Palantir wins national firearms licensing contract

Palantir awarded £9 million contract

Palantir Technologies has been awarded a £9 million contract to replace the National Firearms Licensing Management System, which underpins the granting, renewal and revocation of firearms and shotgun certificates across England and Wales.

The American data analytics company beat rival bids from Accenture and NEC Software following a competitive tender process run by specialist buying unit BlueLight Commercial on behalf of the Police Digital Service. Eighteen companies tendered in total, with three reaching the final assessment stage.

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System will support all police forces in England and Wales

The new platform will be used by all 43 police forces in England and Wales to manage certificate records for the 496,904 people currently licensed to hold firearms or shotguns in those countries. It will also hold Home Office licensing data relating to explosives, explosive precursors and poisons. Provision has been made to extend the contract to Police Scotland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland if required.

The contract runs for an initial five years from 4 September 2026, with options to extend for a further five years, potentially running until 2036. It was formally awarded on 21 May and is expected to be signed no earlier than 11 June. The current system, developed with UK software company Anite, has been in operation since the mid-2000s.

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BASC welcomes change but calls for scrutiny

BASC‘s director of firearms Bill Harriman welcomed the replacement but said the organisation would be watching closely to see whether it delivered. “Replacing an ageing licensing system is long overdue, and we welcome it,” he said. “Certificate holders have faced unacceptable delays for years, and the NPCC’s own figures show how few forces are keeping up.”

The latest NPCC quarterly figures show only 20 of the 43 forces in England and Wales meeting the target of processing eight in 10 applications within four months. Among the worst performers, fewer than one in three applications is turned around on time, leaving thousands of certificate holders on temporary permits or forced to put their guns into storage while renewals and new grants are processed. In some cases the wait runs to more than a year.

“That data underlines the urgent need for consistent processes, proper staffing and national oversight to make licensing departments fit for purpose,” Mr Harriman continued. “Now it has to deliver for certificate holders and the public alike. BASC will judge it on whether it cuts those delays and provides a reliable service. It will also hold very sensitive personal information, so we expect the highest standards of security. We’ll be seeking firm assurances on how it will be safeguarded. We’ll keep working with the Home Office and the police to make sure it delivers.”