NHSE awards £8.5m contract to KPMG to ‘promote adoption’ of FDP

NHS England has awarded an £8.5 million contract to consultancy firm KPMG to “promote the adoption” of the federated data platform (FDP) by trusts and integrated care boards (ICBs).

Following the publication of the contract details on Friday 12 April, HSJ reported yesterday that KPMG will provide “technical support and implementation services” to the NHS on the FDP from now until 17 March 2026.

It will work with NHSE, trusts and ICBs to “implement the federated data platform software”, “develop and execute strategies to promote the adoption of nationally provided solutions” and “support ICBs and trusts in implementing their individual federated platforms”.

According to the contract details KPMG should have supported 40 trusts to implement the FDP within nine months of the deal being awarded on 14 March.

NHSE controversially awarded US firm Palantir the £330m FDP contract in November 2023, with IQVIA being awarded a £28m deal to provide “privacy enhancing technology” for the platform.

NHSE has said previously that the FDP will roll out in three phases over the next three years, with HSJ reporting that 70 trusts are expected to adopt it this year. Ministers have said 41 trusts have already agreed to join, and NHSE is “actively engaging” with a further 29.

NHS England confirmed in March it will republish its patient data contracts with Palantir and IQVIA with fewer redactions, following legal action by Good Law Project.

NHSE published a heavily redacted contract with Palantir to run the FDP just before Christmas, with 417 of its 586 pages completely blanked out. Three-quarters of biotech firm IQVIA’s contract with NHSE was also hidden under entire page redactions.