Student Lifecycle Project budget

Dear University of Glasgow,
a. In response to my recent FoI request (your ref: FoI Review
2010/01-F0084126 )

You have replied

“I have reviewed the response made to you and, while it does not
answer your
questions 1 (a), (b) and (c) directly the response made is correct.
There is perhaps
confusion over expenditure on Phase 1 of the project (the
pre-contract phase) and
expenditure incurred in particular years which I will attempt to
clarify:
The cost budgets for the Student Lifecycle Project (SLP) in 2007/08
and 2008/09, as
set through the University's budget setting process, were £650k and
£3,320k
respectively. All expenditure charged against the project was
authorised in line with
the hierarchical structure of delegated authority which governs
budgetary authority
across the University. Pre contract SLP expenditure was incurred in
2007/08 and
2008/09 and has been charged against the annual budgets in line
with the delegated
authorities in place for this project. Pre and post contract
expenditure is therefore
contained within the overall budgets set in these two years for the
delivery of SLP as
a whole.
I hope you will agree therefore that there was no overspend on
budget and therefore
no need for a case to be made and approved or otherwise.”

On studying the information you have given to date about this
project I have noticed that the budget was approved by the
University Senior Management Group on 17 March 2009. This clearly
tells me that you were spending money against an unapproved budget.
Could you please explain your reply in light of this? Also I am
still waiting to know who made the decision to spend the
University’s money from a non existent budget?

b. Could you please send me the breakdown of the expenditure
against the budget allocated to this project to date?

Yours faithfully,

Wolfram Bayer