UK SPPI: computer programming and consultancy
UK SPPI: computer programming and consultancy stood at 131.7 in Q2 2026, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS). It is one of the indicators in the Services producer prices table (Value · Quarterly), with a complete series running from Q4 2008 to Q2 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Services producer prices table
| Indicator | Q2-2026 | Q1-2026 | Q4-2025 | Q3-2025 | Q2-2025 | Q1-2025 | Q4-2024 | Q3-2024 | Q2-2024 | Q1-2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Services price index by industry | |||||||||||
| J62 Computer programming and consultancy | 131.7 | 130.6 | 130.3 | 127.7 | 125 | 125.5 | 125.6 | 129.5 | 126.1 | 124.5 | |
| J63 Information services | 113.1 | 111.8 | 110.1 | 110.3 | 111.6 | 111.5 | 108.9 | 108.5 | 110 | 110 |
Understanding UK SPPI: computer programming and consultancy
Professional software architecture, systems integration, and bespoke digital consultancy delivered across the United Kingdom are evaluated in this specialised index. The series captures hourly charge-out rates, day rates, and milestone-based fees agreed between IT consultancy firms and their corporate or institutional clients. It excludes packaged retail software sales and basic infrastructure maintenance, concentrating on bespoke technological engineering, code development, and strategic IT design.
Index values are published in non-seasonally adjusted format, meaning changes in consulting billing rates often reflect annual corporate budgeting cycles and fiscal year-end planning. Subsequent revisions frequently occur as IT services companies reconcile provisional billing against finalised project milestone sign-offs. Evaluating the index through year-on-year comparisons is advisable to assess structural changes in specialist consultancy costs while filtering out quarterly project timing effects. This measure must not be confused with hardware equipment price indices, as it strictly reflects skilled human technical services and engineering expertise.
Frequently asked questions
- Does this index measure the cost of off-the-shelf computer software?
- No, it monitors professional fees for custom programming, IT advisory work, and systems implementation services.
- How are day rates and fixed-price contracts captured in the survey?
- The survey collects standardised daily billing rates for specialist roles as well as agreed milestone fees for comparable project deliverables.
- Why is year-on-year analysis recommended for IT consultancy prices?
- Annual comparisons eliminate the volatility associated with corporate IT budget cycles, fiscal deadlines, and phased project contract approvals.