HL Deb 28 October 2002 vol 640 cc4-5WA
Baroness Blatch

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Who drew up the specification for the contract with Capita to process applications for criminal records checks. [HL5937]

The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Falconer of Thoroton):

The specification for the contract with Capita to process applications for criminal record checks was developed by a team comprising Criminal Records Bureau project managers and external project and legal advisers. These included the Central Computing and Telecommunications Agency, and the legal advisers, Bird and Bird and Kermon, who are now part of Xansa. In addition, the Criminal Records Bureau consulted the Home Office Procurement Unit and Home Office legal advisers.

In December 1999 it was announced that Capita, PricewaterhouseCoopers and eCRES were the shortlisted bidders, and the contract specification was developed over a number of months with the shortlisted bidders before the preferred bidder was chosen.