UK SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES

What UK SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES does

UK Shared Business Services Ltd (UKSBS) is a UK Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) and private company limited by shares that delivers shared back-office business services to central government departments and arm's length bodies. Founded in 2007 and headquartered at Polaris House, Swindon, UKSBS operates from three sites (Swindon, Newport, and Stockton-on-Tees) and is owned by four public sector bodies: UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), and the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). Following the February 2023 Machinery of Government changes that dissolved BEIS, ownership transferred from BEIS to these four entities. UKSBS was selected as the recommended shared service provider for the Matrix programme under the UK Government Shared Services Strategy.

The company's core product portfolio comprises five integrated service lines — HR and Payroll, Finance, Procurement, Digital and Information, and Customer Support — delivered through a proprietary Oracle E-Business Suite platform upgraded in-house in 2024. A Data as a Service (DaaS) offering, built on Microsoft Azure and Power Platform in partnership with ElysianIT, adds real-time analytics and Power BI dashboards. Supplementary capabilities include automated Purchase-to-Pay, Service Integration and Management (SIAM), Crown Hosting-based infrastructure, and PwC's Perform Plus operational excellence programme. UKSBS processes 290,000 payslips annually, handles 427,000 customer contacts, and serves 20,000+ users across 160+ suppliers.

UKSBS operates on a public sector cost-recovery basis with no profit margin, generating revenue through contractual service agreements with government clients. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated through government procurement frameworks including Crown Commercial Services. GTM motion combines direct enterprise engagement with government departments under Partnership governance models and digital self-service portals for end users. Customers include DSIT, DESNZ, DBT, UKRI, Building Digital UK, Cabinet Office (digital teams), The Insolvency Service, UK Space Agency, the Climate Change Committee, Trade Remedies Authority, and the constituent research councils of UKRI. Notable outcomes include £15.9m in procurement benefits for clients, £500,000 in annual continuous improvement efficiencies, and a 161% ROI from the PwC-led transformation.

Name

UK SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES

Legal name

UK Shared Business Services Ltd

Website

https://uksbs.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

UK Shared Business Services Ltd (UKSBS) is a UK government-owned Non-Departmental Public Body delivering shared HR, Payroll, Finance, Procurement, and Digital services to central government departments and arm's length bodies via Oracle and Microsoft Azure platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Sector Shared Services

NAICS

Offices of Certified Public Accountants (541211), Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921), All Other Support Services (56199)

SIC

Services-Business Services, Nec (7389)

akta.pro primary industry

Reconciliations, Controls & Financial Operations (GL, Nostro/Vostro, Suspense) (FSABALAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Customer Servicing & Contact Center Operations (Service Requests, Complaints) (FSABALAK), Regulatory Reporting & Compliance Operations (Ops support for reporting, audits, exams) (FSABALAM)

Keywords

• Government shared services
• HR and payroll services
• Public sector procurement
• Finance managed services
• Data analytics services

Headquarters

HQ city

Swindon

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Shared Services Contracts: UKSBS operates on a public sector cost model, providing shared business services to government departments including HR and Payroll, Finance, Procurement, and Digital and Information services. Revenue is generated through contracted service agreements with public sector clients.
2. Procurement Services: Procurement team supports clients with wide-ranging procurement services for both UKSBS and clients through Crown Commercial Services and bespoke procurements

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

UK Shared Business Services (UKSBS) is a private company limited by shares operating as a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) that delivers shared and specialist business services to UK government departments. Its core offerings span HR and Payroll, Finance, Procurement, Digital and Information, and Customer Support, delivered primarily through an Oracle E-Business Suite technology platform with supporting Microsoft Azure, Power Platform, and Power BI infrastructure.

Product overview

UKSBS is a public sector shared services company providing a unified portfolio of business services to UK government departments and arm's length bodies. The core offering consists of five integrated service lines — HR and Payroll, Finance, Procurement, Digital and Information, and Customer Support — all delivered through the Oracle E-Business Suite platform. Data as a Service (DaaS), built on Microsoft Azure and Power Platform, adds real-time analytics and reporting capabilities on top of the core services. Supplier Services extend the procurement offering to manage supplier communications and automated purchase order delivery. UKSBS operates as a single organisation with services designed to be consumed together, though clients can onboard onto individual service lines (e.g., BDUK joined for HR, Payroll, Finance, Procurement, and Digital services). The company is undergoing transformation under the Matrix Programme, moving toward a service-oriented operating model and new Workday-based ERP platform (Neo).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HR and Payroll Services
• Finance Services
• Procurement Services
• Digital and Information Services
• Customer Support Services
• Data as a Service (DaaS)
• Supplier Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 427,000 customer contacts handled annually
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor, strategic and core.

• Cancer Research UKminorOthers · 1 January 2025Corporate Charity Partner for 2026/27, selected through company-wide employee vote. UKSBS team will fundraising and participate in activities to support cancer research.
• ElysianITstrategicTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024ElysianIT delivered a cutting-edge data and reporting platform built on Microsoft Azure and Power Platform technologies. Created central data lake integrating with UKSBS applications for real-time information processing.
• PwCcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 October 2023PwC serves as Managed Service Partner (MSP) supporting UKSBS transformation programmes. Partnership includes adoption of PwC's Perform Plus coaching and development programme for operational excellence. Delivered 161% ROI and major cost savings through customer service transformation.
• UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2023UKRI is a founding owner of UKSBS alongside DSIT, DESNZ, and DBT. UKSBS provides shared services to UKRI and its constituent research councils.
• Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2023DSIT is an owner of UKSBS created through Machinery of Government changes. DSIT is the primary sponsor of the Matrix programme under which UKSBS operates.
• Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2023DESNZ is an owner of UKSBS created through Machinery of Government changes. Major client for Data as a Service and HR analytics services.
• Department of Business and Trade (DBT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2023DBT is an owner of UKSBS created through Machinery of Government changes. UKSBS supported TUPE transfer of 334 employees during DBT formation.
• Crown HostingcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 November 2022Crown Hosting provides data centre facilities under Framework II. UKSBS became the first Public Sector organisation to realise benefits of Framework II, moving data centre operations to Crown Hosting's secure facilities. The 55-hour data centre relocation showcased exceptional execution capability.
• Integrated Corporate Services (ICS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICS is a key collaboration partner for joint service delivery across government. Regular strategic meetings and joint planning sessions to align service delivery and transformation programmes.
• ICS People Analytics and Data Management ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpanded Data as a Service partnership with ICS People Analytics and DMS teams, building on earlier success with DESNZ and DSIT.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Shared Services Connected Ltd (SSCL): SSCL is a UK government shared services joint venture between the Cabinet Office and Sopra Steria, providing HR, payroll, finance, procurement and IT services to departments including HMRC and DWP. It is the most direct UK public-sector SSC peer to UKSBS.
• NHS Shared Business Services: NHS SBS provides back-office finance, procurement, payroll and digital shared services to NHS organisations. Comparable to UKSBS in operating model (back-office SSC), customer base (public sector) and service mix, though focused on health rather than central government.
• Government Shared Services (Synergy cluster): The Synergy cluster is another UK government shared services cluster competing with the Matrix programme. Operates as a peer SSC model serving different departmental groupings under the same Government Shared Services Strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Capita plc: Capita delivers large-scale public sector business process services in the UK, including HR, payroll and customer service contracts for government. UKSBS is sometimes cited in government strategy discussions alongside Capita as a potential in-sourcing alternative.
• Sopra Steria UK: Sopra Steria is the parent partner of SSCL and a major UK public sector IT and BPO provider. Comparable to UKSBS as a delivery partner of UK government shared services and as a Matrix-cluster competitor.
• CGI Federal/UK: CGI is a major IT and digital services supplier to UK government departments and arm's length bodies. Comparable to UKSBS in client base and digital transformation service offering, though it operates as a commercial vendor rather than an NDPB.
• Accenture UK Public Sector: Accenture delivers transformation, digital and operational services to UK government. Comparable to UKSBS in the public sector shared services transformation space, particularly for Matrix-style consolidation programmes.
• Fujitsu UK: Fujitsu is a long-standing IT services supplier to UK government, including HMRC's Aspire contract. Comparable to UKSBS as an incumbent public sector technology and operations provider.
• DXC Technology UK Public Sector: DXC provides IT and BPO services to UK and international public sector clients. Comparable to UKSBS in Oracle-based ERP and managed services delivery, though as a commercial vendor rather than NDPB.

Emerging players

• Arvato UK (Bertelsmann): Arvato provides BPO and customer service to UK public and private sector clients. Comparable to UKSBS in customer servicing and back-office operations but operates commercially rather than as an NDPB.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/UKSBS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uk-shared-business-services

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UK SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES