Chief Minister slams £64m government IT system as an 'extremely poor decision'

  • Kristina Moore says the £64 million system was an "extremely poor decision" by the last government

Jersey's Chief Minister has branded the 'Connect' IT system used by the island's government to procure products and services as an "extremely poor decision" by the previous administration.

So far, more than £64 million has been spent on the system which has caused numerous issues - including supply shortages and the government owing thousands to small businesses as invoices went unpaid.

Deputy Kristina Moore and her Assistant Chief Minister, Deputy Alex Curtis, spoke about the issues with the system during a Scrutiny hearing on Wednesday 27 September.

The rollout began in January 2023 and was meant to be finished by the end of October, but Deputy Curtis said it would not be completed on time.

Deputy Moore says the platform was an "extremely poor decision by the previous government" which the new government has so far been unable to move away from.

She said: "We would not have chosen this system. We're trying to make the very best of an extremely poor set of decisions.

"The previous government spent tens of millions of pounds on this system, which is not one we would have chosen."

The 'Connect' system started rolling out in January 2023, leaving some suppliers unpaid due to technical issues Credit: PA

Deputy Moore continued: "Many of the [previous government's] decisions, we think, were rather lacking - but we're trying our best to make the best of a bad lot and move forward so we can deliver a more efficient public service which is ultimately why organisations choose to adopt different technological solutions.

"We want to focus on delivering quality services with the best value for money for islanders. This is not an easy position to be in."

When asked what the Council of Ministers can do to correct the previous "poor" decisions, Deputy Curtis said: "That is part of the problem with the programme... the ship had sailed.

"What we found when we came into government was a programme that had effectively been signed away."

He added the government is looking to make "pragmatic decisions" to ensure the system can provide the functionality needed while keeping additional costs to a minimum.

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