NHS England (NHSE) has announced that they will be conducting an investigation to determine whether Palantir, the US data analytics giant, violated the terms of their contract for running the Federated Data Platform (FDP). This investigation comes in response to allegations that Palantir engaged in a covert influencer campaign targeting the legal transparency non-profit organization, Good Law Project, without seeking prior approval from NHSE. The allegations surfaced following the publication of a heavily redacted version of the contract between NHSE and Palantir, which included restrictions on the use of NHSE’s name and brand in marketing or publicizing the contract without prior written consent. The investigation will seek to uncover any potential breaches of contract and take necessary action.
The investigation follows the award of a £330 million FDP contract to Palantir in late November, with the contract expected to extend over the course of seven years. The NHSE spokesperson stated that any potential breach of contract by suppliers or other contractual partners is taken seriously, and when presented with evidence, they will investigate and take appropriate action.
