Fujitsu is among suppliers on a newly published list of companies eligible to compete for profitable 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. Many more covered supposed shortfalls from their personal savings.
Compensation and Ongoing Contracts
An inquiry into the scandal, chaired by Sir Wyn Williams, is underway. The Post Office has maintained its use of various versions of the software, despite the scandal, and recently extended its current contract until March 2027.
Earlier this year, the Post Office awarded Accenture and One View Commerce (OVC) a contract to eventually replace Fujitsu in running the mail service's systems.
Bidding Pause and Resumption
In the wake of the scandal, Fujitsu said it had voluntarily paused any potential bids for new Government contracts. However, it is now tendering for extensions or new contracts with existing Government clients.
Reports disclosed that this includes a £61 million contract for an HMRC system handling self-assessment tax returns, understood to be a renewal of an existing contract.
Compensation Status
Thousands of claimants have received interim compensation payments, but the Government confirmed last month that "redress claims may not all be settled in 2026". So far, the Government has allocated around £1.5 billion in payments, while Fujitsu has not yet made direct compensation payments.
Official Statements
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."
