Government Department Financial Efficiencies

The request was successful.

Dear Department for Education,

Under the FOI act please provide a response to the following questions

VAT
1. Does the Department use an external provider for VAT advisory services? If so, please provide the following details
a. Name of provider
b. Contract start and end date
c. Total amount of VAT recovered by the provider in 2015/16
d. Total amount paid to the provider for these services in 2015/16

2. Did the Department use an external provider for Re-Review VAT recovery in 2015/16? If so, please provide the following details
a. Name of provider
b. Total amount of additional VAT recovered by the provider in 2015/16
c. Total amount paid to the provider for these services in 2015/16

3. Did the Department utilise any frameworks to procure any of the VAT services stated in Q1 and Q2. If so, please state which frameworks

Accounts Payable
4. What is the total number of invoices processed through accounts payable (AP) for each of the last five financial years:
2011/12:
2012/13:
2013/14:
2014/15:
2015/16:

5. What is the total expenditure through accounts payable (AP) for each of the last five financial years (£):
2011/12:
2012/13:
2013/14:
2014/15:
2015/16:

6. Could you provide the following information for all 3rd party providers the department has used to complete a review of Accounts Payable Invoices in the last 5 financial years:
a. Name of provider
b. Contract start and end date
c. Total value of duplicated invoices/erroneous payments identified by the 3rd party in the last five financial years
d. How much did the 3rd party invoice the organisation for any review work undertaken?

7. What accounting system does the organisation use (Oracle, E-Financials, Sage etc.)

Thank you for the time spent on this request,

Yours faithfully,

Mr J Taylor

ACCOUNT, Unmonitored, Department for Education

Dear Mr Taylor

Thank you for your recent enquiry. A reply will be sent to you as soon as possible. For information; the departmental standard for correspondence received is that responses should be sent within 20 working days as you are requesting information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Your correspondence has been allocated reference number 2017-0025675.

Thank you

Department for Education
Ministerial and Public Communications Division
Tel: 0370 000 2288

show quoted sections

ACCOUNT, Unmonitored, Department for Education

Dear J Taylor 

 

"Thank you for your request for information, which was received on
03/05/2017.

 

I apologise that we have not responded within the 20 day period allowed
under the Freedom of Information Act. We are in the process of compiling
your response and will endeavour to have an answer to you as soon as
possible.

 

If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please
remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

If you are unhappy with the way your request has been handled, you should
make a complaint to the Department by writing to me within two calendar
months of the date of this letter. Your complaint will be considered by an
independent review panel, who review panel, who were not involved in the
original consideration of your request. 

If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint to the
Department, you may then contact the Information Commissioner’s Office."

 Callum Overfield 

Web: [1]https://www.education.gov.uk
Twitter: [2]https://www.twitter.com/educationgovuk
Facebook: [3]https://www.facebook.com/educationgovuk

 

References

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ACCOUNT, Unmonitored, Department for Education

Dear J Taylor 

 

"Thank you for your request for information, which was received on
03/05/2017 00:00 . You requested   

VAT

1.      Does the Department use an external provider for VAT advisory
services?

If so, please provide the following details

a.      Name of provider

b.      Contract start and end date

c.      Total amount of VAT recovered by the provider in 2015/16

d.      Total amount paid to the provider for these services in 2015/16 

2.      Did the Department use an external provider for Re-Review VAT
recovery in

2015/16?  If so, please provide the following details

a.      Name of provider

b.      Total amount of additional VAT recovered by the provider in
2015/16

c.      Total amount paid to the provider for these services in 2015/16 

3.      Did the Department utilise any frameworks to procure any of the
VAT

services stated in Q1 and Q2.  If so, please state which frameworks 

Accounts Payable

4.      What is the total number of invoices processed through accounts
payable

(AP) for each of the last five financial years:

2011/12:

2012/13:

2013/14:

2014/15:

2015/16: 

5.      What is the total expenditure through accounts payable (AP) for
each of

the last five financial years (£):

2011/12:

2012/13:

2013/14:

2014/15:

2015/16: 

6.      Could you provide the following information for all 3rd party
providers

the department has used  to complete a review of Accounts Payable Invoices
in the last 5 financial years:

a.      Name of provider

b.      Contract start and end date

c.      Total value of duplicated invoices/erroneous payments identified
by the

3rd party in the last five financial years

d.      How much did the 3rd party invoice the organisation for any review
work

undertaken? 

7.      What accounting system does the organisation use (Oracle,
E-Financials,

Sage etc.)

 

I have dealt with your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000
(“the Act”).

 

In response to questions 1, 2 and 3 The Department does not use an
external provider for VAT Advisory services, therefore we offer a nil
response to questions 1-3 in their entirety. 

In response to questions 4, 5 and 6 please see figures below: 

4.      What is the total number of invoices processed through accounts
payable (AP) for each of the last five financial years:

2011/12: 28,414

2012/13: 28,998

2013/14: 49,988

2014/15: 59,236

2015/16: 58,427 

5.      What is the total expenditure through accounts payable (AP) for
each of the last five financial years (£): 

In respect of the above invoices, the total expenditure through AP for
each of the last five financial years is:

2011/12: £1,320,673

2012/13: £187,660,751

2013/14: £493,815,637

2014/15: £776,146,037

2015/16: £1,130,204,062 

6.      Could you provide the following information for all 3rd party
providers the department has used  to complete a review of Accounts
Payable Invoices in the last 5 financial years:

a.      Name of provider: Moore Stephens

b.      Contract start and end date: The contract for the Spend Recovery
Audit started in 2014 and ended in 2015. However, the transactions
analysed by the audit covered 2009 – 2014.

c.      Total value of duplicated invoices/erroneous payments identified
by the 3rd party in the last five financial years:  £45,395.84 of
erroneous/duplicate payments were identified/recovered from the period
2009-2014.

d.      How much did the 3rd party invoice the organisation for any review
work undertaken: £2,269.79 plus VAT 

In response to question 7, the Department uses Oracle Ebusiness Suite,
Microsoft Navision and CODA.

 

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If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please
remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

If you are unhappy with the way your request has been handled, you should
make a complaint to the Department by writing to me within two calendar
months of the date of this letter. Your complaint will be considered by an
independent review panel, who review panel, who were not involved in the
original consideration of your request. 

If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint to the
Department, you may then contact the Information Commissioner’s Office."

 

 Tracy McRury 

Head of Financial Operations

Operational Finance Group. Insight, Resources and Transformation
Directorate

Secure Room, 2^nd Floor, Cheylesmore House, Quinton Road, Coventry, CV1
2WT

 

[4][email address]

Web: [5]https://www.education.gov.uk
Twitter: [6]https://www.twitter.com/educationgovuk
Facebook: [7]https://www.facebook.com/educationgovuk

 

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