FOI release

Central HR and Payroll System

Published 16 December 2024

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 - REQUEST REF: FOI202400014S

Thank you for your email of 19 November 2024 asking for information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000. You asked:

Could you provide the following information:

1. Please could you confirm the name of the supplier and the name of the solution used for HR and/or Payroll at FCDO Services.
2. Could you confirm when the current contracts for HR and Payroll are ending.
3. Does FCDO Services intend to procure for replacement solutions in 2025 or 2026.

I am writing to confirm that we have now completed the search for the information which you requested. 

I can confirm that FCDO Services does hold information relevant to your request, as follows:

1. Details of the IT solutions used by FCDO Services is withheld under Section 31 – see below for further information.
2. FCDO Services is a trading fund of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). FCDO Services use the FCDO’s central HR & Payroll system – the current contract will be between the FCDO and its supplier.
3. No.

Section 31

Section 31(1) is a qualified exemption, which means that it is subject to a public interest test. We acknowledge the public interest in openness and transparency. However, disclosure of the information requested could aid a criminal who was intent on launching an attack on the Department’s ICT systems and could expose the FCDO/FCDO Services to potential threats such as targeted e-crime, reveal any potential network infrastructure / cyber vulnerabilities or weaknesses and expose the FCDO/FCDO Services to potential threats of a criminal nature.

For the reasons set out above, we have assessed that the public interest in maintaining this exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure.

Once an FOI request is answered, it is considered to be in the public domain.  To promote transparency, FCDO Services may now publish the response and any material released on GOV.UK in the FOI releases section.  All personal information in the letter will be removed before publishing.

The copies of information being supplied to you continue to be protected by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.  You are free to use it for your own purposes, including any non-commercial research you are doing and for the purposes of news reporting.  Any other re-use, for example commercial publication, would require the permission of the copyright holder.  Most documents supplied by the FCDO will have been produced by government officials and will be protected by Crown Copyright.  To re-use Crown Copyright documents please consult the Open Government Licence v3 on the National Archives website.

Information you receive which is not subject to Crown Copyright continues to be protected by the copyright of the person, or organisation, from which the information originated. You must ensure that you gain their permission before reproducing any third party (non-Crown Copyright) information.

If you would like to request a review of our decision, you should write to the Data Protection Officer (DPO), Knowledge and Information Management (KIM) Team, FCDO Services, Hanslope Park, Milton Keynes, England, MK19 7BH (e-mail: [email protected]).  Please note you have 40 working days to do so from the date of this letter. Please quote the reference number above in any future communications.

If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may then apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision.  Generally, the Information Commissioner cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided by the FCDO. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF, or online at: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/

Yours sincerely,

FOI Officer

Knowledge and Information Management (KIM) Team

FCDO Services