Britain's councils may spend £8 billion ($10.1 billion) on technology each year, but some feel suppliers don't have the goods they need and adaptations can "draw significant costs".
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Or so says a report [PDF] from the Department for Leveling Up, Housing and Communities, which highlights barriers local authorities can face when buying technology to solve specific problems. And even when they are prepared to pay for requested adjustments, lead times are often long and councils are locked into systems that lack suitability.
The councils, it notes, "operate in a market that does not always provide what they need, where implementing even minor changes can involve significant costs and long timelines and they are locked into systems that are not fit for purpose. these councils may not have the skills or the knowledge to procure effectively."
Collectively, councils spend around £1-2 billion ($1.26 billion to $2.52 billion) a year on IT directly, of which as much as £1 billion ($1.26 billion) is spent on maintaining outdated and legacy systems, says the report.
