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My Benefits Online in trouble?
From computerweekly.com -
‘A plan to provide an online benefits enquiry service has run into delays and delivery problems ...
DWP issued a tender in January 2013 for detailed user testing on the system, but 12 months later it has still not gone live.
My Benefits Online (MyBOL) was first conceived about five years ago, but the DWP has reduced its scope since then. Computer Weekly has learned that the Government Digital Service (GDS) vetoed the original version of the system, and DWP is now assessing a number of options for how best to move forward.
One option under consideration is to bring in an SME supplier with agile development skills to help bring the software up to GDS standards. But even this option means a significant reduction in the financial benefits anticipated from MyBOL, to the point that the project could be written off, according to sources.
A key question for DWP is whether any of the work on MyBOL could be reused by other digital services being developed, such as Universal Credit and Single-Tier Pensions, said the source. If the work is written off entirely, our source suggested the bill could be as much as £20m.
In response to a parliamentary question last week, employment minister Esther McVey said: “The vast majority of the My Benefits Online service has been developed. We have taken time recently to review the changing needs of our customers and the standards proposed for all government online services, as determined by Government Digital Standards. A total cost of the service is not yet available and we do not have a confirmed date for completion.’