A health IT project hides an operating cost of $ 1.2 billion

A house continues to cost money after its construction. Additionally, In addition, There is maintenance, invoices to pay, etc. Moreover, It’s the same for a computer project. Moreover, Except that Quebecers only had access to part of these costs. Furthermore, Radio-Canada has obtained the whole portrait.

The development of the finance, supply and human resources (SIFARH) Information System Project was to cost $ 202 million. Meanwhile, We know that it is now estimated at around 400 million.

But that’s not all. Moreover, According to our sources, the exploitation of the project, after its development phase, will cost 1.2 billion over 15 years, more money than the Saaqclic project, which is the subject of a commission of inquiry.

The addition of operating costs. However. However, development costs was at the health it project hides operating new heart of the report of the general auditor on IT fiasco at health it project hides operating the Quebec Automobile Insurance Company (SAAQ).

Used internally. Similarly. In addition, hidden from the public – Health it project hides operating – Health it project hides operating new

Health Quebec and the Treasury Board had not wanted to give us this figure concerning Sifarh. Therefore, We had been told that Recurrence is always excluded from the calculation of project costs.

It was not possible either to know why the total evaluation does not include it. Consequently, in any case in the public square.

However. Nevertheless, our sources are formal: the development. exploitation of the project Sifarh were analyzed at the same time and sums have even passed from one to the health it project hides operating other in budgetary planning.

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“Bad practice”. according to a management expert – Health health it project hides operating new it project hides operating

You have to know the two types of costsexplains Alejandro Romero-Torres. full professor health it project hides operating of the Chair in ESG Project Management UQAM, Specialist in the management of public projects in information technology.

According to him. the general auditor “was right” to take into account operating. recurrence costs, in the case of SAAQCLIC, because a project does not stop after its deployment.

Do not take these costs into account. “it’s a bad practice,” he says, because it leads to an incomplete and potentially deceptive assessment of the project.

Maintenance costs, licenses, updates, training, etc., that we must set up to be able to use the tool well, that represents a big health it project hides operating new investment.

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On Sunday. on the social network Linkedin. the former director of the Saaqclic project, Karl Malenfant, questioned the ways of making the general auditor who added the development costs (“CAPEX”) with the operating costs (“OPEX”).

Mixing Capex and Opex is health it project hides operating new adding apples and oranges, wrote Mr. Malenfant.

Alejandro Romero-Torres does not health it project hides operating share This point of view: These are costs that must be paid. They must be estimated and added in financial planning.

Compare an apple with half a leg

This subject was already discussed in June during the. hearings of the Gallant Commission. The former Saaq finance vice-president Yves Frénette had admitted to have stopped counting recurrence costs in order to minimize. the budget explosion.

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Saaqclic officials knew that the cost of the project was actually going to double. exceeding one billion dollars over 15 years.

If we do not include the recurrence component in the financial portrait. we are not able to know if we are going to have positive or negative benefits, right? had asked for the prosecutor Marie-Claude Sarrazin.

Thus. when Karl Malenfant presented to ministers the figure of 682 million in 2022. he Compared an apple with half a legestimated the prosecutor.

Savings with Sifarh?

According to Health Quebec. the project Sifarh will reduce the administrative burden in the teams and to have a global vision of operations, which will ultimately generate significant savings.

Sources evoke savings of nearly $ 2 billion over twenty years. especially thanks to the cost of licenses of the old infonuagic solutions that we would no longer have to pay.

Tuesday, the Minister of Health and Social Services Christian Dubé also said that Sifarh will generate savings for Quebecers.

With the old systems that are completely overwhelmed. we are ripped off by suppliers, right now.

The opposition requests the stopping of the project

In response to this text on Tuesday. the liberal parliamentary leader Michelle Setlakwe said that we are witnessing a Generalized loss of control.

In full commission of inquiry into the Saaqclic fiasco: same recipe.. same excesses, same delays, same cost exceeding …

The CAQ is unable to manage the digital turnaccording to the Liberal Party of Quebec.

The Parti Québécois (PQ) denounces The open bar of IT projects . request health it project hides operating new for put an end to the project Sifarh.

PQ spokesperson Joël Arseneau recalls that the Ministry of Cybersecurity and Digital had itself requested project stopping Sifarh.

The PQ Also request that the work of the Gallant Commission will be extended to other IT projects.

Québec Solidaire in turn requests the project cessation Sifarh and the expansion of the scope of the Gallant Commission.

The CAQ can try to hide the real cost of his failures. but it’s so grotesque that it ends up going outreacted the spokesperson for QS In terms of health, Vincent Marissal.