HOME OFFICE BIOMETRICS (HOB) PROGRAMME

Rating: Compared with Q4 2024/25, the NISTA/SRO Delivery Confidence Assessment (DCA) rating at Q4 2025/26 remains Amber. This reflects the complexity of the Home Office Biometrics (HOB) Programme, which continues to deliver against a broad set of stakeholder requirements within a complex supplier landscape. During 2025/26, the programme has made measurable progress, including successful delivery of key milestones such as Strategic Matcher Stage 1. While challenges remain, the programme continues to advance delivery in line with its overall objectives.

Schedule: Compared to financial year 24/25-Q4, the project's end-date at 25/26-Q4 remained the same. This is primarily due to the following factors‚ delivery has remained on track and activity to transition to a Biometric Service has been progressed to plan in preparation for closure of the programme.

Cost: Compared to financial year 24/25-Q4, the project's departmentally agreed Whole Life Cost at 25/26-Q4 (measured in £m) increase from £1,561m to £1,746m. This is primarily due to the following factors: Increase in programme cost, additional year reported and increase in Business As Usual (BAU)/Live Run cost.

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 remained at AMBER. This is primarily due to the following factors‚ The Home Office Biometric (HOB) Programme is a complex programme that is meeting needs of a wide range of stakeholders while managing of a complex supplier landscape. In 2024/25 the programme has successfully delivered several key milestones including the Immigration and Asylum Biometric System (IABS) transitioning to the cloud.

Schedule: Compared to financial year 23/24-Q4, the project's end-date at 24/25-Q4 increased from 31/03/2026 to 31/12/2026. This is primarily due to the following factors‚ Earlier delivery of Strategic Matcher Stage 3 which has been bought forward to align with a Data Centre closure. This pushed Strategic Matcher Stage 2 into a later delivery at the end of 2026. The extension to the end date also allows for further IDENT1 modernisation work and ensures the Programme can complete all closure activity.

Cost: Compared to financial year 23/24-Q4, the project's departmentally agreed Whole Life Cost at 24/25-Q4 (measured in £m) increased from 1339 to 1550. This is primarily due to the following factors‚ The increase in whole life costs is due to increased costs for project deliveries, the extension of the programme date and other year on year changes. This includes run cost increases which are driven by supplier costs and market forces.

Source: NISTA Annual Report 2024-25 (data)

Rating: Compared to financial year 22/23-Q4, the Delivery Confidence Assessment rating at 23/24-Q4 remained at Amber(SRO rating). This is primarily due to the following factors. The last review of the programme in March 2023 delivered an Amber rating. Since the previous review all recommendations have been completed and good progress has been made in the delivery of projects. The procurement and transition to a new supplier for Strategic Matcher has also completed. There remain supplier challenges and competing priorities which could impact the programme but these are being carefully managed and addressed by the programme team to ensure delivery through 24/25 remains on track.

Schedule: Compared to financial year 22/23-Q4, the project's end-date at 23/24-Q4 increased from 2025-03-31 to 2026-03-31. This is primarily due to the following factors. The programme has made significant delivery progress during 23 / 24, including successful transition to the new Strategic Matcher supplier.

Cost: Compared to financial year 22/23-Q4, the project's departmental-agree Whole Life Cost at 23/24-Q4 increased from 1222m. to 1339m. This is primarily due to the following factors. Challenges delivering the Strategic Matcher project, including increased costs for overall delivery.

Source: IPA Annual Report 2023-24 (data)