Capita Week - Government urged to ditch Capita after ILA failure

This week is “CAPITA WEEK” in the London Borough of Barnet. Following the decision of the cabinet of Barnet Council to award CAPITA a £750 million outsourcing contract, which will destroy 300 jobs in the Borough, the local blogs are spending a week investigating the record of Capita at other local authorites.

We are highlighting issues with outsourcing projects run by Capita, Barnet Councils chosen supplier for the One Barnet project. We are asking councillors to ensure that they are fully aware of all of the likely issues, before they put pen to paper with this massive contract.

Today we look at implementation. Have Capita implemented  the systems that were promised? We look at the Individual Learning Accounts system How did the implementation of this program by Capita work out?

Capita won a £50 million contract to run the ill-fated programme, which collapsed amid mounting allegations of fraud among learning providers and concern over costs that went £93 million over budget.

A report on an inquiry by the education and skills select committee criticised Capita, which boasts in its annual reports of experience in handling government projects requiring tight anti-fraud measures, for failing to point out that a lack of safeguards in the ILA system made it "a disaster waiting to happen".

Barry Sheerman, who chaired the committee, said the contract between the government and Capita "did not spell out the balance of risk and responsibility". 

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=170259&sectioncode=26

Barnet bloggers have continually raised the issues of risk and responsibility. Our concerns have been completely ignored.

If you are worried, join the Barnet Alliance for Public Services , who are  holding a demonstration against One Barnet at Capita HQ on Tonight,  5-7pm, 71 Victoria Street,