{
  "id": 3468770,
  "title": "Sopra Steria's £370M Capita spat heads for 2028 courtroom showdown",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/sopra-sterias-370m-capita-spat-heads-for-2028-courtroom-showdown-3468770",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-26T08:29:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Register Science",
    "slug": "the-register-science",
    "url": "https://www.theregister.com/public-sector/2026/08/26/sopra-sterias-370m-capita-spat-heads-for-2028-courtroom-showdown/5292234"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Sopra Steria, a prominent system integrator, is poised to face legal proceedings in an upcoming court case concerning a £370 million contract awarded by the UK government to rival firm Capita. The trial is scheduled to commence in early 2028 at the Technology and Construction Court, pending attempts to reach a settlement through alternative dispute resolution. The dispute centers around Sopra Steria's allegation that Capita's bid for the shared services contract, valued at £958.7 million, was \"abnormally low\" and significantly lower than required staffing levels. The French-based company currently manages some of the departments through SSCL, an entity it wholly owns. Both Capita and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have stated that the procurement process was conducted robustly, with a commitment to delivering high service quality and value for money. The trial will last seven weeks, beginning on January 17th, 2028. The case has come at a challenging period for Capita, who are currently under scrutiny over their mismanagement of the Civil Service Pensions Scheme (CSPS). Capita recently acknowledged receiving additional assurances during the bidding process for the DWP contract, following a review of the issues faced in managing the CSPS.",
  "summary": "French SI still crying foul over shared services contract, alleges bid was 42% under DWP's own cost model",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Register",
        "title": "Sopra Steria's £370M Capita spat heads for 2028 courtroom showdown",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/sopra-sterias-370m-capita-spat-heads-for-2028-courtroom-showdown",
        "published": "2026-08-26T08:29:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}