In a move that reeks of bureaucratic inefficiency and potential corruption, Northern Ireland's Land and Property Services, under the Department of Finance, is belatedly throwing up to £125 million at a project to replace a decrepit BT system that's been on its last legs since 1999. This antiquated LandWeb registry system has seen its costs ludicrously double, prompting suspicions and government audits into this financial fiasco.
The need for a new "Land Registration Delivery Partner" is clear, yet the timing and approach raise questions. This partner is expected to overhaul the system entirely—a vision detailed in a conveniently timed tender document that emerged just before Christmas, raising concerns about transparency.
The Department of Finance's commitment to BT until July 2026, via a £20 million extension that inflated the contract by 138 percent, seems nothing short of reckless—especially as this extension was granted without the competitive bidding that is standard for public contracts. This extension is a slap in the face of the 2008 report from the Northern Ireland Audit Office, which criticized the exclusive reliance on BT, tying Northern Ireland's hands due to non-transferable intellectual property rights.
Despite the promise to award a new contract by September 2023, the transition period is staggering. BT’s system, despite its inflated costs, is slated to remain in operation for years, with the DoF justifying this drawn-out timeline with the complexity of land registration systems. Yet, this excuse rings hollow in the face of the astronomical overcharges to the public, documented at £39 million since 2006.
The bureaucratic inertia is astounding. A system overhaul that should be swift and cost-effective is morphing into a lengthy and costly affair. The public is being told that replacing the BT-managed system is a process of Herculean complexity, requiring up to 30 months to build and implement a new solution. But in an era of rapid technological advances, this snail-paced progression is unacceptable and suggestive of either gross incompetence or deliberate stalling.
The opacity surrounding BT's pricing structure is another sore point, effectively shutting out any insight into the company's profits and overheads. It is a veil behind which financial irresponsibility festers.
With the NIAO reports highlighting the excessive fees and mismanagement, it's past time for a robust inquiry into this prolonged IT procurement disaster. Northern Ireland deserves better than a Department of Finance that allows such fiscal and administrative misconduct to continue unchecked, with the Northern Irish public bearing the brunt of this protracted and costly endeavor.
