Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page 123 of the Cabinet Office Annual Reports and Accounts 2022-23, published on 19 September 2023, what the intangible software development asset developed by the Office for Government Property was; and for what reason there was a change in approach to the project.

The Intangible asset relates to build costs of a bespoke software solution to capture strategic information across government property. A recovery of £300,000 (incl VAT) was made from the technology supplier. This recovery is not reflected in the £1,202,000 figure (on page 123).

The project approach changed as the technology supplier was unable to deliver a solution to meet the requirements, despite multiple deadline extensions. Based on commercial advice, the contract was terminated. A new contract has now been awarded to a provider of an off-the-shelf product, which is currently being configured. Where possible, products that were developed in the previous written off solution, such as user requirements and data standard, have been recycled for the current delivery.