from the honest,-this-one-will-work-and-be-under-budget dept.
UK govt launches procurement for tax agency systems:
The UK government has kicked off procurement to modernize aging legacy applications used by the national tax collector, HMRC (His Majesty's Revenue and Customs).
Crown Commercial Services, which sits within the Cabinet Office, has released the contract notice for the Digital and Legacy Application Services (DALAS) framework, which could be worth up to £4.2 billion (c $4.64 billion) over four years.
But the invitation to tender, the process through which suppliers bid for the places on the framework deals, is set to be split. Phase 1 will begin in February next year, with the timetable for Phase 2 yet to be announced.
HMRC has one of the largest and most complex IT estates in Europe with over 600 systems, 800 terabytes of data, 1,000 IT changes a month, and a 24/7 IT operation. It serves 45 million citizens and more than 5 million business taxpayers.
In August, HMRC released a prior information notice, which starts early conversations with suppliers before the formal competition begins.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by MostCynical on Wednesday October 12 2022, @08:20AM (1 child)
what does this metric even mean?
Bug fixes? Configuration changes? Locked fields that should be editable, but need 'back-end' administrators to update?
Someone picked a large number and put it in a press release and then a journalist either misquoted it, or worse, directly quoted it.
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Wednesday October 12 2022, @08:39AM
I agree, but I think that it is possibly referring to items of hardware that have to be replaced. However, somebody else's guess is just as valid as mine!
For example, many computers that the government procured within the last decade or so do not meet the standards to upgrade to Windows 11. Some of the hardware that the systems were designed around by the commercial entity delivering that system are no longer manufactured or supported. And because the 'standards' adopted were a company's standards and not internationally recognised standards nobody wants the job of fixing it unless loads of money is promised.
And they wonder why so many govt departments are still using Windows XP! How do you prove the security of a new system that relies on a manufacturers' 'security' chip being installed (TPM or other 'management' chip) ?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by janrinok on Wednesday October 12 2022, @08:25AM (2 children)
With a contract worth billions only the big players will be bidding for it. The same big players that have failed miserably over a decade or more to satisfactorily introduce much smaller projects to a government requirement. They promise the world yet eventually get away with delivering only some of what they promised. Of course, the final costs remain the same or even more.
The invitation to tender is to be split but this does not necessarily apply to the actual project. Perhaps they should try issuing 600 smaller contracts which can also be within the capabilities of SMBs. If the specifications are correctly written each system should meet their own specifications or be rejected. If it doesn't work because of an interface problem then the specifications were wrong. Of course, the specifications will not be properly written but at least we can identify whose fault it is and then reduce the amount that the govt is expected to pay that contractor. Better still, prevent them (or any 'renamed' subsidiaries) from bidding for future contracts for a significant period of time.
As it is they will set a timeframe of x years, it will begin to be introduced in x+y years in 'phases' and then the mess will slowly unravel over the following z years. Just like so many other govt projects. All those responsible for the cock-ups will have moved on it will be left to the latest post incumbents to sort the mess out.
They should also insist on open standards and software unless there is a very strong argument in the govt's favour for not doing so. Contractors preferences and closed commercial software have only a limited place in public systems.
(Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Wednesday October 12 2022, @01:45PM (1 child)
That's the problem with your approach. How can you tell whether the specifications are correctly written?
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Thursday October 13 2022, @03:10AM
as someone who has both written requirements AND managed implementations, it doesn't actually matter how well anything is written, the vendor will (willfully) misinterpret almost everything, almost to the level of art.
Most contracts are won based on glossy powerpoints with pretty diagrams and graphics, then farmed out to subcontractors (often 'offshore')
It is more amazing that any government systems work at all!
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex