London cops post £300M tech shopping list after Palantir contract blocked

Public Sector

Mayor's office says force only engaged with one supplier before deputy refused to approve deal worth up to £50M

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has published 30 tender notices covering more than £300 million of future technology requirements after London's deputy mayor for policing and crime blocked its purchase of software from Palantir.

On May 20, Kaya Comer-Schwartz refused to approve the MPS's proposed contract with Palantir UK, which was worth £25.3 million in 2026-27 with a one-year optional extension of £24.8 million in 2027-28, according to a Mayor of London spokesperson.

The spokesperson told The Register: "Given the tight budgetary constraints the police and all public services are operating under, it is even more important that robust processes are followed when awarding contracts as large as £25M a year. The public would expect full and proper scrutiny of whether contracts like this provide value for money.

"In this case, the Met only engaged with one potential supplier, Palantir. It also did not present their procurement strategy to the Deputy Mayor for approval as required. The process followed by the MPS for the award of the contract has not adequately ensured, or demonstrated, value for money.

"MOPAC [Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime] fully support the Met using the very latest technology to drive efficiencies, but the correct processes must be followed, demonstrating value for money for the London taxpayer. Otherwise, the Met risks having to make further changes to compensate for their investment not working."

The Mayor's office also raised wider concerns about public sector buyers becoming locked into contracts or systems where costs increase but moving to another provider becomes difficult.

The MPS disputed the decision. "The decision by MOPAC is disappointing," said a spokesperson. "We need to modernize and use the very best technology available. We must be able to innovate at a faster rate than hostile states and organized criminals. For now, this decision prevents us using technology already available to the MoD, the NHS, and other police forces."

The spokesperson said the procurement used the government's Crown Commercial Service framework, which it had applied "diligently," adding: "We are in active discussion with Mopac and will continue to pursue every avenue to resolve this issue swiftly." The force already uses Palantir software to investigate wrongdoing by its own officers.

On May 26, the MPS published a set of 30 pipeline notices, which provide advance notice of future contracts, for technology-focused work worth approximately £304 million including VAT. The largest, for a managed radio service starting in August 2028 and lasting six years and nine months, is worth an estimated £67.2 million.

Other notices indicate that the force expects to spend around £56.4 million on the reprocurement of its digital forensics service Labnet for five years and two months from August 2027, and £36 million for its connectivity framework over four years and two months from the end of this year.

Among smaller planned technology contracts, the MPS plans to spend around £960,000 on video analytics, £480,000 on video searching using artificial intelligence, and £540,000 on situational awareness apps.

The force also published pipeline notices for non-technology procurements, including £672 million for a replacement building works framework lasting four years and ten months, £204 million for its Physical Forensics Project 2029-2038, and £174 million for construction work at its Gravesend training center.

The notices, which cover contracts potentially worth more than £1.6 billion, also included one estimated at £3.13 million for two years' worth of feed, forage, hay, and "stable requirements" for the force's horses. ®