Electronic Monitoring Expansion

Government Transformation and Service Delivery

Record date: 31 March 2026

Whole-life cost: £1.2bn
Published schedule: 01/01/2021 – 15/06/2026
NISTA delivery confidence: AMBER
Senior responsible owner: Chris Taylor

What the project is for

The Electronic Monitoring Expansion Programme seeks to expand the impact, use and efficiency of electronic monitoring as a tool for the management of offenders in the community, helping reduce re-offending and protecting the public. The programme's aims include - effectively retendering the current service, increasing the scope and reach of electronic monitoring, building a more comprehensive evidence base, and more closely embedding the electronic monitoring service within the Probation service.

Departmental delivery commentary

Compared to financial year 24/25-Q4, the NISTA Delivery Confidence Assessment (DCA) rating for 25/26-Q4 remains at Amber. This is primarily due to delays in migration to a new service requiring legacy contract extensions, with limited schedule contingency remaining.

Schedule

Compared to financial year 24/25-Q4, the programme's end date at 25/26-Q4 changed from 30/11/25 to 15/06/26.This is primarily due to delays in migration to a new service.

Cost

Compared to financial year 24/25-Q4, the project's Whole Life Costs at 25/26-Q4 increased from £857.610m to £1,161.10m. This is primarily due to an increased demand for Electronic Monitoring services being greater than the modelling that informed the original business case. All costs have been reported in 2024/25 base prices in line with NISTA requirements. This is a change from previous years where costs were reported in nominal prices. All costs reflect this accounting reduction regardless of any actual changes.

Benefits

The programme currently reports no monetised benefits. The project's benefits focus on the successful operation of Electronic Monitoring.