Realising the benefits of service modernisation will require strong leadership to embed cultural change within DWP and its outsourced providers. DWP’s Service Modernisation Programme is an 11–year organisation-wide programme estimated to cost £312.1 million, running from 2022–23 to 2032–33, which is seeking to deliver benefits for customers, staff and taxpayers. However, the scale and complexity of the programme means delivery involves significant risk. Strong leadership is needed to make the necessary cultural changes within DWP and its outsourced providers who help to deliver services such as health assessments and telephony. DWP considers this cultural change is critical to realising the programme’s benefits, but also acknowledges that cultural change can be the biggest challenge to successfully implementing any transformation programme. DWP’s expected net return from the programme has fallen by almost £150 million over the past year, from £680 million to £531 million. By March 2024, just two years into the 11-year programme, DWP had already spent £211.5 million, two-thirds of the total estimated costs of £312.1 million. 4 recommendation DWP should set out how it will monitor and mitigate the risk that it does not achieve the cultural change necessary for successful service modernisation.