Subj : The UK governments tech purchase processes downplay the technical
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Fri Jan 17 2025 07:15:05

The UK governments tech purchase processes downplay the technical risks 
involved

Date:
Fri, 17 Jan 2025 07:01:00 +0000

Description:
NAO report cite ballooning costs of projects and cumulative decades of delays 
as consequences of insufficient planning.

FULL STORY
======================================================================UK 
National Audit Office believes government approach to tech suppliers needs 
centralized reform Present strategy costs taxpayers billions and is leaving 
UK infrastructure three decades out of date The Public Accounts Committee has 
also weighed in, claiming government departments are not intelligent clients 

In alarming but unsurprising news given its attitude to artificial 
intelligence , the UK government has been accused of mismanaging its tech 
procurement processes by failing to assess technical risks, leading to 
overinflated budgets which impact taxpayers and delays to implementation. 

Thats according to the latest report (PDF, via The Register ) from the 
National Audit Office, the UKs independent, public spending watchdog. 

In monitoring an array of projects including the National Law Enforcement 
Data Service and the Universal Credit benefits system, the NAO now estimates 
the cumulative cost of projects has increased to over 3 billion pounds, and 
the UK has lost out on at least 29 years of modernisation. UK government tech 
spending strategy 

The NAO believes the pipeline of project proposals through to the awarding of 
contracts [does] not work well for digital programs, citing the fact, 
departments can present investment cases without a detailed assessment of 
technical feasibility, along with a lack of central government guidance to 
address the issue. 

"This results in limited technical evaluation of contracts with technical 
risks downplayed, the report continues. Complexities which emerge after 
contracts are signed can be too fundamental to be dealt with through a change 
control process. A poorly defined requirement and an overemphasis on 
acquiring the minimum requirement or cheapest resource." 

The NAO also criticised a lack of appreciation for the complexities posed by 
the existing environment," and that a pressure to deliver on projects is 
rushing the awarding of contracts. 

Unsurprisingly, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the chair of the Public Accounts 
Committee, Parliaments own spending watchdog, has concurred the system needs 
to change. 

"Digital commercial skills are in short supply, he said, and government is 
not making the most of the limited expertise it has. Government has managed 
digital suppliers poorly, and the center of government has not provided 
direction to help departments become intelligent clients." 

Clifton-Brown also echoed the NAOs call for a unified strategy for 
approaching suppliers. Without a more strategic approach from the center, and 
a sourcing strategy that is fit for purpose for the digital age, the 
government risks wasting more money and squandering the opportunity to 
modernize the public sector." You might also like Weve listed the best AI 
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======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/the-uk-governments-tech-purchase-processes-downp
lay-the-technical-risks-involved


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