The Post Office has issued a long-awaited update as it plans to replace its controversial Horizon system.
It was announced today, August 24, that the Post Office has signed a contract that will see its Horizon data system replaced.
The contract with OneView Commerce forms part of ongoing plans to replace Horizon and help to modernise the technology used in Post Offices across the UK.
It comes in the aftermath of the Horizon scandal, which saw more than 900 sub postmasters wrongfully convicted of theft, fraud and false accounting between 1999 and 2015 based on faulty data.
In 2017, a group of 555 sub-postmasters took legal action in a landmark court case against the Post Office.
They were awarded a total of £ 58 million in compensation and 102 sub-postmasters have now had their convictions overturned after the accounting errors were put down to an error with the Horizon system.
Post Office has also signed a separate agreement with Escher to provide another component of the Horizon replacement programme.
They hope modernising technology in branches will help to support postmasters and partners to provide relevant products and services to communities across the UK.
The Post Office says 'work is underway' to establish detailed plans and a timeline of when the new technology will be introduced.
In the meantime, there will be no immediate changes to daily operations for customers, postmasters or partners.
Neil Brocklehurst, Post Office CEO, said: "Replacing the Horizon system is one of the most significant changes we're making as part of the Post Office’s transformation.
"This is about more than introducing new technology; it's about creating modern, flexible systems that are designed around the needs of customers and the postmasters who serve them.
“OneView, Accenture and Escher are best in class when it comes to developing the technology needed for our future branch operations.
"Having these partners in place will now enable us to accelerate the introduction of a new platform that is simpler to operate behind post office counters, therefore improving operational efficiency throughout our branch network.
"Our partnership with OneView, Accenture and Escher is another important step forward for Post Office as we create the modern and convenient retail experience our customers expect."
It was previously announced Accenture would undertake a ‘walk in and take over’ exercise for the current Horizon system, assuming day to day operations from Fujitsu, as well as developing the back-end of the new system which will be used in branches.
OneView will work closely with Post Office and Accenture to deliver the new electronic point of sale (EPOS) system in branches to better process transactions, ultimately improving the customer experience.
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Linda Palanza, OneView Commerce Chief Executive Officer, said: "OneView is delighted to have signed the contract for the Lot 2 COTS EPOS award and to put our experience to work for Post Office.
"We bring a team with deep expertise in retail and state-of-the-art digital transformation for postal networks of similar scale and size to Post Office.
"This project is about more than technology - it is about the postal community and the customers they serve.
"We understand the responsibility that comes with modernising systems that postmasters and customers across the UK rely on every day.
"We look forward to bringing the power of a modern EPOS platform to Post Office, empowering postmasters to transform their day-to-day operations and deliver services with the transparency and reliability their communities expect."
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