ArvatoConnect has secured a five-year contract with HMRC to provide IT support services as part of the Shared Services for Government (SSfG) strategy.

This will see the business support the department in providing run and change services on the current cloud-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system for the Department for Transport (DfT). This comes as part of the transition to the HMRC Unity Programme – to implement cutting-edge shared services across HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), Department for Transport (DfT) and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).

ArvatoConnect will run an IT service desk that will manage technical queries from employees about the current ERP system and will maintain this platform through a dedicated support team.

It will also provide a team of highly skilled experts that will continue to help prepare the DfT systems for future migration and integration to new technologies.

The contract will be delivered by a team of 70 specialists based in ArvatoConnect’s offices in Swansea. This will include the creation of up to 15 technology jobs in the region, with opportunities for both established IT professionals and those embarking on a career in technology.

The ‘Unity’ Programme is part of the Shared Services Strategy for Government, which aims to deliver an improved user experience and value for the taxpayer by creating combined, cloud-based back-office functions across five clusters of UK central government departments.

HMRC is the lead department for the Unity cluster and is working with the DfT and DLUHC. Since 2013, ArvatoConnect has worked with the DfT to transition the department’s family of executive agencies into a single shared services centre, providing fully standardised back-office services for the first time in the department’s history.

Under this new contract, ArvatoConnect’s existing back-office services for the DfT and the team delivering it will undergo a planned transition to Unity Business Services.

Debra Maxwell, CEO, ArvatoConnect, said:

“The shared services strategy is an ambitious project to fundamentally reshape the future of how central government functions like HR, finance and procurement are delivered.

“Our role will be to help maintain the security and continuity of critical back-office functions through our technology support, as well as identifying further ways for it to do more for less through ERP transformation.

“We’re proud to be able to build on our experience as the DfT’s shared services partner of choice to help support progress towards Unity’s eventual integration, as well as continuing to develop our shared services centre of excellence in Swansea.”

This contract with HMRC closely follows ArvatoConnect securing a three-year contract with Crown Commercial Services (CCS) to provide financial analysis and due diligence services.

Through this partnership, the business will help the organisation assess the financial standing of companies competing for government contracts as part of its robust due diligence process.