FOI release

FOI202500033S ServiceNow

Published 20 January 2026

© Crown copyright 2026

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foi-release-servicenow/foi202500033s-servicenow

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 - REQUEST REF: FOI2025_00033S 

Thank you for your email of 24 November 2025 asking for information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000. You asked: 

  1. How much do you spend on ServiceNow licences per annum?  

  2. How many years have you been a ServiceNow customer?  

  3. How many people are in your ServiceNow team?  

  4. What is your average time to upgrade ServiceNow?  

  5. Which ServiceNow modules are you currently running?  

  6. What percentage of your upgrades do you test automatically?  

  7. Which third parties do you use for ServiceNow support?  

  8. What is your annual spend on third-party ServiceNow support?  

  9. What are your top three ServiceNow projects planned for the next 12 months?  

  10. Do you have business automation targets? If so, what are they?  

  11. Do you have any plans to implement ServiceNow’s Now Assist?  

  12. How much do you spend on third parties overall? 

Following a clarification request we sent to you on 26 November 2025 regarding question 3 above, you replied on 5 January 2026 and clarified: 

“I am looking for information regarding the number of people responsible for the day to day running of the ServiceNow platform at FCDO.” 

I am writing to confirm that we have now completed the search for the information which you requested.   

I can confirm that FCDO Services does hold information relevant to your request, as set out below.

1)

  • 1st January - 31st December 2021 - £415,964 

  • 1st January - 31st December 2022 - £456,819 

  • 1st January - 31st December 2023 - £529,570 

  • 1st January - 31st December 2024 - £545,148 

  • 1st January - 31st December 2025 - £545,148, plus additional £38,757 covering 1/4/2025 - 31/12/2025 

2) Since 2018. 

3) We have 5 roles, within a shared services model, supporting the ServiceNow platform - they consist of developers, administrators, product managers. 

4) Withheld under Section 31 of the FOIA. See below for further details. 

5) Withheld under Section 31 of the FOIA. See below for further details. 

6) 100%. 

7) Not applicable. 

8) Not applicable. 

9) Withheld under Section 31 of the FOIA. See below for further details. 

10) No. 

11) No. 

12) Not applicable.  

Section 31  

Section 31(1) is a qualified exemption, which means that it is subject to a public interest test. The exemption is designed to cover all aspects of the prevention and detection of crime. We acknowledge the public interest in openness and transparency, however, disclosure of the information requested could aid a criminal who was intent on launching an attack on the Department’s ICT systems and could expose FCDO Services to potential threats such as targeted e-crime, reveal any potential network infrastructure / cyber vulnerabilities or weaknesses and expose FCDO Services to potential threats of a criminal nature. 

Once an FOI request is answered, it is considered to be in the public domain.  To promote transparency, FCDO Services may now publish the response and any material released on GOV.UK in the FOI releases section.  All personal information in the letter will be removed before publishing.  

Where copies of information have been supplied to you they will continue to be protected by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.  You are free to use it for your own purposes, including any non-commercial research you are doing and for the purposes of news reporting.  Any other re-use, for example commercial publication, would require the permission of the copyright holder.  Most documents supplied by the FCDO will have been produced by government officials and will be protected by Crown Copyright.  To re-use Crown Copyright documents please consult the Open Government Licence v3 on the National Archives website. 

Information you receive which is not subject to Crown Copyright continues to be protected by the copyright of the person, or organisation, from which the information originated. You must ensure that you gain their permission before reproducing any third party (non-Crown Copyright) information. 

If you would like to request a review of our decision, you should write to the Data Protection Officer (DPO), Knowledge and Information Management (KIM) Team, FCDO Services, Hanslope Park, Milton Keynes, England, MK19 7BH (e-mail: FCDOServices.DataProtectionOfficer@fcdo.gov.uk).  Please note you have 40 working days to do so from the date of this letter. Please quote the reference number above in any future communications. 

If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may then apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision.  Generally, the Information Commissioner cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided by the FCDO. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF, or online at: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/  

Yours sincerely, 

FOI Officer 

Knowledge and Information Management (KIM) Team 

FCDO Services

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