Defra spent £82m with IBM last year

Spending data released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has revealed IBM to be the department's biggest supplier.

The list, released by Defra under Freedom of Information on 7 June 2010, shows that it paid IBM UK a total of £82.2m in 2009-10. The firm, which provides the department with most of its IT services, charged Defra more than the next two suppliers combined: DTZ and Interserve, both providing facilities management.

By comparison, other ICT suppliers did little direct business with the department. Buying Solutions charged Defra £1.55m in the year, Serco £1.30m and Tribal Consulting £1.04m, although some or all of the spending with these organisations may not have been for ICT.

Among those focused on ICT, recruitment firm Parity Resources received £799,319, Logica CMG received £516,368, Vodafone £388,507, Atos Origin £318,556, Xerox £270,0390 and BT £193,017.

The department released details of payments to some 2,200 suppliers, down to those receiving amounts as small as £10. It spent £35 with the Information Commissioner's Office, this being the previous standard charge for registration as a data controller.

HM Treasury released information on all departments' spending and income in 2009-10 on 4 June through its Coins database for the financial year. However, this did not include which organisations received money from the government.

This article was originally published at Kable.

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