Don’t write off firms working with the public sector

Given the history of Government IT disasters and all the bad publicity they generate, it may sound like the kiss of death for a firm to get involved in one. But there are good opportunities in the public sector.

The British Government and technology is a combination guaranteed to strike fear into the heart of any taxpayer.

Our politicians have a long and inglorious track record of failed projects and horrendous cost overruns; think of the Child Support Agency distribution problems, the tax credit overpayment fiasco, the DEFRA upgrade that left us unable to process EU subsidy payments to farmers, and the endless revelations about Home Office computer systems that appear to be held together by sticky tape. When we hear of another state-sponsored IT initiative, we roll our eyes and think "bang goes another ten billion".

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