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Cash cow
How much of our hard earned just goes down the drain? Cash cow government budgets.
and nobody at fault.....
.....except the office boy who also lost the disk with 25m names on it a couple of years ago. He's been nothing but trouble. Good job everyone else in HMRC is on the ball.
No surprise there then
And it still cannot give the correct time on G Gateway receipts during summer time, where do these people come from!!!
Also still sending out silly penalty notices, just had one for a non submission of a 2013 SA Return when we asked to go on SA from 6 April 2013, ie for 2014 to be first Tax Return.what a set of pl****rs.
Proves the computer system is not fit for purpose.
Bring back local Offices and Inspectors, we will need to go back to parchment and quill before they sort it
Corporate stupidity and double standards
HMRC publish their monthly spend on items costing £25K> at :-
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/spending-over-25-000
Check it out.
so it does not come as a surprise to me that their average monthly spend for computer support was £80M. Why has it taken to now for those in power and procurement to suddenly realise that this contract, their biggest by far, has grown like topsy to the monumental overspend we now see.
Mrs Hodge might well be tempted to ask the following when next she chairs ameeting of PAC
Question, how many people involved in the procurement process are now working for or are closely associated with Cap Gemini?
Question, how much tax does Cap Gemini pay in the UK on what must be their enormous profits from this contract? (How much profit do they make?)
The answer to the second question has already been looked into and commented on in the House so the answer is out there.
Perhaps the recently promoted Mr Gauke might have the answer to the first question and I am sure he will have an opinion on the second. Its a disgrace that he hasn't gone public on this issue as he has in the very recent past been very vocal on individuals and Companies paying the "fair amount of tax". These matters are within his portfolio of responsibilities so lets see if he elects to remain silent on the issue. If he does, one is left wondering as to motive.
Come on Mr G lets be hearing from you!!!
Oversprend
I think the most disappointing aspect of this debacle is that none of the commentators appears to be surprised - it is exactly what we all expected!
Scope is the killer ...
As well as the providers
Don't try to do all encompassing systems in one go. By all means know where the project is trying to go but do the whole thing in manageable sized modules, so that they can be fed in slowly (not big bang)
Also leaves wriggle room for scope changes which will inevitably occur in any project which takes years to implement. Nevertheless scope changes are a real revenue generator for the contractor on fixed quote jobs (same as building a house - try changing the position of a power point after being quoted & watch the price spiral)
Unfortunately firms such as EDS, Gap Gem, Accenture (remember Andersons) etc. are all in the business of extracting as much dosh out of the client as possible; in many cases for dubious work & practices as well as trying to strengthen their position by obtaining a 'lock-in' with proprietry code etc.
Once walked away from being offered a job by Sema (Gap Gem) because I though they were simply not up to scratch - to many people in discussion forums & 'ar**-covering' and generally all of low calibre
Why does the Government persist in getting burned by these organisations when they could easily have a 'satisfaction register' and record previous failures so that next time contracts are on offer, offenders are not asked to tender? SImple concept but seemingly beyond Goverment comprehension!
http://ukcampaign4change.com/2014/07/22/capgemini-and-fujitsu-pocket-inc...
Also lets not forget - NHS Lorenzo - CSC, Accenture £10bn failure
Recap - https://www.accountingweb.co.uk/blogs/accountingweb/accountingwebs-10-no...
... and still the gravy train rolls with these companies being awarded new projects
10.4 Billion
I can remember when a million pounds sounded a lot of money, now its a billion, when did that change.
Though I like the HMRC website, for filing accounts anyway.
HMRC did not exist when the Aspire contract was signed
It originally only covered the Inland Revenue. It was the decision of the government to merge that department with Customs and Excise which was instrumental to the huge rise in costs as the two IT estates were merged. In addition Parliament constantly tweaks legislation or introduces new requirements such as RTI that mean old systems have to be scrapped, rewritten or hugely enhanced. That all opens up new charging opportunities to suppliers which naturally they are only too keen to exploit. After all HP(EDS), CapGemini, Accenture etc first duty is to their shareholders not the British taxpayer and if they do not turn a profit they go bust unlike the public sector.
If politicians and civil servants want to know why their IT is expensive and crap then they need only look in a mirror to find the main culprits