Capita has sought Microsoft’s help after the launch of the Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS) left users facing a malfunctioning website designed to process important financial information.
The UK outsourcing provider launched the CSPS portal on Monday after winning a £239 million ($318 million) contract in November 2023.
Since launch, scheme members have experienced unrecognized passwords and usernames after they had created new accounts. They endured broken and circular links while the website appeared unfinished and untested, with headers and other features displaying dummy text. Crucially, some were unable to enter important information, such as pension beneficiaries.
Last week, the CSPS, public sector union PCS, and Capita signed an agreement confirming union recognition for the workers administering the pension schemes for 1.7 million civil servants.
Following the launch of the new CSPS portal, a PCS spokesperson told The Register: “We are aware of the issues people are having as there have been lots of complaints from our members. PCS officials have urgently taken the issue up with Civil Service Pension Scheme who have advised us that Capita Pensions are taking remedial action through seeking support from Microsoft and deploying additional staff resources.”
The Register has contacted Capita and Microsoft to ask about the nature of support from Redmond and how its products and services are being used in the pension service. A Capita spokesperson said:
In a letter to the Public Accounts Committee late last month, Capita said it would go live with 332 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff, and would soon have more than 500 FTEs working to deliver CSPS. “This will include an increase of 16 percent in the contact center over the current provider,” it said.
Capita promised that by March next year, the service will have “evolved significantly” by using automation and AI to improve accuracy and efficiency.
It said it had been asked to complete 132,100 complex remediation cases after the go-live date. The work-in-progress backlog from the previous system was also more than double the agreed figure of 37,000 items at the time of contract signature. Rising Civil Service voluntary exits were also increasing demand on the system.
Earlier this week, Capita apologized for any “inconvenience” caused. “We appreciate the patience and understanding of those affected. The service went live on 1st December as part of the largest ever on-time transition of a public sector pension scheme in the UK,” a spokesperson said.
“Following the blackout of the system last week and the significant backlog inherited from the last provider, we have experienced several times the normal volume of contacts in the first two days of operations. We are working hard to get through enquiries as quickly as possible; our priority is to ensure that every member can access the services they need without disruption.
“We are committed to further improving the member experience, with additional digital tools and enhancements planned over the coming days and weeks. In addition, Capita has over 500 full-time employees working to deliver the CSPS, an increase of 50 percent on the previous provider.”
Pension scheme members have taken to Reddit to share their experiences. Some said the portal appeared as though it had not been tested or proofread. Capita has yet to address these points.
The Cabinet Office awarded Capita the seven-year, £239 million contract to oversee the CSPS in November 2023, including the option to extend for a further three years. ®
