DAWN Ontario: DisAbled Women's Network Ontario
 

Auditor's Report released today lambbasted the Conservatives for their contract with Andersen Consulting/Accenture

December 3, 2002
 


At a quick glance the report basically states:

  • The ministry paid Andersen/Accenture $246 million to March 2002, which was $66 million more than the original $180 million cap. According to the auditor, "the basis for these payments continues to be questionable."

  • This $66 million payment was made contrary to the recommendations of the Provincial Auditor and the Standing Committee on Public Accounts to minimize out-of-cap expenditures. The auditor says: "in our view, the willingness of the Ministry to pay for these items outside of the agreed-to payment cap appears questionable and unnecessary."

  • Of the $66 million, $22.2 million was paid to Andersen/Accenture for work the ministry should have done itself.

  • The product that Andersen/Accenture delivered was deficient. It "did not adequately support the administration of Ontario Works because of numerous unresolved systems defects." Staff considered these deficiencies "emergency or high-priority items in need of repair."

  • The work produced by Andersen/Accenture failed to meet the needs for which it was intended. The information provided by the new information technology system was inaccurate, useless or provided in a way that made it useless.

  • The work produced by Andersen/Accenture was full of unexplained errors. For example, in 2001, the information technology system sent 7,110 discretionary benefit payments worth a total of $1.2 million to ineligible individuals. Also, at times the system would not permit caseworkers to issue cheques, forcing them to issue manual cheques, while at other times it would not permit manual cheques to be recorded.

  • The system set up by Andersen/Accenture was not safe. The information technology system exposed the program to an unnecessary risk of misappropriation of funds by allowing the same person to open new files, change banking information, make payments, and close the files without review or approval by a supervisor. This provided little chance for changes to be detected.


The 2002 Annual Report is available on the website of the Office of the Provincial Auditor of Ontario
http://www.gov.on.ca/opa/english/r02t.htm

 



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Page last updated December 3, 2002