Total spend across Scottish Government Directorates: FOI release

Information requested

What is the total value of current contracts you hold with external providers? Please provide data separately for the categories of goods, works and services.

Please provide a list of current contracts with external providers showing the name of the provider, the service provided, and the value of the contract. Please provide data separately for the categories of goods, works and services.

What was the total spend on externally provided services in the years 2024/25, 2023/24, 2022/23, 2021/22, 2020/21? Please do not include contracts for goods or works in this data set.

What was the total spend on externally provided services in 2010 and 2019? Please do not include contracts for goods or works in this data set.

Response

This response covers the data requested for each of your 52 individual FOIs submitted to Scottish Government. The Scottish Government and its Ministers are permitted to respond to this request with one complete response to avoid duplication of information. This response uses the reference number of the FOI which was first received by the Scottish Government.

Part one:
The information you have requested is available from the Public Contracts Scotland Contracts Register. I have provided a link to the Public Contracts Scotland website where you can access the information you have requested, free of charge, from the Contracts Register.

https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/Default.aspx

In addition to providing the Public Contracts Scotland website link I have attached guidance on how to access and navigate to the Contracts Register. Instructions attached.

Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

Part two:
The information you have requested is available from the Public Contracts Scotland Contracts Register. I have provided a link to the Public Contracts Scotland website where you can access the information you have requested, free of charge, from the Contracts Register.

https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/Default.aspx

In addition to providing the Public Contracts Scotland website link I have attached guidance on how to access and navigate to the Contracts Register. Instructions attached.

Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

Part three:
To identify spend on services only, for the years requested, would require line level analysis of the data available in the Procurement Information Hub. Therefore, the data must be manually reviewed. If we were to do this, it would exceed the cost limit set out in Section 12 of FOISA. It is estimated that the required analysis would equate to a minimum of 1 minute per line therefore far exceeding the upper cost limit of £600. Should you require the spend data you may, wish to consider reducing the scope of your request in order that the costs can be brought below £600. For example, they could specify a specific service or supplier of a directorate of the Scottish Government.

However, while we are unable to provide the data you have requested, we are able to provide you with Total Spend per Scottish Government Directorate for years 2020/21 – 2023/24 (Attachment 1). The Total Spend provided is inclusive of goods, works and services.

Currently, we do not hold spend information within the Procurement Information Hub for 2024/25. We anticipate this data will be available later this year.

Part Four:
We are unable to provide the information that you have asked for 2010 because we do not hold this information for the financial year in question split by directorates on goods, services or works therefore we are applying a section 17(1) of FOISA.

To identify spend on services only, for 2019, would require line level analysis of the data available to us in the Procurement Information Hub. Therefore, the data must be manually reviewed. If we were to do this, it would exceed the cost limit set out in Section 12 of FOISA. It is estimated that the required analysis would equate to a minimum of 1 minutes per line therefore far exceeding the upper cost limit of £600. Should you require the spend data you may, wish to consider reducing the scope of your request in order that the costs can be brought below £600. For example, you could specify a specific service or supplier .

While we are unable to provide the data you have requested, we are able to provide you with Total Spend per Scottish Government Directorate for years 2019/20 (Attachment 2). The Total Spend provided is inclusive of goods, works and services.

Please note some Directorates may change name over the data period requested, so figures may vary. Data is not be available for newly created Directorates. I would also like to draw your attention to our regular published spend for transactions over £500 for electronic Purchasing Cards (ePC): Government spend over £500: monthly reports - gov.scot and our monthly and annual reports of Scottish Government spend over £25,000 Government spend over £25,000: monthly and annual reports - gov.scot.

You may find it helpful to look at the Scottish Information Commissioner’s ‘Tips for requesting information under FOI and the EIRs’ on his website at: http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/YourRights/Tipsforrequesters.aspx.

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.

FOI 202500471876 - Information Released - Attachments

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