Migration of mail opening and scanning services to an outsourced provider - screening
Date published:
The DfC Mail Opening Unit (MOU) opened in 2014 and is based at the Jobs and Benefits Office in Limavady. The MOU currently provides a hybrid Mail Opening service. Inbound Royal Mail and courier post for 20 different business areas is received, opened and scanned by DfC staff. The documents are then sent electronically to the Department for Work and Pensions outsourced Mail Opening Provider, Restore UK, for indexing and upload to the electronic filing service.
The MOU uses a bespoke DWP supported scanning solution for processing and exporting the scanned documents. In 2024 the Department for Work and Pensions began the migration of all desktop services to new Cloud First infrastructure. The DWP Project team determined that the DFC scanning solution is not technically compatible with the Cloud First infrastructure. This means that the current DfC hybrid mail opening service cannot be maintained and an alternative service is required.
Agreement has been reached with the DWP to migrate the DfC Mail Opening and Scanning activity to the DWP Inbound Mail and Document Management Service mail opening provider, Restore UK in early 2026. This will ensure business continuity and deliver a robust and secure end to end mail opening and scanning service for DfC.
Existing/Revised/New: Revised
Date of Screening: 21/04/2026
Screening Outcome - Full EQIA recommended: No