Payments Transformation Project: FOI release

Information requested

A number of questions detailed below relating to the Payments Project:

1. Who prepared, reviewed and then signed off the Payments Transformation project?
2. Could you please advise the date when this project started?
3. What were the project phases?
4. When were the proper first payments made? (actual not test payments)?
5. Who were these payments made to?
6. How many payments were made in the first payment run?
7. What was the value of the payments made in the first payment run?
8. What is the number of payments made between the first real payment run and 31st May 2022?
9. What is the value of the payments made between the first real payment run and 31st May 2022?
10. What is the total amount spent by the Scottish Government with Scott Logic for the Payments Transformation Project?
11. Did any Scott Logic employee join the Scottish Government after the Payments Transformation Project was started?

 

Response

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have all of the information you have requested. From the information we hold we can answer the following;

1. Who prepared, reviewed and then signed off the Payments Transformation project?
Business Case was prepared by the Transformation Lead in Product and Commercial Division in the Digital Directorate. Business Case was approved and signed off by the following Scottish Government officials:

• Senior Responsible Owner
• Director General Organisation Development and Operations;
• Digital Director
• Director of Procurement and Commercial, and;
• Chief Financial Officer.

2. Could you please advise the date when this project started?
Exploration phase commenced in September 2018.

3. What were the project phases?
 Initial exploration was defined as Discovery phase, followed by proof of concept Alpha phase then Beta and most recently private Beta the current phase of the project.

4. When were the proper first payments made? (actual not test payments)?
 8 December 2021.

5. Who were these payments made to?
Recipients of Independent Living Fund (ILF) Scotland’s Transition Fund

6. How many payments were made in the first payment run?
44 payments

7. What was the value of the payments made in the first payment run?
£56,751.52

8. What is the number of payments made between the first real payment run and 31st May 2022?
Nil

9. What is the value of the payments made between the first real payment run and 31st May 2022?
 £0

10. What is the total amount spent by the Scottish Government with Scott Logic for the Payments Transformation Project?
£6,251,130.49

FY 2018/19	£180,000
FY 2019/20	£727,631.56
FY 2021/22	£1,570,170.91
FY 2022/23	£3,773,328.02
Total	£6,251,130.49

11. Did any Scott Logic employee join the Scottish Government after the Payments Transformation Project was started?. If so, can the Scottish Government confirm that due process followed during the recruitment process?
Scottish Government does not retain information relating to any employees previous employment. All Scottish Government recruitment, temporary and permanent is undertaken in line with SG recruitment policy and subject to pre-employment checks and security vetting.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide a copy of the payments transformation project business case you have requested because an exemption(s) under section(s ) Section 33(1)(a) – Trade Secrets exemption of FOISA applies to that information. This exemption is not subject to the 'public interest test', so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.