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My theory is it goes something like this:

1. "The government is inefficient and doesn't have much experience with big IT projects." We should outsource things to the private sector, like we do the design of bridges and fighter jets.

2. Consultants want to maximise their profit by maximising billable hours. Obviously they don't recommend sharing things between states. Far more profitable to design a shitty 'enterprise grade' mess that will take ages to build, that nobody will compete to maintain, and that will need lots of (billable) maintenance.

3. The project fails, wasting loads of money.

4. People see all this wasted money. They conclude the government is inefficient.

5. People who know how to deliver working software see shitty designs, shitty incentives, and expensive cancellations. They conclude working on government IT projects would be bad for their sanity and their resume.

6. "The government is inefficient and doesn't have much experience with big IT projects."




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