Ref No.: 15 26
Request Type: FOI
Date Received: 18/09/26
Date Responded: 23/09/26
Category: Software subscriptions
Request
- Software asset and contract registers
If Water Industry Commission for Scotland maintains any of the following, please provide the current version:
- a software asset register or application register
- an ICT or digital contract register
Please supply these in machine-readable form (Excel) rather than PDF if possible. If any field in a register is exempt, please provide the register with that field removed rather than withholding it in full.
- Expenditure on named suppliers
For the financial year 2025/26, please state the total expenditure on products and services originating from each of the following:
- Microsoft
- Oracle
- Amazon Web Services
Please include spend made through a reseller, licensing solution provider, systems integrator, managed service provider or public sector framework, as well as any spend made directly with the supplier.
- Licence and subscription volumes
As at 31 March 2026, please state the number of licences or subscriptions held for each of the following categories:
- Microsoft Windows (desktop and server operating systems)
- Microsoft 365 / Office
- All other Microsoft products (including Dynamics, SQL Server and Azure subscriptions)
- Oracle database products
- Oracle application products
- All other Oracle products
If licences are held under an enterprise agreement or similar arrangement that does not record a per-user count, please say so and give the metric that is used instead.
- Total software expenditure
For the financial year 2025/26:
- total expenditure on all software licences, subscriptions and cloud services
- a list of every software or cloud supplier on which Water Industry Commission for Scotland spent more than £50,000, with the amount spent on each
Response
Many thanks for your request for information dated 18 September 2026 which asked for the following information:
- Software asset and contract registers
If Water Industry Commission for Scotland maintains any of the following, please provide the current version:
- a software asset register or application register
- an ICT or digital contract register
Please supply these in machine-readable form (Excel) rather than PDF if possible. If any field in a register is exempt, please provide the register with that field removed rather than withholding it in full.
- Expenditure on named suppliers
For the financial year 2025/26, please state the total expenditure on products and services originating from each of the following:
- Microsoft
- Oracle
- Amazon Web Services
Please include spend made through a reseller, licensing solution provider, systems integrator, managed service provider or public sector framework, as well as any spend made directly with the supplier.
- Licence and subscription volumes
As at 31 March 2026, please state the number of licences or subscriptions held for each of the following categories:
- Microsoft Windows (desktop and server operating systems)
- Microsoft 365 / Office
- All other Microsoft products (including Dynamics, SQL Server and Azure subscriptions)
- Oracle database products
- Oracle application products
- All other Oracle products
If licences are held under an enterprise agreement or similar arrangement that does not record a per-user count, please say so and give the metric that is used instead.
- Total software expenditure
For the financial year 2025/26:
- total expenditure on all software licences, subscriptions and cloud services
- a list of every software or cloud supplier on which Water Industry Commission for Scotland spent more than £50,000, with the amount spent on each
We have handled your request in terms of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA). FOISA provides for a right of access to recorded information held by Scottish public authorities.
We disclose the following information to you in response to your request:
| Q1 |
Software asset and contract registers. If Water Industry Commission for Scotland maintains any of the following, please provide the current version:
Please supply these in machine-readable form (Excel) rather than PDF if possible. If any field in a register is exempt, please provide the register with that field removed rather than withholding it in full. |
| A1 |
Question 1 relates to software and technical assets used by WICS. These systems are critical to the delivery of WICS's statutory functions and disclosing details of them would create a real risk of harm. Such information could reveal aspects of WICS's technical environment and assist malicious actors in identifying vulnerabilities and targeting cyber-attacks. Given the increasing prevalence of sophisticated cyber threats against public sector organisations, disclosure could increase the risk to the confidentiality, integrity and availability of WICS systems and information. A successful attack could result in service disruption, significant costs, resource diversion, reputational damage and an inability to effectively perform WICS's statutory functions. We therefore consider that disclosure would substantially prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs. Section 30(c) of FOISA is subject to the public interest test. While there is a public interest in transparency regarding WICS's use of public funds and technology investments, we consider this is outweighed by the public interest in protecting WICS's systems and information from cyber threats. Disclosure would increase the risk of a cyber-attack and the associated operational, financial and public service impacts. Accordingly, WICS considers that the exemption in Section 30(c) of FOISA applies and the information requested in Question 1 is withheld. |
| Q2 |
Expenditure on named suppliers For the financial year 2025/26, please state the total expenditure on products and services originating from each of the following:
Please include spend made through a reseller, licensing solution provider, systems integrator, managed service provider or public sector framework, as well as any spend made directly with the supplier. |
|
| A2 |
Product |
2025-26 (£) |
| Microsoft | 22,554 | |
| Oracle | - | |
| Amazon Web Services | - | |
| Q3 |
Licence and subscription volumes As at 31 March 2026, please state the number of licences or subscriptions held for each of the following categories:
If licences are held under an enterprise agreement or similar arrangement that does not record a per-user count, please say so and give the metric that is used instead. |
|
| A3 |
Product |
No. of licences held |
| Microsoft Windows | - | |
| Microsoft 365 | 55 | |
| Other Microsoft | - | |
| Oracle database products | - | |
| Oracle applications | - | |
| Other Oracle | - | |
| Where licences are held under an enterprise agreement (or similar): | N/A | |
| Q4 |
Total software expenditure For the financial year 2025/26:
|
|
| A4 |
|
2025-26 (£) |
| Total expenditure on all software licences, subscriptions and cloud services | 55,653 | |
| Software or cloud suppliers where WICS have spent more than £50,000: | WICS has not spent more than £50,000 on software or cloud suppliers in the financial year 2025-26. | |
In addition to the information above, I would like to sign post you to Public Contracts Scotland where you may find some information relevant to your questions.
If you are unhappy with this response to your request, you may ask us to carry out a review by contacting us. Your request for review should explain why you are dissatisfied and should be made within 40 working days of receipt of this response. The review will be undertaken by staff not involved in the original process and we will reply within 20 working days of receipt.
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner (SIC) and thereafter to the Court of Session on a point of law only. The SIC can be contacted using the details below:
Scottish Information Commissioner
Kinburn Castle, Doubledykes Road
St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9DS
Telephone: 01334 464610
Web: www.foi.scot