Khan’s lawyers argue that this reflects a deliberate “Palantir strategy,” whereby the company enters into low-cost public contracts, often badged as pilots, “with the intention, objective and/or effect of avoiding the requirements of effective, transparent competition and/or procurement law,” before “influencing” the public authority into awarding further contracts “without conducting an effective, transparent competition and/or complying with procurement law.”
The statement also says the Met Police intentionally avoided obtaining approval of its procurement strategy from MOPAC and repeatedly provided MOPAC with “misleading and/or inconsistent” information to give the impression that firms other than Palantir were in contention.
These factors meant officials were unable to advise Khan’s deputy that the contract represented value for money, the statement says.
A Palantir spokesperson called the defense statement “false” and said it ignored both the results of the pilot and government outsourcing guidance.
The Met declined to comment on the ongoing legal case. It is not named as a party in the claim, but confirmed that it has submitted a response to the case.
The case is expected to go to trial in January 2027.
MOPAC has said it will work with the Met Police to design a competitive tender for the sought-after AI and data capabilities, which Palantir will be allowed to bid for.
The Met Police has meanwhile extended the earlier pilot, which uses Palantir’s software to identify wrongdoing inside the force.