Scrumconnect secures £38m Ministry of Justice contract to accelerate digital transformation in criminal courts

Scrumconnect, the award-winning digital transformation specialist, has secured a contract worth up to £38 million with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to support the continued modernisation of digital services across the criminal courts in England and Wales.

Under the agreement, awarded by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), Scrumconnect will provide a managed digital delivery service to support the Enhancing Digital Services within the Criminal Courts programme. The work will focus on designing, developing, testing and releasing improvements to the Common Platform, the national digital case management system used across magistrates’ and Crown Courts.

The contract marks another major milestone in Scrumconnect’s growth across central government and reinforces the firm’s position as a trusted partner for delivering large scale, complex digital transformation programmes across the UK public sector.

Speaking on the award, Hiren Shah, Scrumconnect account director for HMCTS said: “Modern, reliable digital services are essential for the effective running of the justice system. We are proud to be supporting HMCTS in continuing the transformation of criminal courts services and ensuring the Common Platform evolves to meet the needs of users across the justice system.”

Scrumconnect has been involved in the Common Platform programme since 2023, supporting the design, development and testing of services across the platform. During this time the system has continued to expand across the criminal courts, enabling secure information sharing between police forces, prosecutors, courts and legal professionals involved in criminal justice cases across England and Wales.

Improving how case information is prepared and shared between police, prosecutors, defence teams and the courts is widely recognised as essential to improving case progression and reducing delays. The Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, led by Sir Brian Leveson, highlights the importance of effective case preparation and better coordination between criminal justice partners so that cases can move more efficiently through the justice system, supported by consistent access to complete case information.

Through this new engagement, Scrumconnect will support HMCTS in enhancing the functionality, performance and reliability of the Common Platform while continuing the transition away from legacy systems.

Over the course of the contract, Scrumconnect will:

• Provide multidisciplinary agile teams covering architecture, software development, testing and DevOps to support ongoing delivery.
• Develop new features, improvements and fixes to evolve the Common Platform, ensure alignment with Government Digital Service standards, and strengthen how it supports criminal court processes.
• Introduce scalable testing, automation and monitoring to improve reliability and support safe, consistent software releases.
• Work closely with HMCTS teams and other delivery partners across a complex multi supplier environment.
• Support the gradual retirement of legacy systems while maintaining stable and continuous service across the courts.

Alongside this engagement, Scrumconnect continues to support major digital transformation programmes across government, working with key Departments including the Home Office, Department for Work and Pensions, HM Revenue and Customs and the Department for Education, as well as HM Courts and Tribunals Service.