Govt FU again

[Joe Black]

We have an in at the NHS , apparently they are paying £800 per day for fairly run of the mill contractors (in the £400-£500 bracket) with agencies trousering 40% margins. We were asked is this normal? it is no wonder that the NHs is in crisis there is no financial discipline.

DA, you can't be serious £800 p/d......on some Gov't projects you wouldn't get change from a £1k note. Senior people of course wouldn't get out of their chalet in Switzerland for less than £1500...

Perhaps you're talking about staff from EDS/Accenture's Bangalore offices?

[stackpole]

When will they ever learn? Pay double just to get an Accenture android instead of getting a decent contractor via e.g. D.Agent, purveyor of BOS to HMG?

HMG see this as a way of having a single accountable body (the consultancy), rather than a disparate collection of freelancers.

With the latter, HMG would have to manage projects themselves, and if you thought that Accenture, EDS and the rest couldn't manage a p1ss up in a brewery...

[OwlHoot]

Government taking contractors:

When will they ever learn? Pay double just to get an Accenture android instead of getting a decent contractor via e.g. D.Agent, purveyor of BOS to HMG?

How, how did they ever become convinced that it's in any way better to pay "professional services organisations"?

High-ranking civil servants and politicians need nice cushy directorships of large companies lined up for when they retire from office. Also, presumably handing responsibility over to big consultancies helps insulate the former from blame if things go pear shaped, although this almost always seems to happen and I really don't understand how they can get away with it over and over again

[wendigo100]

There is a situation where a company has been effectively hounded from the programme (no need for full detail)...

Was this company down Woking way perchance?

[DaveB]

We have an in at the NHS , apparently they are paying £800 per day for fairly run of the mill contractors (in the £400-£500 bracket) with agencies trousering 40% margins. We were asked is this normal? it is no wonder that the NHs is in crisis there is no financial discipline.

Bloody hell, time to renegotiate!

[Mabozza]

Have worked with NHS as customers for a number of years now and have most recently been working on the National Programme, £6 billion of IT investment.

There is a situation where a company has been effectively hounded from the programme (no need for full detail), tax payers will pay hundereds of thousands of pounds for work that was never allowed to complete or face a large court case with associated bills. This decision has put the programme back 6 months at least in one cluster and some other clusters haven't even started deploying, to be finished by March 2007. No chance in heck!

There are a number of "managers" in the NHS but the clinicians still have final say, so where is the accountability? Why need the extra layers? Beurocratic mess I'm afraid and I don't beleive any agent or contractor will complain with getting high rates at tax payers expense.

PS - where can I get a rate of £800. v. interested!

Mabozza

[DodgyAgent]

Oh God I despair. And yes I'm afraid I suspect total gross blithering incompetence before corruption. It's much more common.

Anyway, you will all be pleased to hear that I have put in a proposal that will blow their socks off.

39% margin

[expat]

We have an in at the NHS , apparently they are paying £800 per day for fairly run of the mill contractors (in the £400-£500 bracket) with agencies trousering 40% margins. We were asked is this normal? it is no wonder that the NHs is in crisis there is no financial discipline.

Oh God I despair. And yes I'm afraid I suspect total gross blithering incompetence before corruption. It's much more common.

[DodgyAgent]

Government taking contractors:

When will they ever learn? Pay double just to get an Accenture android instead of getting a decent contractor via e.g. D.Agent, purveyor of BOS to HMG?

How, how did they ever become convinced that it's in any way better to pay "professional services organisations"?

We have an in at the NHS , apparently they are paying £800 per day for fairly run of the mill contractors (in the £400-£500 bracket) with agencies trousering 40% margins. We were asked is this normal? it is no wonder that the NHs is in crisis there is no financial discipline.

[expat]

All the convincing they need comes in a brown paper envelop, allegedly.

Interesting how the nature of political scandals differs according to party. Labour expect the brown paper bag to hold folding stuff. Tories expect it to cover the head of the other participant.

[threaded]

All the convincing they need comes in a brown paper envelop, allegedly.

[expat]

Government taking contractors:

"Contractors provided by professional services organisations will probably be charged out at double the rate," he said in an interview with Contractor UK.

When will they ever learn? Pay double just to get an Accenture android instead of getting a decent contractor via e.g. D.Agent, purveyor of BOS to HMG?

How, how did they ever become convinced that it's in any way better to pay "professional services organisations"?