For those who came in late, Fujitsu attempted to extracate itself from the Post Office Horizon scandal by promising it would not bid for new public sector contracts until the public inquiry into Horizon was complete.
In January 2024, Fujitsu Services head Paul Patterson told the Cabinet Office there was “no limitation or caveat” on that promise and added, “We would only bid for work with a new government customer if asked to do so.” In a February 2024 letter, UK public sector lead Dave Riley confirmed the company's position. He said Fujitsu would continue to take part only in re-bids with current customers or where contracts were being extended.
Despite that, Fujitsu has just won a new contract with Land and Property Services, part of the Northern Ireland Department of Finance. The deal is to replace the region’s ageing land registry system. Land and Property Services was not an existing Fujitsu customer, and this was not an extension of a prior deal — meaning neither of the two exceptions listed in the company’s promise apply.
When asked how the new contract aligned with those commitments, a Fujitsu spokesperson argued that the company had only promised to stop launching new bids, not to withdraw from ones already in progress. “The commitment from Fujitsu referred to new bids… the procurement process is very involved and requires resource commitment from both them and any prospective suppliers,” the spokesperson said.
Procurement for the Northern Ireland contract began in December 2021, long before the public backlash over Horizon peaked. Fujitsu remained in the running throughout, even as the firm faced national criticism for its role in the scandal, which saw hundreds of subpostmasters wrongly prosecuted based on faulty data from the Horizon system.
A spokesperson for Land and Property Services said the decision complied with procurement law but would not confirm whether the department had formally asked Fujitsu to stay in the bidding process — a condition Fujitsu had said would be required for any new customer.
