back to article Gov.UK doubles IT outsourcing to £20bn

Public sector IT outsourcing has doubled over the last six years to be worth £20.7bn in active contracts, The Register can reveal. Since 2008, the average contract size of public sector IT outsourcing deals has remained roughly the same, David Howie, partner at ISG Outsourcing told El Reg. This is despite the government's …

  1. phil dude

    anyone want to bet...?

    Anyone want to bet that >90% of the $$$ goes to companies that are at least $10,000,000 in size.

    Then in the next election they will turn around and say "look govt spending down...".

    P.

  2. returnmyjedi

    £20 billion spent; £19 billion worth of cancelled or failed contracts.

    1. Ian Johnston Silver badge

      As little as that?

  3. Frankee Llonnygog

    SIAM

    We have a team of 3 people whose job involves spouting these gov acronyms - OGSIRO, and flip knows what other BOLOX. Occasionally they insist on us doing some box-ticking exercise that wastes a few hundred grand of taxpayers dosh with 'benefits' ranging from harmless to drastic value destruction. Their level of tech knowledge is stuck at thinking denial of service means a 'no trainers' sign on a pub door. Outsourcers' shareholders must love 'em.

    1. ecofeco Silver badge

      Re: SIAM

      +1000 just for BOLOX

  4. Vic
    Joke

    Well, if it's lock-in you were after ...

    service integration and management (SIAM).

    Isn't Siam now known as Tie-land?

    Sorry, it's late here, and a bad pun was the best I could come up with...

    Vic.

  5. Mark 85

    Only £20 Billion in six years?

    Later in the article it states: Earlier this year ISG revealed that the total amount spent on outsourcing services in the UK has doubled to £88bn since the coalition government came to power in 2010.

    I'm admittedly confused, but then I'm not in the UK and am unfamiliar with things. Is the £88bn for all of the UK and not just government work?

  6. Erik4872

    The tower approach is just as bad as single-supplier

    Anyone who has worked for an outsourcer who has to work in their "tower" with other vendors in the other "towers" knows how bad things can get. ITIL and stuff is supposed to take care of this, but it just results in more paperwork and you're still talking third-hand to the customer.

    The whole outsourcing concept just doesn't make sense. There is no way any business, public or private, could run an IT department cheaper by paying a company to do it who also has to make money. In the US, there is a lot of government IT outsourcing as well, but I imagine a lot of that is driven by people complaining about taxes, "lazy entitled government employees" and the fact that civil service is pretty much the only place you can get a guaranteed pension anymore. I would think that the UK and Europe in general would have a lot fewer "deficit hawks" constantly calling for the dismantling of all government departments.

    1. Getriebe

      Re: The tower approach is just as bad as single-supplier

      "ITIL and stuff is supposed to take care of this" - I know you were using irony to say that.

      The company I work for refuses to touch RFQ related to any part of UK Gov. The opportunity costs are so high

      PRINCE2 - designed by a govt. dept. and doesn't it show. The only formal planning mechanism without any financial checks in its process. "Don't worry chaps/esses if it goes over budget we will dun the tax payer"

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: The tower approach is just as bad as single-supplier

      "There is no way any business, public or private, could run an IT department cheaper by paying a company to do it who also has to make money."

      You obviously haven't experienced the incompetent social misfits that are the backbone of public sector IT resources. It they were any good, they would have a better paid job in the real world....

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Build our own government IT team

    It's the best way to fix this. Or continue to piss away billions of our money.

    1. TitterYeNot

      Re: Build our own government IT team

      "Build our own government IT team. It's the best way to fix this"

      What!? But that would mean civil servants or ministers having to take responsibility for the success or failure of government IT projects!

      Go wash your mouth out, you're making far too much sense...

    2. annodomini2

      Re: Build our own government IT team

      Also politicians cannot line large donators pockets

POST COMMENT House rules

Not a member of The Register? Create a new account here.

  • Enter your comment

  • Add an icon

Anonymous cowards cannot choose their icon

Other stories you might like