MoJ extends yet another IT contract in transition to 'tower model'

The Ministry of Justice has extended yet another chunk of its mega National Offender Management IT contracts, in a further sign the department is struggling to break away from its decade-long big IT agreements. The Offender Management National Infrastructure consists of 43 data centres around the UK, and was a 10-year deal …

[TheVogon]

"consists of 43 data centres around the UK,"

wtf?! No wonder they waste so much money. Surely they could consolidate in a couple.

['s water music]

HMRC

Wow, so HMRC is so hopeless that they had to engage new external consultants to tell them how hard and log they got fucked by the first consultants. Makes you wonder what the magic touch is to get them similarly confused about how much tax you owe them.

[tiggity]

Re: HMRC

HMRC only hassle the "little people" for tax, make huge amounts of cash & you owe essentially sweet FA (unless you are someone with a few morals such as Rowling, Dyson etc. who chose not to join the tax "avoidance" merry go round touted by accountancy firms that are cosy with govt)

So, the magic touch is to be v. wealthy ;-)

[Otto is a bear.]

Re: HMRC

Not really, most self employed "Consultants" have tax avoidance schemes that mean they pay little or no income tax. It's mostly the PAYE employees who get screwed.

Self employed can write off a proportion (up to 100%) of all sorts of stuff against their earnings, including any personal IT, stationary, domestic office space (The spare bedroom). Whilst PAYE get to pay for it all.

BTW. Just wait till the PAC find out which departments have Tower contracts that pay companies to do nothing at all.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: HMRC

You do realize that if they have enough expenses to actually write off 100% of their earnings they aren't making any money, right?

['s water music]

Re: HMRC

You do realize that if they have enough expenses to actually write off 100% of their earnings they aren't making any money, right?

That depends on the extent to which expenditure which the conslutant would have made anyway in a personal capacity can be re-categorised as an allowable expense. Personally I am just as much of a tight-arse with the company's money as with my own

[Anonymous Coward]

Govt can't make big contracts work.

Govt can't make little contracts work.

Govt can't do Agile.

Govt can't do proper project management.

Govt can't transition contracts from big to little or vice versa.

Just remind me what can they do?

[Simon Crowe]

If you are not ruled by 'our' b*****ds then they bomb you into the middle ages

[Anonymous Coward]

"then they bomb you into the middle ages"

That seems to be the desired way of life for followers of a certain large religion...

[Anonymous Coward]

Home Office

Did you hear the one about the Home Office?

Their head of IT Architecture Profession apparently knows nothing about technology. A career civil servant of the worst kind - hanging on until retirement. That's how you spend £350m on Integrated Case Working and deliver nothing of value.

And the list goes on .. project managers who wouldn't know the price of milk... Major programmes with more consultants than public servants ... Infighting ... Suppliers who charge £80,000 to change abfew spreadsheet cells ...

Guss where the old CIO went? After presiding over a 15 year contract with Fujitsu, extended at least twice... ? She went where they all go. Rainmaker.

[BillyBobson]

For some reason you haven't reported it yet, but HP have recently signed a two year contract extension for the MOJ/NOMS account. This is not a transition to FITS contract, but a straight up extension for all areas except the bit which already moved to vodafone.

I'd say it's safe to say FITS is dead!