An Australian firm could have rebuilt the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) website for less than the $96.5 million it cost taxpayers, says Senator David Pocock, who argues the much-maligned project shows the need for further procurement reform.
“There is no doubt an Australian firm could have delivered this work for a fraction of the cost,” the independent senator for the ACT told SmartCompany on Tuesday.
The BoM’s overhauled website, launched in October, was widely criticised for changes to its rain radar display and layout.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli called the website “flawed” and said it left Brisbane residents unprepared for significant storms late last month.
Upon launch, the BoM said the website cost $4.1 million to reconfigure.
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But new BoM CEO Stuart Minchin has since confirmed the real cost is approximately $96.5 million, owing to the cost of upgrading and testing its back-end systems.
Revelations the BoM’s controversial website redesign cost tens of millions more than first anticipated have angered both the federal government and the Opposition.
Environment Minister Murray Watt has urged Minchin to account for its expenditure.
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Pocock, an independent senator for the ACT, on Tuesday shared his own concerns about the project.
“It is staggering that the restructure of the BoM website cost $96 million,” Senator Pocock told SmartCompany.
“This looks like a waste of taxpayers’ money, and we need real accountability so it doesn’t happen again.”
Much of the cost can be attributed to a $78 million contract signed with Accenture Australia Pty Ltd, the local wing of the global professional services company, dating to 2019.
Pocock, who has advocated for a greater proportion of the government’s $100 billion annual procurement budget to go towards sovereign Australian businesses, says the BoM website redesign highlights a significant problem.
“The absurd cost shows how deeply broken our procurement system has become, with large foreign tech companies and consultancies taking the Australian Government for a ride,” he said.
“We urgently need procurement processes that give retained economic benefit a weighting in procurement rules and give Australian companies a fair, level playing field,” Pocock continued.
The Albanese government in October confirmed it will lift the value of contracts offered exclusively to local companies, making it easier for wholly Australian-owned businesses to vie for Commonwealth work.
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Refreshed Commonwealth procurement rules also include a definition of Australian business, ostensibly helping local firms compete against multinationals for government contracts.
Pocock says more could be done, arguing that recent changes to Commonwealth procurement rules “haven’t been enough to fix this issue”.
For his part, Minchin, the new BoM CEO, said the bureau is working to ensure the website is both stable and accessible.
“Given this investment, it’s vital we get it right,” he wrote on Sunday.
“I want to assure you that our dedicated teams are working hard to continue delivering website updates and improvements as quickly as possible.”
