Total annual spend on consultants: FOI release

FOI Reference: FOI/202500495803
Date received: 24 November 2025
Date responded: 22 December 2025

Information requested

Request for information 1:

The total annual spend on consultants by Social Security Scotland in each of the last five financial years (2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25).

Request for information 2:

A breakdown of this spending by contract or project, if possible:

1. Supplier name
2. Purpose of the work
3. Total cost of the contract
4. Whether the contract was extended

Response

Request for information 1:

Please see extracts from the annual accounts for financial years 2023-24 and 2024-25.

Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25 – Page 63 (Table 17)

Table 17

External Consultancy	2024-25 £million
Deloitte LLP	0.403
Ipsos MORI UK	0.005
QI Consulting Limited	0.005
Total	0.413

 

Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24 – page 54 (Table 16)

Table 16

External Consultancy	2023-24 £million
Merritt-Harrison Catering Consultancy	0.003
NCC Group Security Services Limited	0.119
Commissum Associates Limited	0.067
Total	0.189

 

Please see response to annual spend on consultants for financial years 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23.

Consultancies spend for 2022-23

External Consultancy	2022-23 £million
Merritt-Harrison Catering Consultancy	0.009

Please note all figures have been rounded to the nearest £1,000.

Consultancies spend for 2020-21 and 2021-22

There was no consultancy spend recorded for the above years.

Request for information 2:

A breakdown of this spending by contract or project

Supplier name - Deloitte LLP
Purpose of the work – Digital Advisory Services
Total cost of the contract – £403,000
Whether the contract was extended – No

Supplier name – Ipsos MORI UK
Purpose of the work – Research
Total cost of the contract – £5,000
Whether the contract was extended – No

Supplier name – QI Consulting Limited
Purpose of the work – Assurance and Advisory Services
Total cost of the contract – £5,000
Whether the contract was extended – Yes

Supplier name – Merritt-Harrison Catering Consultancy
Purpose of the work – Catering Advisory Services
Total cost of the contract – £12,000
Whether the contract was extended – Yes

Supplier name – NCC Group Security Services Limited
Purpose of the work – IT Security Assurance
Total cost of the contract – £119,000
Whether the contract was extended – No

Supplier name – Commissum Associates Limited
Purpose of the work – IT Security Assurance
Total cost of the contract – £67,000
Whether the contract was extended – Yes

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