The Department for Work & Pensions explained that the only contingency plans the ‘Synergy’ cluster had in place should it not receive the required level of funding for its shared services plans would be to implement its plans more slowly. However, it would then be faced with the challenge that its extended contract with its current provider, which is being negotiated now, will finish in October 2025. The Department highlighted that these are business-critical systems and that going slower on the transformation pushes benefits further into the future, leading to missed opportunities.10 We asked the Department what the cluster’s back-up plan was should the negotiations with the current BPS provider fail. It told us that it would then work with the Cabinet Office to explore alternative options. We noted that this appeared to be the wrong way round in that it should have the back-up plan in place first. The Department then assured us that it had business continuity plans in place.11 5 C&AG’s Report, Figure 2 6 Q 10 7 Qq 1, 9, 30; C&AG’s Report, para 11 8 Qq 9, 97 9 Qq 73, 83 10 Q 63 11 Qq 78–82 10 Government Shared Services Business case