𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

The Government is continuing to allow Fujitsu to bid for contracts despite subpostmasters waiting for compensation payouts following the Horizon scandal.

The Japanese technology giant is among firms on a new list of suppliers able to pitch for lucrative Government contracts.

Hundreds of subpostmasters were wrongfully convicted of stealing between 1999 and 2015, after Fujitsu’s Horizon IT system made it look like money was missing from their branches, and many more made up supposed shortfalls from their personal savings.

An inquiry into the scandal, chaired by Sir Wyn Williams, is currently ongoing.

Post Office has continued to use different versions of the software, despite the major scandal, and recently extended its latest contract to the end of March 2027.

Earlier this year, the Post Office awarded Accenture and One View Commerce (OVC) with a contract to eventually replace Fujitsu in running the mail service’s systems.

Following the scandal, Fujitsu said it had voluntarily paused any potential bids for new Government contracts.

However, it is now bidding for extensions or fresh contracts with existing customers in Government.

Reports from the Daily Mail revealed that this includes a £61 million contract for an HMRC system processing self-assessment tax returns. It is understood this is a renewal of a previous contract.

Thousands of claimants have already received interim compensation payments, but the Government said last month that “redress claims may not all be settled in 2026”.

The Government has so far funded around £1.5 billion of payments, while Fujitsu has yet to pay compensation directly to affected subpostmasters.

A Cabinet Office spokesman said: “We follow all relevant procurement regulations when awarding suppliers onto our commercial agreements.

“There is no guarantee a supplier will be awarded any work once they have been placed on a framework.”

A Fujitsu spokeswoman said: “Fujitsu’s inclusion in the supplier list for this framework supports potential extensions or rebidding with existing customers, in line with our voluntary pause on public sector bidding.

“We continue to work with the UK Government to ensure we adhere to the restrictions we put in place regarding new contracts.

“Our conversations with Government regarding our contribution to compensation are ongoing.”