SYNERGY PROGRAMME

Rating: Compared to financial year 24/25 Q4, the NISTA/SRO Delivery Confidence Assessment (DCA) rating at 25/26 Q4 increased to AMBER. This is primarily due to the following factors: - Delivery of structured Roadmap to Amber addressing NISTA recommendations - Demonstrable progress against NISTA critical findings (planning, governance, readiness) - Strengthened operating model, roles and cross-department working - Improved dependency, contract, and integrated delivery management - Increased planning maturity and clarity of delivery approach - Sustained improvement trajectory confirmed through Stage Gate 3 assurance

Schedule: Compared to financial year 24/25-Q4, the project's end-date at 25/26-Q4 increased from December 2028 to January 2029. The shift from December 2028 to January reflects the re-baselined delivery plan which extended the common design phase and adjusted the release strategy and sequencing. This resulted in a small, controlled extension to accommodate a more robust and deliverable implementation profile.

Cost: The projects departmentally agreed Whole Life Cost at 25/26-Q4 (measured in £m) was £1990.99m. This is primarily due to updated numbers and reassessment undertaken in the move to full business case 2 from full business case 1.

Source: NISTA Major Projects Annual Report 2025-26 (data)

Rating: Compared to financial year 23/24-Q4, the Infrastructure Project Authority's Delivery Confidence Assessment rating at 24/25-Q4 decreased from AMBER to RED. This is primarily due to the following factors‚ This was due to feedback from stakeholders raising concerns with the previous SRO about losing confidence in the Programme's leadership, unclear roles and responsibilities and ways of working in the Programme and the lack of a coherent integrated Programme plan. On the Q2 GMPP report for 2024/25 the then SRO assessed the Programme as Red. Subsequently 2 further Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) reviews have taken place, the first was an assurance review as a response to the red assessment (December 24) followed by a Gate 0 review to assure progress was being made and that the Programme was on track. Although the review delivery confidence remained as Red, the report acknowledge the significant work that has taken place and that the Programme is on the right trajectory. It stated that all the recommendations from December had been addressed but there had not been enough time for the changes to have worked through into live running. An Assurance of Action Plan review is being planned for late July early August 2025.

Schedule: Compared to financial year 23/24-Q4, the project's end-date at 24/25-Q4 remained at 29/12/2028. This is primarily due to the following factors‚ As of 31 March 2025 the Programme was still working to an end of Programme date of 29 December 2028. However we currently working through a change request which will move the Programme’s end date into early 2029 and once approved though governance it will be reported to GMPP accordingly.

Cost: Compared to financial year 23/24-Q4, the project's departmentally agreed Whole Life Cost at 24/25-Q4 (measured in £m) decreased from 2488 to 2450. This is primarily due to the following factors‚ The total forecast for this programme between FY2021/22 and FY2036/37 is £2337.23m vs £2450.59m baseline which represents the financial case of the full business case in nominal terms. To arrive at these figures, we assessed the financial costs over both a 10- and 15-year period and compared the total and incremental costs of options against a funding baseline position. The baseline, shown in the the full business case is assumed to include all recurrent costs incurred by the departments for existing ERP technology and the BPS provider. The move to full business case from outline business case has reduced the baseline from £2487.74m to £2450.59m

Source: NISTA Annual Report 2024-25 (data)

Rating: The Infrastructure Project Authority's Delivery Confidence Assessment rating at 23/24-Q4 is Amber. This is primarily due to the following factors. The Delivery confidence for Syngery remains Amber, reflecting the significant challenge involved in delivering a business transformation change programme to circa 220,000 civil servants across the Department for Work and Pensions, the Ministry of Justice, the Home Office and the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs. IPA Gate 3 review is due in June 2024 and the Programme will respond to any recommendations arising from that and are currently responding to recommendations from GIAA to strenghten the Programme governance which will be key as we move into the delivery stage of the Programme.

Schedule: The project's end-date at 23/24-Q4 is 2028-12-29. This is primarily due to the following factors. The Synergy Programme Full Business Case is on track for HMT approval by July 2024 with SI/ERP procurement on track for contract award once FBC approval is in place. BPS ITT is now been prepared ready for publication.

Cost: Compared to financial year 22/23-Q4, the project's departmental-agree Whole Life Cost at 23/24-Q4 remained at 2488m. This is primarily due to the following factors. The programme extends beyond the SR period (2024) that it is funded for. Further funding for the next SR period will need to be agreed with HMT for this cross department transformation programme

Source: IPA Annual Report 2023-24 (data)