Computer delays bounce up cost of security licensing system

IT problems added £1m to the cost of accrediting bouncers, bodyguards and private eyes

Private security licences were delayed

Computer delays added £1m to the cost of running a new licensing system for bouncers, bodyguards, private detectives and other private security staff, according to a National Audit Office (NAO) report.

Two attempts to set up a system, both involving consortia which included BT, ran into difficulties, said the report.

The first project in 2003-04 cost £8.9m and involved Syntegra, with a serial business process which suffered immediate delays when more applications than expected failed to scan and had to be completed manually, with a call centre unable to link to applications until they had been registered. A large backlog rapidly built up.

A fixed-price contract protected the authority but did not prevent delays.

BT initially had part of its monthly fee reduced, but the authority decided to compromise with the supplier and pay for additional processing facilities to meet its deadlines.

The second £3.9m attempt by BT/Liverpool Direct in 2006-07 was to have included online applications and other e-services, but the authority took too long to approve the tender and had to compress the implementation period to match the run-down of the initial contract.

It was not completed in time, with a six-week gap, and the authority was forced to drop all non-essential extras, including e-services and the supply of management information, in a bid to cut processing time.

At one point telephone calls from frustrated applicants reached 3,000 a day, not all of which could be taken by operators. The authority was again shielded by a fixed-price contract and imposed its maximum £26,000-a-month penalty on the suppliers, but faced extra costs of £1m, including compensation payments to applicants.

It took until May this year to overcome the worst of the delays.

The NAO report said the authority has only recently reached agreement with the Identity and Passport Service for real-time identity checks but has so far failed to agree on driver licence checks with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency for Data Protection Act reasons.