Firm embroiled in Arts Council IT row won a 'government partner of the year' award

Codec, which was paid almost €2m including VAT for its contribution to the axed Arts Council IT system, was honoured in the 2024 Microsoft Partner of the Year awards

Simon Harris: ‘I think people are getting a bit sick and tired, to put it mildly, of public money not being spent adequately.'  Picture: PA

A company at the centre of the €6.7m Arts Council IT system scandal won a Microsoft Government Partner of the Year award last year, it has emerged.

Tánaiste Simon Harris has described the millions of euro wasted on the abandoned IT project, which breached spending rules, as “absolutely alarming” and told the Dáil that it will not be a “consequence-free zone” for officials involved.