back to article UK.gov will scrutinise all its Atos contracts following IT cock-up

The government is to cast a critical eye over all its contracts with Atos – worth £696m per year – after MPs urged the Cabinet Office to review its relationship with the outsourcer following an IT failure last year. A report by the Public Accounts Committee in December singled out Atos as having failed to show "an appropriate …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    How many atossers

    work at atos?

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I suspect...

    It was more likely down to goal posts being moved by project managers who didn't have a clue what they were doing.

  3. inmypjs Silver badge

    "singled out Atos"

    5 years late and 180% over budget?

    For and NHS IT project I would say they are doing much better than average.

  4. adnim
    Unhappy

    Curious

    If any of the decision makers are on, have friends and/or relatives on the board of directors of, or are shareholders in Atos.

  5. James 51

    Given the number of gov IT failures and the investigations into why so steps can be implemented so it never happens again; the question that occurs to me is how may unique ways are there to mess things up this badly?

    1. A Non e-mouse Silver badge

      You'll probably find that, at the start, the public sector says "This IT project isn't like any other IT project, so won't suffer from the same problems."

      Then, at the end, they'll 'fess up and say "Actually, it was quite like all the other IT projects. Because we failed to learn from them, we made the same mistakes as everyone else."

      1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

        "Because we failed to learn from them, we made the same mistakes as everyone else."

        It would help if people learned from successes.

    2. Pascal Monett Silver badge
      Coat

      What exactly makes you think that the investigations are meant to ensure IT failures cannot happen again ?

      If I remember the lessons of Sir Humphry Appleby, those investigations will most likely be made to ensure that the people responsible will be whitewashed, while the culprits will be designated as "market forces" and other assorted "outside influences" over which nobody has any control and no one could have forecast.

      So nobody's actually at fault, bonuses all around and, as we can see, new contracts awarded in a jiffy.

      Me, cynical ? Whatever makes you think that ?

      1. SolidSquid

        Having only recently had the pleasure of watching that series, I was both amused and somewhat disturbed at how accurate the depiction seemed to still be. Which I suspect is more or less the same response it got when it first came out

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          > I was both amused and somewhat disturbed at how accurate the depiction seemed

          There's a reason why Maggie found it so amusing. And not just because it portrayed the UnCivil Service in a fairly negative light. Truth hurts..

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Having worked on a project with ATOS as a partner I'm not at all surprised by how late and over budget they are. In fact the only thing that surprises me is that they haven't managed to go even further over budget.

    Posting anonymously for obvious reasons!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      But is that the fault of ATOS or those who created the contract without milestone payments and/or late delivery penalties?

      It seems the project managers who signed off on this are as much to blame as ATOS.

      1. A Non e-mouse Silver badge

        But is that the fault of ATOS or those who created the contract without milestone payments and/or late delivery penalties?

        I heard of a public sector contract which had late delivery penalties. Even before the project was complete (it was over running by this stage) the supplied said: "If you invoke the late delivery penalties, we'll go bust".

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    HMG will outsource this assessment to ATOS

  8. Anonymous Coward
  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    With no clear policy in the NHS of how GP's should store their information (at the start of this computer revolution) then it's clear that this was doomed from the start, can you imagine how many different systems are in use? I've changed doctors a couple of times and I've noticed them using completely different systems myself.

    As usual they have it all the wrong way round, migrate all GP's onto standard secure systems then extract the data or is this just another milk the taxpayer stunt.

    The most important lesson learnt from this and many other exercises is that the government before they get these pie in the sky ideas is that they actually talk to people that have the knowledge to explain the costs, benefits and potential problems rather than signing off on something that is not possible and allowing companies to bid on them knowing full well they will never deliver. What person orders something only to be told we can't do it and pay 40m for the privilege? What person continues to use that same supplier? No one with half a brain.

    1. BurnT'offering

      I'm with you up to the point where you say "migrate all GP's onto standard secure systems"

      I'd suggest instead "mandate that all records are held in a standard format", eg: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_Healthcare_Interoperability_Resources

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: I'm with you up to the point where you say "migrate all GP's onto standard secure systems"

        I did think that as an alternative solution but then I thought about who would implement it in so many fragmented systems and align them all into a standard format by changing variable names, moving data and reconfiguring the front end, not to mention creating the json/xml web interface to the data. I just think it would be easier to move them into something else that is well thought out to do the job then deal with the historical data separately. I'm unsure who supplies IT services to GP's, is it companies tasked with the role for multiple surgeries or is it in house for the smaller ones?

        To be fair these are questions the government should have asked before sploffing all the money at atos for them to piss it up the wall.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: I'm with you up to the point where you say "migrate all GP's onto standard secure systems"

          I'm with you on this one but unfortunately it doesn't fit with the present Conservative party dogma.

          "Localisation" and "Choice" are the buzz-words, not nationalisation of IT systems.

          It would probably be illegal too, I can imagine the software suppliers of healthcare systems would sue the Gov as it would kill off their business.

          Still it IS the most sensible solution.

        2. BurnT'offering

          Re: I'm with you up to the point where you say "migrate all GP's onto standard secure systems"

          The problem with mandating systems rather than formats is there's then no portability across public and private health care, or across borders. Mandating APIs and record formats means there's room for competition in providing systems, and systems can be designed appropriately (GP needs are different to a hospital, for example)

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Government IT Contract....Check.

    "...the steps that need to be taken to avoid such mistakes being repeated again"

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

    Oh wait, you're serious!?

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "...with an annual spend of over £10m"

    If they don't scrutinise any contracts below £10m... Can I have one of those sound-great-but-don't-ever-work contracts worth £9.9m per annum please? That would be my pension sorted. I'd even hire two or three suited-up bullshit spewing sales droids with a degree in turd polishing who happen to be Tories.

  12. Doctor Syntax Silver badge
    Coat

    Medical extraction?

    Should've started with dentists, not GPs.

    Mines the one with the stainless steel pliers in the pocket.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Trollface

    Where's me bunga-bunga!

    Failure to buy-off the right mandarin?

    Sorry, I mean indicate a non-exec sinecure would become available at Atos upon his or her imminent retirement!

  14. cantankerous swineherd

    1. I don't want my health records on a computer at all, thanks, certainly not one connected to the internet. shouldn't worry too much I suppose as some freelancers will come along and encrypt them properly free gratis.

    2. the substantive investigations into contracts will take place over lunch at the ivy, with follow ups at Wimbledon and the royal opera house, Covent garden. its all going to be a silly misunderstanding that the chaps will resolve without any unpleasantness.

  15. This post has been deleted by its author

  16. SVV

    "and was chosen as the Ministry of Defence's strategic partner."

    Isn't the MOD supposed to be good at making strategic decisions?

    Or is that only on the battlefield?

  17. PaulAb

    Only 40m

    It would save the taxpayer a lot of money if someone would just leave all our records on a train.

    I can see someone getting a Golden goodbye.

    Why succeed when you can just suck. Thats my mantra for tomorrow (other mantras are also available)

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