We observed that the above arrangements appeared favourable to PwC and that it was not unheard of for government to appoint consultants to implement the advice they have given and for the scope of such implementation work, and therefore its costs, to increase subsequently. The Department pointed out that it had originally appointed PwC as the managed service provider after an open procurement which PwC had won after meeting the required criteria.19 It, not PwC, had then increased the scope of...

We observed that the above arrangements appeared favourable to PwC and that it was not unheard of for government to appoint consultants to implement the advice they have given and for the scope of such implementation work, and therefore its costs, to increase subsequently. The Department pointed out that it had originally appointed PwC as the managed service provider after an open procurement which PwC had won after meeting the required criteria.19 It, not PwC, had then increased the scope of the work, as it wanted the system to have greater functionality as this was integral to its ability to manage the loan book in a professional way.20 It Type: conclusion | Number: 11 | Response status: not_addressed Government response: 2.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented: March 2025 2.2 The full Loan Management System (LMS) Version 2 (V2) functionality, as scoped by the department, was implemented in March 2025 for under £300,000 and in line