Updated Pension scheme members are facing a string of errors and malfunctions as they try to log into and retrieve account details from the UK’s civil service portal the government is paying Capita £239 million ($318 million) to build and run.
After it went live on Monday, the refreshed and updated pension website for the Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS), which supports 1.5 million current and former public servants, promptly offered users a string of unrecognized passwords and user names, according to online reports. They were forced to create new accounts, which were also unrecognized. They endured broken and circular links while the website appeared unfinished and untested, with headers and other features displaying dummy text.
More worryingly, personal details were unavailable, including pensions statements and beneficiaries information.
Users contacted The Register, while a 48-hour thread published on Reddit offered a glimpse of the worst experiences.
One scheme member said the new portal did not recognize their user name and password. “I had to use a different email address to try and register again. Despite completing registration it now claims it doesn’t recognize my user name,” they said.
Another scheme member said: “On personal level, my name is wrong. I have no beneficiaries nor any statements. But no worry, I can click for a form to contact them, oh it has to be done by post, I wonder where I will send it? Where to send it [Postal Address Line 1] [Postal Address Line 2] [City, Postcode].”
One user reported that the site was down for maintenance on Monday evening, while another said that problems persisted on Tuesday morning.
A Capita spokesperson 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,” they 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.”
The Cabinet Office awarded the contract months after Capita suffered a massive data breach in which sensitive details including bank account information, addresses, and passport photos stolen from the IT outsourcing giant were reportedly put up for sale.
The Cabinet Office has been offered the opportunity to comment. It 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.
A contract award notice published in December said the UK outsourcer was expected to provide finance, accounting and taxation services, administration services, and employer-related services. It was hired to collect data and contributions, and maintain accurate and clean data. The contract involved providing secure digital communications including providing an online portal for the service.
Capita was also expected to maintain a comprehensive database of members’ records, which complies with relevant legislation and regulatory requirements and calculate remuneration reports. The procurement process began in 2021.
In October this year, Parliament’s spending watchdog noted that before Capita took charge, customer service levels for what was then the MyCSP service were unacceptable as it struggled to retain sufficient staff numbers.
The report from the Public Accounts Committee said Capita was planning to employ even fewer staff. “Capita has profiled its expected resourcing levels for when it takes over and in year one expects to need 332 staff, 33 fewer than MyCSP’s core staff level for January 2025,” it said.
“Capita’s estimated resourcing levels assume that more automation and increased functionality of its IT system will require fewer staff. However, in the lead up to the transition, Capita has missed milestones for delivering the IT infrastructure and has agreed with the Cabinet Office to produce a simplified IT solution on 1 December 2025 to de-risk delivery.”
MyCSP ran the scheme on behalf of the Cabinet Office under a £238 million contract that was first agreed in 2012. MyCSP was a mutual joint partnership between employee partners, who owned 25 percent of the company, and a private sector partner, Equiniti. It took over from Capita, the previous provider, in 2016. ®
Updated to add at 1622 UTC, December 3
A Cabinet Office Spokesperson told The Register: “All contracts go through a rigorous procurement process, and we have strong contractual tools in place to ensure Capita delivers, including holding back payments where specific goals are not met.
“This remains a complex and large scale programme. The Cabinet Office will continue in close partnership with Capita to ensure the transition is a success both for members of the pension scheme and taxpayers.”