Ontario Gov't to Take Control of Controversial IT System

But the extra money may not yield any additional benefits

News Story by Marc L. Songini

AUGUST 29, 2005 (COMPUTERWORLD) - The government of Ontario next month will take control of a controversial 3-year-old welfare payment system that critics say is still underperforming and failing to deliver a return on investment.

The Social Delivery Model Technology (SDMT) system was custom-written by Accenture Ltd. to modernize and improve business processes at the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services (CSS). Accenture has run the system for the ministry since its installation in 2002.

The five-year development project started in 1997. Accenture was to be paid no more than $151 million but eventually billed $206 million. The overall price tag ballooned to an estimated $335 million.

Since the SDMT system went live in 2002, end users have complained about downtime and difficulties with usability and stability, which has provoked political controversy [QuickLink 48520 ].

One chapter of the saga will end on Sept. 30, when Accenture's contract to run the system expires. In a statement, the CSS claimed that knowledge transfer with Accenture has been completed and that the ministry is "fully prepared" to assume maintenance and support responsibilities.

Lingering Dissatisfaction

But criticism of the system continues from some corners.

"No one can say that the public got value for its money," said Ontario legislator Shelley Martel, a member of the provincial parliament from the Nickel Belt region. "The computer system doesn't work the way it was supposed to after all this time. People have to go in and manually make changes when they should be done directly online. I don't know what the government can do to fix the computer problems at this point."

Some regional welfare administrators last week agreed that there are outstanding issues with the system -- primarily the fact that it's still difficult to use.

For example, Janet Menard, a director of Ontario Works in the Region of Peel, said the system is rules-driven and complex. Adjustments related to policy changes can be made only during regular upgrades, she said, which can cause problems for her operation.

Without offering details, a CSS spokesman said via e-mail that many improvements have been made to the underlying technology. For example, the system has been tweaked so that the ministry can reduce the number of consultants needed to run it.

In addition, the spokesman said that response times have improved, system availability has been running at 99% over the past year, and rigorous testing is regularly undertaken prior to enhancement rollouts.

For its part, Accenture stands by the results of the project. "Accenture's work for Ontario has helped create a welfare delivery system that operates more efficiently than at any time in its history," stated Accenture partner Alden Cuddihey, in an e-mail.

He claimed that the Ontario government has paid the additional $55 million billed by Accenture out of savings, not with tax dollars.

Despite the system's troubles, Menard also believes that it is an improvement over its predecessor. The SDMT has "taken us well beyond other welfare jurisdictions in terms of technology," she said. "It's a good foundation."