Fujitsu's Government Contract Win Exposes Loopholes in Post-Scandal Pledges

Fujitsu's inclusion in a major UK government procurement framework worth up to £984 million raises critical questions about the effectiveness of voluntary corporate accountability measures during public scandals. Despite the Japanese tech firm's high-profile pledge to avoid new government contracts while the Post Office Horizon inquiry continues, official documents reveal it secured positions on two lots within SSEN Transmission's digital services framework in late December 2025.

The arrangement, governed by the UK's Procurement Act 2023, allows suppliers to provide services to public bodies at negotiated rates. Fujitsu's bid participation directly contradicts its February 2024 commitment to Cabinet Office officials, where UK public sector head Dave Riley explicitly stated the company would "pause bidding for work with new government customers" unless specifically requested by the government.

Fujitsu justifies its position by classifying Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) as an "existing customer," citing framework rules permitting extensions with current clients. A company spokesperson emphasized this distinction, stating their adherence to voluntary restrictions while the Post Office Inquiry examines Fujitsu's role in the Horizon scandal that led to 736 wrongful prosecutions of subpostmasters between 1999-2015.

This incident follows a pattern of technical compliance. In April 2025, Fujitsu won a £125 million contract for Northern Ireland's land registry by arguing its bidder status predated the moratorium. Government officials later confirmed they didn't request Fujitsu's continued participation, contradicting the company's initial justification principle.

The Horizon scandal's gravity underscores public skepticism. The ongoing statutory inquiry has linked 13 suicides to wrongful prosecutions based on faulty accounting data from Fujitsu's system, originally developed by UK firm ICL before Fujitsu's full acquisition in 1998. While Fujitsu maintains its framework inclusion involves no new customer relationships, critics note SSEN Transmission didn't exist when Fujitsu made its pledge—Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission rebranded as SSEN Transmission in April 2025.

Government procurement specialists highlight the structural limitations of voluntary moratoriums. Unlike formal debarment, these pledges lack enforcement mechanisms and depend on corporate interpretation of terms like "new customer." With the inquiry unlikely to conclude before late 2026, Fujitsu's ability to secure lucrative public sector work through framework agreements demonstrates how technical compliance can undermine public accountability expectations.

As the Post Office Inquiry continues examining Fujitsu's conduct, this contract award signals that without binding sanctions, corporate pledges made amid public outrage may prove functionally porous when tested against complex procurement realities.