The Department’s management of its contract with PwC has been poor. The Department originally appointed PwC to advise on options for the management of its loans. After PwC identified the need for a managed service provider, the Department appointed PwC to this position after a competition, with a contract running to March 2025. The Department subsequently expanded PwC’s brief to include the delivery of an integrated loan management system, paying an extra £900,000 for this. However, the system was delivered in June 2024, 15 months later than originally planned. It also did not provide full functionality required, with loan agents having to maintain their own spreadsheets that the system was meant to replace. 4 The Department has had to enter into another contract with PwC and pay an extra £300,000 to get the additional functionality required. It expects this to be in place by September 2025 at the latest. recommendation The Department should ensure that PwC delivers the full additional functionality required to the loan management system before September 2025 at the very latest and for no more than £300,000, and should begin preparations now for the approaching end of PwC’s original contract.