Another day, another ERP project behind schedule: This time it's Norfolk County Council and an Oracle system Norfolk County Council will have to wait a bit longer for that a-ha moment when it finally turns on its new £18m cloud-based Oracle ERP system as the go-live date is delayed until April. Expected to accrue between £20m and £31m in savings over 10 years, the project joins a list of local authorities with late-running enterprise …
Sorry to rain on your meme, but…
My father was the Treasurer of a Norfolk Council when documents were still hand written or typed. He was responsible for the installation of one of the first local authority systems (in the mid/late 1960s, Burroughs?). It’s main job was to look after the rates, and pay bills and salaries - It worked. I was just getting into science/technology then, and was allowed to go and see it working in its own room. The manufacturer was sufficiently pleased that it was used as a reference site, and for some reason "gave" them an ANITA calculator to "check everything was OK" - I think that cost about £400. He took early retirement when local authorities were reorganised in 1973 (Redcliffe-Maud). He predicted that the new large authorities would become an inefficient bureaucratic mess, so he grabbed the pension and left. When he left he was allowed to buy the ANITA for £5 and was still using it in 1991.
Anyone noticed that they can 'estimate' the cost saving ..... (usual 'wet finger & stick in air' method).
Yet, they are unable to estimate the cost of the overrun, which is more important as it is 'real' money being paid now !!!
That squeaking noise you can hear is the sound of the 'cost savings' being squeezed down and down as reality overcomes the 'Reality distortion field' that accompanies all govt contracts.
:)
"why do things like this cost £18,000,000?"
How much would you have to be paid to contract with a council? Take everything you've ever heard about ridiculous government contracts, add complete idiots who aren't even good enough at their games to be MPs, it's bound to be a complete disaster. There is always an additional cost with clients known to play silly buggers, and in this case it's 99%.
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