back to article UK's Government Digital Service extends contracts with Post Office and Digidentity for wobbly Verify ID system

The UK's Government Digital Service (GDS) has signed contract extensions worth £5m with Digidentity and the Post Office for an online identity service which recently fell over. The two companies support Verify, which the government created to offer citizens access to a range of online services through one identity. According …

  1. Eclectic Man Silver badge

    Another UK Government IT Procurement

    I do not know the ins and outs of the identity management system, but my experience fo IT procurements is that the ones where the requirements are understood before the contract is signed tended to be the ones with the best chances of success.

    As an aside, I note that the NAO and the PAC have both criticised this procurement, but I do wonder how many members of those august committees have actually managed a large complex IT procurement successfully themselves. Anyone know?

    At least this time the Post Office is being honest about the IT failure, rather than trying to blame the users.

    1. Cynic_999

      Re: Another UK Government IT Procurement

      One problem is that the requirements tend to change significantly throughout the development of the product, as more and more people add their own requirements in order to stamp their personal "kilroy was here" tag onto the system, and also try to use the system for purposes that it was never originally intended to be used.

    2. batfink

      Re: Another UK Government IT Procurement

      Meh. It's not just "Government Procurement" that goes titsup. I've seen plenty of the same in the private sector. And for all the same reasons.

      The difference is that the NAO don't get to look at the private ones, so they don't end up in the papers.

      1. Big Softie

        Re: Another UK Government IT Procurement

        True, but when it goes horribly wrong in the Public Sector it's our taxes which are constantly footing the bill, and nobody is held accountable. So the rhetoric about "...mistakes were made" and "...lessons will be learned" is complete garbage and nothing ever changes

  2. Tom Chiverton 1 Silver badge

    "supposed to have signed up to it by 2020 but as of March 2019, just 3.6 million had"

    Yeah, because every fecking time I encounter it, it's forgotten who I am and I have to prove who I am all over again

    1. Eclectic Man Silver badge

      In that case it would be interesting to know how many times people have registered, rather than just how many are registered.

  3. gryphon

    Is this the system that HMRC uses that refuses to believe my wife exists when she tried to sign up to do her tax return online?

    Despite the fact she’s been doing paper returns for 10 years.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Sir

      Whatever you and your imaginary wife get up to is your own business*

      * conditions apply

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