Fujitsu director Paul Patterson told the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry on 11 November 2024 that the Post Office had requested a four-year extension to the Horizon contract that morning, as he arrived to give evidence. His account described a moving series of requests—not a signed agreement. The competing durations reflected a transition still being negotiated, with the Post Office seeking time to leave Horizon and Fujitsu warning that a longer continuation was undesirable.
What did Fujitsu say about the four-year request?
At the inquiry hearing on 11 November 2024, Patterson said the Post Office had asked for four years that morning. Recalling the sequence, he said: “I had another request, which was for four years.” He described earlier requests for five years, then two years, then three years. He told counsel that the requirements were continuing to move. Inquiry hearing transcript, 11 November 2024
That testimony establishes what Patterson said the Post Office had requested; it does not establish that Fujitsu accepted the request or that a four-year contract was signed.
Why were the parties discussing an extension?
The contract was approaching its stated end date
Patterson told the inquiry that the Horizon contract was due to end on 31 March 2025. His witness statement said the Post Office had requested discussions about a short-term extension, which it envisaged as approximately two years to allow an orderly exit and transition. Patterson witness statement
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The Post Office was planning a move away from Horizon
On 8 October 2024, Post Office chief executive Nigel Railton described a board-approved proposed strategy to extend the Horizon Support contract for up to five years, from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2030, while seeking a three-year break provision. He said discussions with Fujitsu were ongoing and that the Post Office intended to move to a new system. Railton said continued use through 2030 was possible but, in his view, not likely. This was a proposed strategy, not evidence that the parties had agreed a term. Railton testimony, 8 October 2024
How did the proposed terms differ?
| Duration or feature | What the inquiry record says |
|---|---|
| About two years | Patterson said the Post Office envisaged this as a short-term extension to support an orderly exit and transition. Patterson witness statement |
| Three years | Patterson recalled this as one of the requests made during the discussions. Inquiry hearing transcript, 11 November 2024 |
| Four years | Patterson said the Post Office made this request on the morning of his 11 November evidence. Inquiry hearing transcript, 11 November 2024 |
| Up to five years, with a three-year break provision sought | Railton described this as the board-approved proposed strategy discussed on 8 October; negotiations with Fujitsu were ongoing. Railton testimony, 8 October 2024 |
| Court Case Support Services | Patterson said Fujitsu’s position was that an extension should remove these provisions. Patterson witness statement |
These were accounts of requests, a proposed strategy and negotiating positions—not a list of agreed contract options.
Why did Patterson prefer a shorter extension?
Patterson argued that the extension should last for as little time as possible because Horizon was meant to be replaced. He said the system had not received material investment in the previous four years while attention was focused on NBIT. He characterized Horizon as one part of an incomplete supply chain: changing it would also require testing other systems, making it difficult to know whether a three-, four- or five-year timetable was feasible. He said the extension “needs to be the shortest possible time entirely.” Those were Patterson’s views at the hearing, not an independent technical audit or a confirmed transition schedule. Inquiry hearing transcript, 11 November 2024
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Was a four-year extension ultimately agreed?
The cited inquiry testimony establishes that Patterson said a four-year request was made; the cited passages do not establish the final contract term or conditions, whether the request was accepted, or the eventual transition outcome. They therefore do not support describing a four-year extension as an executed deal.
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