The Australian Electoral Commission’s outsourced build of an election donation system has more than doubled in cost to $70.8 million since January, with more parts still to be commissioned.
The Accenture contract, initially valued at $30 million, has been varied three times, including an amendment worth nearly $28 million starting July 1.
The AEC won’t disclose the total budget or number of work packages, saying the anticipated total contract value is commercial in confidence.
Cloud-based platform for political donations
A secure, cloud-based platform is being built to manage political donations and disclosures, under what’s being touted as one of the biggest changes to Australia’s electoral laws in four decades.
The initial value of the Accenture deal was put at $30 million; however, it has since been varied three times, with an additional “option” triggered in mid-July.
One of the amendments, which started July 1, is worth nearly $28 million.
An AEC spokesperson said the program is being split into an unspecified number of “work packages” that are being progressively released to Accenture.
Modular approach to mitigate technology failures
Splitting large programs into smaller work increments that are progressively commissioned has become a favored approach of governments seeking to mitigate against the potential for large-scale technology failures.
Read Also: UOMO Bill Moves to Senate for Vote
The approach is designed to ensure progressive delivery of a working system.
“Under the contract with Accenture, ICT systems to be delivered to support the reforms are split into different work packages,” the AEC spokesperson said.
“This is to ensure the AEC maintains value for money in its engagement with Accenture whilst also meeting the legislative requirements of the reforms.
“Each variation represents a work order for a specific work package and/or specialist resources to support technical delivery.
The spokesperson said that the increase in cost of work outsourced to Accenture “reflects the work commissioned under these work orders.
“These variations to the contract with Accenture were planned and are in line with what the AEC forecast when seeking an ICT delivery partner from [the] market,” the spokesperson said.
“The end date has remained unchanged as the work continues to align with the original program schedule and budget.
The contract with Accenture runs through to mid-2028, with a potential optional extension for an additional year.
