public sector

Just a few more months until Accenture takes over running scandal-hit Horizon system

The UK Post Office is extending its contract with Fujitsu to give it time to move services to a new supplier, after a scandal that has long marred the relationship between the two.

The current contract runs until March 2027, and the publicly owned company has announced a short, time-limited contract extension to cover the transition.

Accenture will take over running the Horizon system, which was at the center of a string of miscarriages of justice, from September 2027, after winning a £410 million contract in May this year. Meanwhile, the Post Office is developing a replacement for the aging system to serve its network of 11,500 branches.

The Post Office began rolling out the legacy Horizon IT system for accounting in 1999, along with two subsequent upgrades.…