[SLUG] Re: ECDL - wandering a bit

[Pete Redwood]

On Friday 07 October 2005 12:15, scarborough-request at mailman.lug.org.uk wrote:
> > much of the
> > "official" data we recieve is only supplied in Access database
> > format, and all officially approved software is Microsoft Windows
> > only. DfES/LSC will not approve it otherwise.
>
> That's, frankly, outrageous isn't it? We ought to march on London with
> sharpened mice *.
>
> How the hell did we get to the stage where a government body is
> forcing the use of a single company's products, and an American
> company at that.

Did I read somewhere that the UK government got a massive backhander from 
Microsoft?  
Officially approved software, which is Windows only, comes mainly from just 
two companies - Capita and Tribal. Capita started off ten years ago as a 
little company writing software for the legal profession. Then they borrowed 
a large sum of money and went on the acquisition trail gobbling up all the 
competition bit by bit. Before long they had moved into other markets and are 
now the biggest the software providers in the UK and the main contractors to 
the government. They were responsible for the fiasco with the DSS at 
Newcastle; they were responsible for similar problems at the passport office 
in Liverpool; they are responsible for designing and operating the infamous 
congestion charging scheme in London; they are one of the main companies 
behind the proposed identity cards; they are the company that devised and now 
operate the scheme for paying Further Education and work-based student 
allowances (Educational Maintenance Allowance) which is a total disater. They 
can do no wrong as far as the government is concerned but nearly everything 
they do is fraught with problems.  Tibal is a smaller outfit, at present 
operating mainly as public sector consultants in education, health care, 
local government and central government but they are also getting into the 
associated software market. 
Although there are a number of other small companies supplying the education 
sector with software the Learning and Skills Council has already announced 
that it "recommends" software from the two big ones, which usually means that 
in a couple of years time there will be no choice in the matter.
Slighly off topic but connected with the above train of thought - did you 
realise that Northern Trains, which now owns the northern franchise is part 
owned by Serco who are the main service providers to the government. 
Practically everything this government requires from buildings, to car 
fleets, to equipping hospitals is provided by Serco who then sub-contract to 
other favoured companies. Is it a co-incidence that they finished up running 
what was considered to be the most unproductive franchise of the British 
railway system? Their chosen partner was the commercial arm of Royal Dutch 
Railways.
I'll leave you with that thought

Regards 
Pete