Letter to the Committee from the Office
of Government Commerce
At the PAC hearing on 17 November I undertook to
write to the Committee regarding the eight IT-enabled programmes/projects,
referred to in paragraph 2.9 of the NAO Report, that have received
a red status in successive Gateway reviews.
As I said at the hearing, an OGC Gateway review is
conducted on a confidential basis for the Senior Responsible Owner
and ownership of the report rests with them—so it is for
them to decide how and with whom they share the information within
the report.
I can, however, provide you with an update on how
and where the projects have progressed in the Gateway process
since the "double red" reviews. The details are as follows:
— One programme/project had a subsequent
green review.
— One programme/project had a subsequent
amber review.
— One programme/project has a further
review arranged for January 2005.
— One programme/project has a review
request in the pipeline.
— The remaining four have not yet
requested subsequent reviews.
Since April 2003 successive red reviews trigger a
letter from the Chief Executive of the OGC to the Permanent Secretary
of the department responsible. The letter, in particular, highlights
the importance of identifying and addressing risks to successful
delivery at the earliest possible stage. In this way the Gateway
process provides a strong mechanism by which departments at the
most senior levels can be alerted to significant risk requiring
immediate action.
As requested by the Committee, I am currently in
discussion with the Comptroller and Auditor General about what
further information could be provided routinely on poor performing
projects.
I hope you find this information helpful.
John Oughton
Chief Executive
6 December 2004
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