The Federal Office of Information Technology, Systems and Telecommunication (FOITT) is the federal office responsible for providing IT services for the Swiss Federal Administration. It is subordinated to the Federal Department of Finance.
The FOITT is the largest IT service provider in the federal administration. In addition to the Federal Office for Cybersecurity, four other departments have their own service providers (ISC-EJPD for the FDJP, ISCeco for the EAER, IT EDA for the FDFA and Armed Forces Cyber Command for the DDPS). As a provider of standard services, the FOITT is responsible for telecommunications, the internet, business solutions, and operational security for the entire Federal Administration. It is responsible for operating data centers and specialist applications for three departments, managing over 50,000 standardized workstation systems for six departments and the Federal Chancellery, and operating data networks and telecommunications infrastructure for the entire Federal Administration. The FOITT supports business processes in the Federal Administration and ensures that telecommunications between all federal agencies in Switzerland and abroad function properly.
FOITT’s strategic priorities are the industrialization and standardization of IT production, the implementation of a scalable software factory, and a focus on value-added services. In addition, BIT aims to enhance its appeal as an IT employer and position itself as an attractive IT partner for the public sector.
In accordance with the transfer pricing concept, the FOITT charges service recipients for the total costs of service provision. In 2025, this generated CHF 887 million in revenue for the FOITT, with this revenue divided into CHF 604 million for ICT operating costs (Service Group 1, SG1) and CHF 283 million for ICT projects and services (Service Group 2, SG2). FOITT’s current revenue consisted mainly of internal cost allocations to administrative units within the central federal administration (CHF 827.9 million) for office automation, communications (networking and telephony), access rights and permissions, as well as the operation of several hundred applications. Revenue from services provided to third parties outside the central federal administration amounted to 58.8 million. Overall, current revenue increased by 147.5 million compared to the 2025 budget.
Predecessor organizations Central Office for Organizational Issues of the Federal Administration (ZOB) After the federal administration of Switzerland had grown considerably during the Second World War, efforts were made in the immediate post-war period to reduce the size of the administration. In this context, staff cuts were made and further rationalization measures were introduced. In 1953, the Federal Council decided to set up a coordination office for cost-cutting and rationalization efforts within the federal administration. In 1954, the Federal Assembly (Swiss parliament) finally passed a federal law establishing a Central Office for Organisational Matters of the Federal Administration (ZOB), which was located in the Department of Finance and Customs and was tasked with reviewing the appropriateness and effectiveness of the organization and working methods of the federal administration and identifying opportunities for cost savings. The rapid development of electronics in the field of office machines prompted the Federal Council to pass a resolution on December 16, 1960, in which it expanded the ZOB's remit to include the coordination of all federal administration efforts in the field of automation and created a Coordination Office for Automation within the ZOB. Until the early 1970s, the federal administration had four general data centers: the Federal Administration Data Center, the Federal Military Department Data Center, the ETH Zurich Data Center, and the EPFL Data Center. In addition to the general data centers, there were still only a few decentralized data processing services with their own equipment and staff in 1973, such as the Meteorological Central Office in Zurich, the Central Compensation Office of the OASI in Geneva, the Federal Tax Administration, the Cashier's and Accounting Office, the Federal Customs Administration, the Institute for Nuclear Research, and the computer center of the construction workshop and ammunition factory in Thun. Overall, spending on IT equipment in the federal administration rose rapidly from around 10 million Swiss francs in 1963 to around 30 million Swiss francs in 1968, to around 140 million Swiss francs in 1973, and finally to around 214 million Swiss francs in 1978.
Federal Office for Organization (BFO) In terms of organization, the ZOB, which was created in 1955, was upgraded to the Federal Office for Organization (BFO) in 1980, with its responsibility for IT confirmed. The corresponding task in the federal law of 1980 was: “Promotes, coordinates, and monitors automatic data processing and ensures overall planning.” In addition, the Federal Office was authorized to issue technical guidelines on the appropriate and economical use of automatic data processing resources. The procurement and use of automatic data processing equipment and the necessary planning work within the federal administration continued to require the approval of the Federal Office.
Federal Office for Information Technology (BfI) As part of the EFFI-QM-BV efficiency improvement project, new management structures based on the principles of New Public Management (NPM) were created in the federal administration in 1990. This also involved the principle of separating advisory and supervisory functions, which led to the dissolution of the BFO and the creation of a new Federal Office for Information Technology (BfI). This new cross-departmental office was responsible for handling interdepartmental conceptual and technical IT issues and had operational responsibility for interdepartmental IT applications. It was also tasked with supporting and advising federal administrative units in the field of IT and, in collaboration with the Federal IT Conference (IKB), issuing technical guidelines on the use of IT standards and norms. The Federal Office also developed its own IT applications, made its IT infrastructure available to administrative units, and performed IT tasks on behalf of other offices. Meanwhile, the Federal Office for Information Technology focused on technology. Of the 172 employees at the outset, around 75 percent worked in the Rechenzentrum der allgemeinen Bundesverwaltung (RZ BV) ( General Federal Administration Computer Center). The remaining employees were involved in user training, services, and planning. By 1999, the number of employees had grown to 230. The director of the BfI, Henri Garin, headed the office until it was transferred to the Federal Office of Information Technology and Telecommunications in 1999. One of his first projects was the construction of a new central administrative building in Bern at a cost of CHF 130 million. Until then, the BfI had been housed at four locations within the city of Bern, which had various disadvantages: workrooms and certain equipment had to be duplicated, management and communication were difficult, and the peripheral location of the IT operations caused time losses in delivering and retrieving data carriers and extensive printing work (at that time, the computer center printed more than 10 million pages of paper annually). In addition, around 5,000 data carriers were exchanged annually with other IT systems at the federal, cantonal, and private businesses level. As part of the government and administrative reforms in the second half of the 1990s, the areas of IT and communications were also examined in depth. This revealed that, due to the rapid development of technology and the virtually nationwide introduction of IT from small beginnings within a short period of time, as well as the tense situation on the labor market for IT specialists, even during times of recession, development had been uncoordinated. However, management and control were identified as the most significant weaknesses in the federal administration's IT sector. In 2000, the Federal Council therefore decided to reorganize federal IT by means of the Ordinance on Information Technology and Telecommunications in the Federal Administration (BinfV) and the Federal IT and Telecommunications Directive (BInfW). Essentially, three different roles were defined: The Federal Council for Information Technology ( Informatikrat des Bundes, IRB), composed of representatives from the departments and the Federal Chancellery, was to act as a staff, planning, and coordination body with overall strategic responsibility for IT in the Federal Administration. All departments, the Federal Chancellery and the administrative units that used IT services were designated as service users ( Leistungsbezüger, LB). IT services were provided by service providers ( Leistungserbringer, LE), which supplied IT infrastructure, developed solutions and provided support. There could be no more than one LE per department, which effectively meant centralization of IT services at the departmental level. However, the ordinance also allowed departments to pursue further centralization by merging departmental service providers into interdepartmental units. In addition to this organization, it was stipulated that certain cross-departmental services to be determined by the Federal Council for Information technology (IRB) should be provided centrally for all departments by the new Federal Office of Information Technology and Telecommunications (FOITT), which was formed from the former Federal Office of Information Technology. These included, in particular, civil data and voice communications – i.e., telecommunications, internet, and intranet – cross-departmental applications, so-called holistic IT services such as consulting, design, operation, and support, organization of courses, ensuring interoperability, and disaster preparedness. However, the BIT could also serve as an IT service provider for departments, which was initially the case for the home department, the FDF, and the Federal Chancellery, and was later extended to other departments. In addition to organizational realignment and restructuring, the data centers were merged, an SAP competence center and an application development department were created, and the automation of data acquisition and the development of nationwide telecommunications services with connections to the cantons and embassies abroad were pushed forward.
Directors Marius Redli (1999–2011)