another major role with Social Security Scotland. This time, the firm will earn as much as £9.1 million as the agency’s technology configuration partner. The contract award notice from Social Security Scotland stated that Deloitte was the only company to submit a tender.
In this role, Deloitte will primarily work on the OutSystems low code platform previously procured by the Social Security Directorate. According to Social Security Scotland, the technology platform is capable of being configured to support other future associated services and integrate with existing Social Security Scotland IT systems.
The deal marks another significant step in the spread of low code platforms in the UK public sector. The OutSystems platform in particular has been regularly deployed in local government, with councils including Worcestershire, Devon and Hackney opting to build new applications around it.
A low code platform is software that provides an environment programmers use to create application software through graphical user interfaces and configuration instead of traditional computer programming. In simpler terms, this means low code platforms provide figurative building blocks, with which clients can construct a customised application at pace, and without having to re-invent the wheel each time a new project begins.