Amount spent on consultancy fees: FOI release

Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002


Information requested

The total amount spent on consultancy fees by each directorate of the Scottish Government, broken down by what the consulting related to, in the calendar years 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 to date.

Response

Financial data is not recorded on a calendar year basis but on a financial year basis. Details below have been provided on a financial year basis.

The exact nature of consultancy contract is not held centrally but the annual procurement reports sets out activity during the period. Link to reports can be found below.

https://www.gov.scot/publications/public-sector-annual-procurement-reports-2023-2024-list/

2022-23

Some of the information you have requested is already publicly available. Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you.

The breakdown of spend on consultancy by directorates for financial year 2022-23 was published in FOI 202400432841. This can be found online here.

2023-24 and 2024-25

An exemption under section 27(1) of FOISA applies because we intend to publish information for 2023-24 and 2024-25 within 12 weeks of the date of your request. We consider that it is reasonable to withhold the information until that date, rather than release this routinely published information before the planned publication date.

The 2023-24 figures are due to be published in response to FOI 202500470980 no later than the 11th of July.

The 2024-25 figures will be published in August on the Scottish Procurement Information Hub.

2025-26

Figures for 2025-26 will be released following the financial year-end (ie following 31st March 2026) once auditing and reconciliation has been completed.

About FOI

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

Contact

Please quote the FOI reference
Central Correspondence Unit
Email: contactus@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000

The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG

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