UK government replaces Palantir software with internally-built refugee system
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英国政府通过用内部团队开发的自研系统取代用于管理 Homes for Ukraine 难民项目的 Palantir IT 系统，节省了数百万英镑。 MHCLG 表示，新系统更灵活、符合更高的安全标准，同时大幅降低了运行成本，已于 2025 年 9 月投入使用。
Homes for Ukraine 项目在 2022 年 3 月俄国全面入侵后不久启动，旨在将难民与提供免费住宿的人匹配。 Palantir 最初免费提供其 Foundry 平台六个月以便迅速搭建系统，但据 National Audit Office 的报告，随后签订了两份为期 12 个月的合同，金额分别为 450 万英镑和 550 万英镑。报告指出，政府首席商务官对 Palantir 以零成本或名义成本的初始报价换取商业立足点表示担忧，认为这与要求公开竞争的公共采购原则相悖。
该项目高级数字负责人 Coco Chan 表示，部门希望以更灵活的技术方案取代商业平台，以节省开支并掌控数据与代码。她称，内部替代系统每年已为 MHCLG 节省数百万英镑的运行成本，这一做法为减少对外部供应商依赖、发展所谓"主权技术"树立了先例。
此举正值外界对 Palantir 在英国公共服务领域合同的广泛批评之际，涉及的机构包括 NHS 、 Ministry of Defence 、 Financial Conduct Authority 以及 11 个警察部门。批评者指出，Palantir 参与美国移民执法和与以色列军方的合作，加上其几位知名创始人的立场，使其并非合适的合作伙伴；人们也担心英国对大型美国科技供应商的依赖。
但也有人认为，外部专家能带来宝贵经验并能迅速部署大规模团队，这对紧急国家项目至关重要。 Palantir 为其工作辩护，称很自豪能支持该项目，并在短短 9 天内搭建出解决方案，使超过 157,000 名难民得以安全安置；该公司还表示，系统更换证明客户不会被锁定在其技术平台上。
The UK government has saved millions of pounds by replacing a Palantir IT system used to manage the Homes for Ukraine refugee scheme with an in-house solution built by its own experts. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said the new system is more flexible and meets high security standards, while significantly reducing running costs. The replacement system became operational by September 2025.
The Homes for Ukraine scheme was launched in March 2022, shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion, to match refugees with people offering free accommodation. Palantir initially provided its Foundry platform for free for six months to help set up the system quickly. However, subsequent 12-month contracts were awarded, one worth £4.5 million and another £5.5 million, according to a National Audit Office report. The report noted concerns from the Government's chief commercial officer about Palantir's practice of offering zero or nominal-cost initial offers to gain a commercial foothold, which he argued was contrary to public procurement principles requiring open competition.
Coco Chan, a senior digital leader on the project, said the department wanted to replace the commercial platform with a more flexible technology solution to save costs and control data and code. She said the in-house replacement was already saving MHCLG millions of pounds a year in running costs. The move sets a precedent for reducing reliance on external suppliers and developing what some call "sovereign technology."
The shift comes amid broader criticism of Palantir's contracts across UK public services, including with the NHS, Ministry of Defence, Financial Conduct Authority, and 11 police forces. Critics argue the firm's involvement with US immigration enforcement and Israel's military, as well as the beliefs of its prominent founders, make it an unsuitable partner. There are also concerns about the UK's reliance on large US tech suppliers.
However, others note that external specialists can bring valuable experience and the ability to deploy large teams quickly, which is important for urgent national programmes. Palantir defended its record, saying it was proud to have supported the scheme and stood up a solution in just nine days, enabling the safe resettlement of more than 157,000 refugees. The firm also said the change to a new system showed there was no risk of firms being locked into using its technology.
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- 一家英国公司曾以出让股权换取对 NHS 数据的访问权限，数据并未离开该组织，但最终合同却落到了 Palantir 名下。这一过程引发了对公共合同授予程序的质疑——即便存在符合伦理的替代方案，也未被采纳。
- 政府与科技公司之间存在明显的"旋转门"现象：高级 NHS 官员把合同授予像 AWS 这样的公司，随后又进入这些公司任职，激起了对利益冲突和腐败的担忧。与此同时，政府限制公务员薪酬等级，使直接雇用熟练程序员变得不可能，部门只好以更高成本把工作外包给咨询公司，既低效又加深了对外部供应商的依赖。
- 缺乏竞争压力导致支出没有自然上限，合同规模膨胀，决策更偏向昂贵的外部方案而非培养内部能力。公共部门技术岗位薪酬远低于市场水平，难以吸引和留住人才，这迫使政府依赖成本高且产出常常不佳的承包商。
- Palantir 在赢得政府合同时，被广泛归因于游说、人脉和"旋转门"影响，而非其方案的质量或性价比。该公司采用以高利润、咨询密集型为主的商业模式，虽提供 Foundry 等强大工具，但长期费用通常高于建立并激励内部能力。官僚体系也倾向于选择 Palantir 或 IBM 等昂贵供应商，因为若项目失败，责任更易归咎于外部供应商而非内部决策者，从而降低了个人风险。
- "乌克兰难民住房计划"最初为求快速部署而使用 Palantir，但现已转向本土平台以降低成本并减少长期开支。 Palantir 在 NHS 中处理敏感健康数据、承揽数亿英镑合同的做法，引发公众信任危机以及对数据隐私和主权的担忧。
总体讨论显示，公众和从业者普遍对 Palantir 在英国公共部门合同中占主导地位持深度怀疑态度，认为其成功更多依赖游说、关系网和激励错位，而非技术优势。大家普遍认为，应发展具有数据主权和问责机制的内部解决方案，以实现更高的成本效益和数据安全；同时也对公共部门管理不善、供应商锁定及将敏感数据交由与美国情报和军事行动有关联的公司处理的伦理问题表示担忧。 • A UK company offering NHS trusts equity in exchange for data access, with data never leaving the organization, lost a contract to Palantir, highlighting concerns about how public contracts are awarded despite ethical alternatives being available.
• The revolving door between government and tech firms is evident, with senior NHS officials awarding contracts to companies like AWS and then joining those companies, raising questions about conflicts of interest and corruption.
• UK government policy restricts civil service pay scales, making it impossible to hire skilled programmers directly, so departments outsource to consultancies at much higher costs, creating inefficiency and dependency on external vendors.
• The lack of competitive pressure in government means there's no natural cap on spending, leading to bloated contracts and a preference for expensive external solutions over building internal expertise.
• Public sector salaries for tech roles are far below market rates, making it difficult to attract and retain talent, which forces reliance on costly contractors who often deliver subpar results.
• Palantir's success in winning government contracts is attributed to lobbying, personal connections, and the "revolving door" phenomenon, rather than the quality or cost-effectiveness of their solutions.
• Palantir operates on a consulting-heavy model with high margins, offering powerful tools like Foundry, but the long-term cost is often higher than building in-house capabilities with aligned incentives.
• Government bureaucrats often choose expensive vendors like Palantir or IBM because it reduces personal risk, as failure can be blamed on the vendor rather than internal decisions.
• The Homes for Ukraine refugee scheme initially used Palantir for rapid deployment but is now transitioning to a home-grown platform to reduce costs and bring down long-term expenses.
• Palantir's role in the NHS involves sensitive health data, with contracts worth hundreds of millions of pounds, despite public distrust and concerns about data privacy and sovereignty.
The discussion reveals deep skepticism toward Palantir's dominance in UK public sector contracts, with many attributing its success to lobbying, corruption, and misaligned incentives rather than technical superiority. There is widespread frustration with the government's inability to build internal tech capacity due to restrictive pay scales and bureaucratic inefficiencies, leading to costly outsourcing. While some acknowledge Palantir's powerful tools, the consensus leans toward the need for sovereign, in-house solutions to ensure accountability, cost-effectiveness, and data security. The conversation also touches on broader issues of public sector mismanagement, vendor lock-in, and the ethical implications of entrusting sensitive data to a company with ties to US intelligence and military operations.