The Department of Social Protection paid €126.51 million to four of its largest information technology service providers over a two-year period, a revelation that is likely to fuel renewed debate about the amount of taxpayers' money spent on consultants.
The Department of Social Protection paid €126.51 million to four of its largest information technology service providers over a two-year period, a revelation that is likely to fuel renewed debate about the amount of taxpayers' money spent on consultants. This information emerged following a parliamentary question response from TD Aidan Farrelly, who revealed that the department spent €72.86 million on private IT services in 2024 alone.
Over the two-year period, the total expenditure reached €126.51 million. The largest beneficiaries were Dutch-owned IT consultancy Bearing Point, receiving €25.13 million in 2024 and €22.83 million in 2023. Deloitte secured €17.71 million in 2023, while Accenture received €5 million in 2024 and €4.6 million in 2023. In response to a request for comment, Bearing Point did not respond, Deloitte declined to comment on individual client matters, and both Accenture and EY (formerly Ernst & Young) similarly declined to comment on client specifics. The Department of Social Protection defended its expenditure, stating that it engages these companies to provide assistance with specific IT technical skills and projects. They emphasized that these services are crucial for delivering high-quality public services, supporting the development, administration, and maintenance of over 140 schemes and services across three corporate platforms. The department also highlighted the role of these partners in supporting extensive online platforms like MyWelfare, WelfarePartners, and the Governmentwide identity platform MyGovID. These platforms process over three million income support applications and 87 million individual payments annually, with a total expenditure exceeding €24 billion. The department reported over 2.8 million transactions on MyWelfare and over 4.8 million transactions on WelfarePartners, supporting more than 4.8 million MyGovID accounts. However, Mr. Farrelly expressed concern about the extent of private IT contracts, calling for the State to reduce its reliance on contractors. He stressed the importance of ensuring full value for money in these significant expenditures.
IT Contracts Consultants Public Spending Department Of Social Protection Taxpayers' Money
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