Computer systems

A chum sent us this 'delightful' story of the problems of installing a new computer system to help colleges determining their funding levels.

During 2013 the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) introduced a new Data Collections and Funding Transformation Programme (DCFT), the adverse consequences of which have spilled over into 2014.

In an attempt to explain the purpose of the new system, Skills Minister Matthew Hancock said that the SFA was moving to a new data collection system that would underpin a more streamlined and less complex funding system. The new system would remove the need for thousands of different funding values for each course and qualification, and that it would replace earlier complex funding formulas and funding systems.

The intention is that the DCFT will replace the:

• Learner Information Suite (LIS)
• Learning Aim Reference Application (LARA) 
• Online Data Collection (OLDC) system
• Provider Online (POL)
• Provider Information Management System (PIMS) 

And just to add to the fun, some these have been given new names:

• The LIS has become the ‘Funding Information System’ (FIS)
• The LARA has become the ‘Learning Aim Reference Service’ (LARS) 
• The OLDC has become the ‘Data Exchange Service’ (DES) 

Unfortunately, there appears to be a slight problem with the DCFT in that the software doesn’t seem to work. This has caused colleges and other providers serious and almost insurmountable difficulties in making their student number returns and working out what they are owed by the SFA for the delivery of contracted provision.

In addition, the new Learning Aim Reference System (LARS), that should have been available since last August to help college staff check whether qualifications are eligible for funding, and how much per learner providers should receive, is still not available. Providers have to use ‘Lars Lite’ instead. This is a temporary downloadable database from the SFA that apparently is also producing unreliable data.

Initially, Mr Hancock seems to have laid the blame for the failures on inadequacies in colleges’ own internal management information systems. In a written answer to a parliamentary question about DCFT, Mr. Hancock claimed that there had been some issues for colleges and other providers in the calculating funding due to them where their own internal management information systems have not been able to report accurately their management position. This was even after the SFA had admitted that there were serious problems with the DCFT system and had apologised to providers for the inconvenience caused.

Eventually, Mr Hancock was brought up to speed with the real reason for the difficulties and has now gone so far as to say that that he personally takes full responsibility for the disruption the new system has caused to providers.

The four computer contracts for a system that does not work cost over £11.3m.

Let's look on the bright side, this is nowhere near as much as NHS England and the Ministry of Defence have spent on IT systems that don’t work and we can look forward to the Margaret Hodge and her Public Accounts Committee asking what Mr Hancock means when he says 'personally responsible'.