Last month the Claims Portal board collectively approved of retaining CRIF, rather than make an award under the tender.


The tender exercise was conducted as part of the company's good governance arrangements and reviewed the most appropriate functionality, structure, management and developments of the Claims Portal to support its users' current and future needs.


The Claims Portal facilitates the claims process required by the Ministry of Justice's pre-action protocols for low value personal injury claims.

The secure electronic exchange of all relevant claim information and documentation between lawyers and insurers/compensators aims to reduce operational costs and agree outcomes promptly.


Commenting on the outcome, Claims Portal chairman, Tim Wallis, said: "The tender process was exhaustive and thorough. Bids were received from a range of suppliers, who put in a tremendous amount of work and gave us a lot to think about. We are grateful to all of them.


"After careful consideration, however, the board recognised that the best fit, the best solution for all who use the claims process and the right business decision was to continue working with our established technology partner, CRIF."

Wallis added: "This means we will develop and enhance the existing Claims Portal rather than build a new one from scratch. It was not our only option, by any means, but we are confident that CRIF will provide an excellent service and make significant improvements for users. We are now negotiating contractual arrangements with CRIF."

Sara Costantini, director of CRIF Decision Solutions said: "We are very pleased to continue our work with the Claims Portal and we look forward to building on the successful first five years and working with Claims Portal Limited on a joint objective of continuing to improve the service for all that use it."