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A £9m contract to replace the National Firearms Management Licensing System has been won by US tech firm, Palantir.
The licensing system (NFLMS) enables all 43 Police Forces in England and Wales to record the grant, renewal, and revocation of firearms licenses. The NFLMS will also hold Home Office licensing information relating to explosives, explosive precursors, and poisons.
In place for the last 20 yeas, the NFLMS has, according to the Police Digital Service, come to the end of its operational life. As a result, PDS sought a commercial off-the-shelf solution to replace the legacy system and allow integration with partner agencies and national systems. According to an update in August 2025, PDS said that the legacy system will be decommissioned by the middle of 2027.
The contract applies to all 43 forces in England and Wales. It can be modified to include Police Scotland and PSNI in due course. While the procurement was carried out by Blue Light Commercial acting as the agent, the contracting authority is the Police Digital Service.
With a contract value of £9m over five years and the potential to run to a maximum of ten years, Palantir was one of three suppliers to make it to the shortlist, with NEC Software Solutions and Accenture UK also in the running. There were 18 suppliers who responded to the initial invitation to tender.
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