The tax office will pay Irish-domiciled tech firm Accenture more than $1.3 million per month over the next year as part of a near-$17 million contract relating to an income tax program of work.
It’s another in a series of lucrative recent contracts Accenture has won with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), with it fast-becoming the tech contractor of choice. Just in the last two months, Accenture has won contracts with the ATO worth more than $120 million for work across the 2021-22 financial year.
The most recent contract is worth $16.7 million and covers from the start of September to the end of September next year, for the “provision of ICT services”.
A spokesperson for the ATO said the contract relates to “information technology design, build and test services to support the Income tax Program of Work”.
Accenture was picked following a “competitive process” after a request was out to an existing supplier panel. It has not been revealed how many people will be working on the program as part of the contract.
“Accenture was selected as it represented the best value for money,” the ATO spokesperson said.
“The contract is for the provision of specified services and, as such, the decision on the number of personnel required to provide these services is a matter for the supplier.”
In August, the ATO awarded Accenture two contracts in the space of three days worth more than $70 million in total. These included one worth $35 million over 12 months for work on the ATO’s online platform, and another valued at $28 million for IT services on the federal government’s ongoing superannuation change program, running for just five months.
In late August, Accenture won yet another ATO contract, this one worth more than $8 million for the provision of the Single Touch Payroll Program, running to the end of September next year.
Late last year, Accenture also won a number of contracts with the ATO worth about $80 million in total.
Outside of the tax office, Accenture has also been awarded a number of lucrative contracts with other departments.
It was recently confirmed as the contractor to provide the permissions capability to Home Affairs, which will initially serve to digitise Australia’s incoming passenger declaration forms, which will include COVID-19 vaccination status.
The consulting firm is also serving as the federal government’s data lead on the vaccine rollout, and has been paid about $20 million for this week.
Earlier this month, the Department of Health handed Accenture a new contract worth just over $400,000 over one year to “design, develop and implement” a software solution.
Late last month, Accenture won a further $11 million to make “enhancements” to the My Health Record platform, as part of a wider contract worth more than $640 million over nearly a decade.
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Is it only me that sees the irony of a government department responsible for the collection of tax awarding multi million dollar contracts to a business domiciled in a tax haven?
No you are not alone.
This is just one of a number some of which have not had to compete or bid for vast amounts of taxpayer money nor have the details of contract been announced or made available, virtually handouts.
It demeans the companies involved who no doubt have credentials.
And this from a political party that sells itself as world best economic managers. They have zero concept of cost benefit, only up front cost appears to count.
The next time I hear our PM mention the words sovereign or “job jobs jobs” or “in Australia’s interest” I’m sure I will need a bucket….