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United Kingdom · biometric border control · watch lists · API/PNR

Digital Services at the Border (DSAB) programme

In operation Status as of 19 October 2026 · Funding type: State budget

DSAB began in 2014 as the Home Office's next attempt to replace the Warnings Index and Semaphore border systems after the e-Borders contract ended 1. The Home Office chose an in-house approach in early 2014 2. The NAO reported on 9 December 2020 that only one of three planned systems, Border Crossing, was live by the March 2019 target. A July 2019 reset pushed delivery to March 2022 1. The NAO put total expected build cost at GBP 311 million and the cost of the delay at GBP 173 million 3. Status after the NAO's 2020 report was not confirmed in the sources reviewed.

Key terms

Buyer
Home Office
Vendor
Home Office in-house delivery approach adopted in 2014 (suppliers not named in the sources reviewed)
Vendor based in
Not confirmed
Signed
2014 (programme start)
Duration
2014 to March 2022 under the 2019 reset plan
Value
GBP 311 million total expected cost of building systems, 2014-15 to 2021-22 (NAO, 9 December 2020)
Funding
state budget
Procurement route
Not published
System ownership
Home Office
Data terms
Not published

Audits, courts, parliament and regulators

  1. 3 December 2015: The NAO reported the Home Office accepted an options review in early 2014 proposing in-house development of new systems 2
  2. 9 December 2020: The NAO concluded the programme did not achieve value for money between 2014 and 2019, with only the Border Crossing system live by March 2019, and put the extra cost of missing the original timetable at GBP 173 million 1,3

Sources

  1. National Audit Office: Digital Services at the Border (9 December 2020)
  2. National Audit Office: E-borders and successor programmes, HC 608, summary (3 December 2015)
  3. National Audit Office: Digital Services at the Border, HC 1069, summary (9 December 2020)

Fields marked "Not published" or "Not confirmed" could not be established from an official or reliable source. If you hold a document that fills a gap or corrects an entry, write to [email protected]. Last checked 19 October 2026.

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