§ Mr. GrayTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date board members of Inland Revenue first began planning for project ASPIRE or its antecedents; and who was responsible for project ASPIRE from that date up to 5 September 2002. [144692]
§ Dawn PrimaroloThe planning for the ASPIRE project began in January 2001. John Yard, the Inland Revenue's Director of Business Services, took responsibility for this planning.
§ Mr. GrayTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the purpose was of the market making exercise run by Inland Revenue as part of Project ASPIRE; what objectives were set to judge its success; and whether these objectives were achieved. [144693]
§ Dawn PrimaroloCompetitions are generally accepted as the best way to deliver value for money. The market-making exercise was designed to encourage the major IT industry players to enter the ASPIRE competition. This objective was achieved and the competition has been genuinely tough and fair. In a written statement to the House on 11 December 2003 (column 107WS) I announced that the result of the competition was that Cap Gemini Ernst and Young had been named as the Inland Revenue's preferred supplier for the ASPIRE contract replacing the incumbent suppliers EDS and Accenture.
§ Mr. GrayTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the potential suppliers who engaged in the market making exercise in support of project ASPIRE were made aware by Inland Revenue at the outset of the exercise of the identities of the other potential suppliers; whether the methodology adopted by Inland Revenue for the market making exercise provided for discussions
804W
Table 1: Unemployment in London boroughs March to February, thousand and percentage 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 Levels Rates (%) Levels Rates (%) Levels Rates (%) Levels Rate (%) Greater London 394 11.1 326 9.1 283 7.9 269 7.3 Barking and Dagenham 10 12.9 7 9.6 7 10.2 2— 2— Barnet 13 8.0 11 6.6 10 5.4 10 5.6 Bexley 11 8.9 6 5.4 8 7.0 8 7.3 Brent 16 13.1 16 12.6 15 11.2 10 7.5 Bromley 9 5.8 7 4.5 8 5.5 6 3.8 between Inland Revenue and each of the potential suppliers engaging in the market making exercise; and whether the potential suppliers who responded to the Official Journal of the European Communities Notice placed by Inland Revenue with regard to Project ASPIRE were required in their submissions to provide indicative pricing information. [144694]
§ Dawn PrimaroloI cannot comment on whether the potential suppliers who engaged in the market making exercise were aware of the identities of the other potential suppliers. However, there were ongoing discussions between the Department and potential suppliers, at their request, throughout the market-making exercise. In addition, as I stated in my reply of 18 September, an open meeting was held for all interested suppliers on 7 March 2002, which was attended by 42 potential suppliers. The potential suppliers were not required to provide indicative pricing information in their response to the Official Journal of the European Communities notice that was placed by the Inland Revenue.