Does anyone know how to...

WhatsGoingOn

...tender for a Government project?

I would have done this for €2.5m...

€3m spent on website that never existed

Harney's department rocked by new computer waste scandal

A SHOWPIECE €3m health internet site set up by the Government never existed.

No one can access it and - like the other recent major computer debacles - no one is 'responsible' for it either.

It has the wrong specification, so it never did what it was intended to do.

The portal was supposed to be a window or 'gateway' into the health services for the public but it was never available to them.

The so-called Irish Health Portal was 'set up' so people could, among many others things, have basic health questions answered.

It was also supposed to have a directory of national health services, job ads, health alerts, staff information and online replies to those looking for information on a range of health problems.

The site was launched by former Health Minister Micheal Martin in May 2004.

Ph3n0m

someone already beat you to the post and is doing the site for 250,000

jmcc

Ph3n0m wrote:

someone already beat you to the post and is doing the site for 250,000

Anyone know who had the original contract?

Regards...jmcc

Ph3n0m

According to the article it was being done in conjunction with IBM and Accenture (I think). But then there were "technology incompatibilities" and it was scrapped

The article I am quoting from memory from, is in this morning free Metro newspaper - if anyone has it, maybe they can confirm or correct the second company involved, but IBM is a definite

Ph3n0m

Article from unison.ie


Harney's department rocked by new computer waste scandal

A SHOWPIECE €3m health internet site set up by the Government never existed.

No one can access it and - like the other recent major computer debacles - no one is 'responsible' for it either.

It has the wrong specification, so it never did what it was intended to do.

The portal was supposed to be a window or 'gateway' into the health services for the public but it was never available to them.

The so-called Irish Health Portal was 'set up' so people could, among many others things, have basic health questions answered.

It was also supposed to have a directory of national health services, job ads, health alerts, staff information and online replies to those looking for information on a range of health problems.

The site was launched by former Health Minister Micheal Martin in May 2004.

At the time he described its development as "a shining example" of how well the Government was delivering health services.

But yesterday it was branded "the most expensive photocall in the history of the State" by Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny.

And last night official Government sources confirmed his claims that the portal was never available online to the public.

At the launch Mr Martin said he was optimistic the portal's 24-7 availability, and its anonymity, would attract people to seek help.

Instead, consultants were brought in last February to examine the extent of difficulties with it.

They concluded it had the wrong specification, there was "no ownership" of the project and that any further development or investment should be frozen.

The report by the UK consultancy, the Butler Group, found problems similar to those which beset the PPARS and FISP computer projects which were at the centre of controversy last week.

An embarrassed Health Minister Mary Harney admitted in the Dail yesterday that additional funding for the health portal project has now been stopped. It now joins the €180m PPARS and FISP debacle.

Mr Kenny said all that taxpayers got for their €3m was a photo of Mr Martin launching nothing more than a mocked-up website.

"It was the most expensive photocall in the history of the State," he said.

He said despite claims by Mr Martin about what the portal would do it never came into use.

He said €3m disappeared down the same €180m black hole as the PPARS and FISP systems.

Ms Harney said difficulties had arisen with the portal and its design.

When she became aware of these she asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) not to proceed with any more funding unless it was approved by both her department and the Department of Finance.

The Fine Gael leader pointed out that a new tender for the project was published last week and only provided a two week period to respond.

He asked whether such a short tender period had been designed with a view to giving it to one particular supplier. Ms Harney said the new tender was for a more modest €250,000.

She said she would ensure the process was conducted fairly and in an open and transparent way.

Mr Kenny asked Ms Harney to investigate the short tender time and "clarify that this particular project is not written for any particular individual in mind".

Ms Harney said that she had told the HSE that it must get approval from the Health and Finance departments before proceeding with the project.

"Any new IT project in the health area will have to go through a process of thorough evaluation," she added.

Mr Kenny revealed in the Dail last week that the PPARS payroll system had cost €150m euro to date but was only operating in four out of the 11 health board regions. He said the financial management system, FISP had cost €30m.

Meanwhile the management of Government IT projects and consultancy services is to be tightened up in response to the controversy over two computer projects costing the taxpayer over €180m.

JohnMaccie

Ph3n0m wrote:

According to the article it was being done in conjunction with IBM and Accenture (I think). But then there were "technology incompatibilities" and it was scrapped

The article I am quoting from memory from, is in this morning free Metro newspaper - if anyone has it, maybe they can confirm or correct the second company involved, but IBM is a definite

i have not seen the article but it sounds like an Accenture project alright. I know they were working on a few health projects in the past few years (which exactly i could not tell you). But complicating the issues with thier process/people/tech speil usually bloats the budget alright.

Can these consultancy companies not be named and shamed... as it is they are brought in to introduce effeciencies and ultimately 'get the job done'. Nobody can argue that they have high over heads with thier million dollar partners and wine'ing and dining thier clients in swanky restaurants (who are in fact being billed for it anyway)...

but can't they juistify it by at least getting the job done ??? or face the wrath of the media?

GoneShootin

Jasus I would have done it for €10000

I just hope the voting public will wake the **** up this time around and not let that shower of morons into office again.

jmcc

Ph3n0m wrote:

According to the article it was being done in conjunction with IBM and Accenture (I think). But then there were "technology incompatibilities" and it was scrapped

The article I am quoting from memory from, is in this morning free Metro newspaper - if anyone has it, maybe they can confirm or correct the second company involved, but IBM is a definite

Sounds like a bunch of suited muppets couldn't solve a few basic data importation problems. The specification seems to be rather nebulous. What the government wanted could be implemented but the problem is that the data structures are so diverse that few people would have the expertise needed and it would be very unlikely to find such people in useless eater consultancies. Then again it could be a HHGTTG problem.

Regards...jmcc

GP

jmcc wrote:

Anyone know who had the original contract?

Regards...jmcc

the tender has been put on hold undtill further notice

Ph3n0m

the tender has been put on hold undtill further notice

where did you hear that?