Atos retains £10 million IT contract for healthcare assessments  Computer Hardware and Software Services

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has awarded Atos SE a contract worth £10 million a year to carry on facilitating IT services to assist work capability assessments after it sign off as the main supplier next year.

Atos is considering to exit its contentious DWP contract for health and disability assessments by February next year, rather than the original end date in August.

The French multinational has come on the hit list for the number of work capability decisions that have been reversed and the firm documented around 163 cases of abuse or assault on staff in 2013.

In February, the firm proclaimed its intention to walk away from the contact and the government stated that Atos would step out the deal early in March.

According to this new contract which states that the firm will carry on its activities to facilitate the IT for the assessments until at least 2016, with permissions for it to be extended until 2020.

The DWP defines the contract as an ‘interim arrangement’, was carried off and set up without any competition.