‘Urgent scrutiny’ demanded of council’s Fujitsu deal

A MAJOR contract between Bristol City Council and the IT firm caught up in the Post Office scandal “needs urgent public scrutiny”.

Last year the council paid Fujitsu Services Ltd almost £900,000, despite council bosses previously claiming the contract was only worth £118,000.

Fujitsu played a major role in the scandal of the subpostmasters – described as one of the largest miscarriages of justice in British history – by creating the Horizon accounting systems. Horizon was installed in all Post Offices and was ridden with catastrophic bugs.

Despite the scandal, the council signed a deal early last year making Fujitsu its “digital strategic partner”. Opposition councillors are now raising serious questions about how this deal was made, including at a full council meeting.

Green Councillor David Wilcox, vice-chair of the audit committee, said: “The first that the audit [committee] heard about the appointment of Fujitsu as the council’s digital strategic partner was in September 2023, after they had been brought on board in February 2023.

“This decision didn’t even make the cabinet papers for January, February or March, because allegedly the contract is only worth £118,000 over five years, below the threshold of £500,000 for public cabinet decisions.

“Imagine my surprise after examining the council’s published spending spreadsheet of transactions over £500 for the past 12 months, where it appears that Bristol City Council has paid Fujitsu Services Ltd £897,539.63. This contract needs urgent public scrutiny.”

Spending data, published online, shows the council paid Fujitsu £4,464 in March; £154,600 in April; £258,174 in July;

£124,645 in August; £165,754 in September; £24,890 in October; £135,080 in November; and £29,930 in December.

Knowle Community Party Cllr Gary Hopkins said: “It’s extremely concerning.”

The council published a contract notice in February last year, announcing a £25m deal lasting for five years. Fujitsu is expected to become the sole supplier for the council’s computer systems.

Earlier this month, a council spokesman told reporters that the only commitment to council funds was £188,000 annually over five years.

They added that the IT firm was “a clear winner in a fair and rigorous procurement process”.

The contract will be subject to performance monitoring.