NHS officials knew Palantir would secure data deal, newly uncovered emails suggest
Palantir has been awarded five consecutive NHS contracts without a competitive bidding process
Newly obtained emails from 2020 suggest that Palantir, a US data mining and analytics company, was seemingly destined to secure a £23.5 million NHS contract well before its official signing.
That's according to openDemocracy, which claims that in these emails, senior NHS England executives discussed budgeting for a new national data platform, with multiple individuals referring to Palantir as the intended beneficiary of the funding.
Palantir secured a £23.5 million contract on 11th December 2020, to manage a comprehensive NHS patient data "datastore," expanding on its prior pandemic-related interventions.
However, as early as 5th October 2020, an NHS official messaged Ming Tang, the health service's chief data and analytics officer, with the subject line "Update finances for data platform project [sic]," indicating earlier discussions about the project's financial aspects.
The email contained a comprehensive outline of how NHS England could allocate funds for the project.
It seemingly identifies Palantir as the intended funding recipient, noting, "This [the budget proposal] provides a total of £26m for Palantir higher than our previous ask of £24m."
The executive, whose identity is redacted, requests assistance from an accountant to facilitate budget transfers, emphasising the potential consequences of delays, including the risk of project non-delivery.
Three hours later, Tang provided a response, expressing an aim to limit Palantir's yearly allocation to £10-12 million. She requested the undisclosed individual to compile details regarding the "costs vs funding" of this budget approach.
Tang also mentioned her intention not to "send him" the proposed budget but instead "share screen".
The person being discussed is consistently anonymised in the available documents, and their role and organisational affiliation remain unclear.
After six weeks from Tang's communication about limiting Palantir's funding to £10-12 million annually, she had a meeting with Dame Fiona Caldicott, the government's advocate for patient privacy at the time.
Caldicott was then investigating the NHS's association with Palantir.
Tang's "talking points" document for their 19th November meeting, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, indicated that no provider had been chosen for the contract at that time.
The document highlighted the ongoing work with Palantir to develop crucial response modules and consolidate code and data models. It also stated that an open procurement process was underway for a longer-term solution.
NHS England's awarding of contracts criticised by MPs
Critics argue that the documents reviewed by openDemocracy provide additional evidence of NHS executives showing favouritism towards Palantir, disregarding its contentious associations with Donald Trump and the CIA.
Conservative MP David Davis expressed deep concern to openDemocracy, highlighting the troubling aspect that the NHS seems to have made contract decisions in favour of Palantir even before the procurement process's conclusion.
"Allowing a company with Palantir's provenance into the NHS needs careful scrutiny. It must not be railroaded through in secrecy," he said.
Rachael Maskell, Labour's vice chair of the health select committee, said that before any more deals are signed "Parliament must have the opportunity to scrutinise the financial operations of NHS England and the way it is handing out contracts, issues concerning public consent over data use, and why Palantir is being singled out to deliver sensitive data services."
NHS England has refuted any allegations of misconduct.
"Clarifications were being sought from several potential suppliers as part of routine financial planning and commercial decision-making," a spokesperson said, adding that NHS England had followed all applicable commercial and legal protocols.
Palantir has secured five consecutive NHS contracts without a competitive bidding process, and it is regarded as a top contender for the £480 million Federated Data Platform contract.
The company is also expanding its involvement in other government sectors, such as the defence industry, signing a £75 million agreement with the Ministry of Defence last year.
Earlier this month, it emerged that the company had directly contacted Tom Pursglove, minister of state for disabled people, health and work, urging him to adopt its technology to crack down on benefits fraud.
According to emails seen by The Guardian after a Freedom of Information request, Palantir sent a note "outlining our thinking" and trying to arrange a meeting with Pursglove or his team "to explore whether this capability could be of benefit here in the UK."