“We saw the failure to test computer systems adequately with tax credits and with the Passport Agency. We saw the failure to have somebody clearly in overall charge with the National Probation Service computer system and with the radio communication system for the armed forces.  These were well-known bear-traps but the Department for Transport blundered straight into them.  It is way past time that Whitehall learned to stop making the same old mistakes again and again.”

Mr Bacon was speaking as the Commons public accounts committee published its report into the Department for Transport’s scheme to share corporate services with its agencies .  The report finds that the Department for Transport (DfT) took shortcuts which subsequently caused computer problems. The DfT did not specify its requirements precisely enough or manage its suppliers sufficiently closely. It also reduced the time available for testing the system and, as a consequence, the shared service system was unstable from the moment it was switched on.  Users of the system have little confidence in its abilities and, in some cases, the service is worse than that previously provided. 

The Department initially estimated that the Programme would yield a net benefit of £57 million over the first 10 years. However, current forecasts show that the Programme will now incur a net cost of £81 million. 

16 December 2008
 

See also:
PAC REPORT: Shared services at the Department for Transport