90% of £63 million government IT system budget spent on consultants and staff

More than 90% of the budget for a new government IT system used to procure supplies and issue payments will be spent on consultants and staff working on the rollout, rather than the software itself.

£63 million was set aside for the "Integrated Technology Solution" programme, with another £1.2 million spent on "estates and Health & Safety" as part of the scheme.

It brings the total expected spend rolling out the resource management platform, known as 'Connect', to £64.2 million.

The Government of Jersey revealed the figure in response to a Freedom of Information request submitted by ITV News, along with a breakdown of the amount set to be spent on consultants and staff compared to the system itself.

90.4% of the budget will be spent on consultants and staff working on the procurement and rollout, while just 9.6% of it will be spent on licencing the software itself.

The original cost more than doubled in 2021, after the project went more than £30 million over budget.

At the time, it was reported that more than 100 civil servants would be re-deployed to work on the project "to avoid becoming too reliant on suppliers".

After several years in development, the Connect system began rolling out in January 2023, with civil servants and government suppliers criticising flaws with the system.

One business threatened to take Jersey's government to the Petty Debts Court over unpaid bills, while teachers and medical staff told ITV News they have been unable to order basic supplies like toilet paper, stationery or medical equipment.

The system was commissioned and the project was overseen by the government's ex-Chief Operating Officer, John Quinn, who left the civil service shortly after 'Connect' started rolling out to staff.

At the time, his departure was said to be down to a restructuring of the civil service.

Jersey's government confirmed Mr Quinn was paid voluntary redundancy but said it would not comment further "on individual contractual matters".

He previously described the system as "the best way forward" for Jersey's government.

The same underlying software was introduced by the States of Guernsey a decade ago under the name, SAP.

At the time, it faced similar teething problems, including nurses being underpaid and civil servants being left unable to carry out basic tasks.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...