Defence tendering to replace troubled 5-year-old eHealth System

Defence is seeking to acquire a new system to improve the delivery of health care to Australian Defence Force personnel – replacing the current system which was completed less than six years ago.

The Health Knowledge Management system, to be delivered as part of Joint Project 2060, will replace the current Defence eHealth System with a desire to ensure that health services continue to meet the evolving clinical and operational needs of the ADF.

The current system which this new one will replace has only been fully rolled out in garrison support since 2014 and, according to a National Audit Office audit, cost nearly six times its original projected budget – initially projected at $23.3million, it eventually cost $133.3million.

Minister for Veterans and Defence Personnel Darren Chester said the new Health Knowledge Management system would provide ADF members with a modern and innovative health system.

“This project is a significant government investment in the health and wellbeing of Defence personnel,” Mr Chester said.

“It will continue to put patients first by improving the management of their health information.

“It will be focussed on the patients themselves and will securely capture, collate and manage health data to better support patients, practitioners and the ADF in the delivery of health services.”

Industry submissions for this program close on 30 August 2019.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: The ANAO audit, conducted in 2015, was pretty scathing in its assessment of Defence’s performance in delivering the now five-year-old system being replaced…. “Overall, Defence’s planning, budgeting and risk management for the implementation of DeHS were deficient, resulting in substantial cost increases, schedule delay and criticism within government. During the initial phases of the project, Defence did not: scope and cost key components of the project; validate project cost estimates and assumptions; obtain government approval when required; follow a project-management methodology; or adequately mitigate risk by adopting fit-for-purpose governance and co-ordination arrangements. Defence’s planning and management of the initial phases of the DeHS project were well below the standards that might be reasonably expected by Defence’s senior leadership, and exposed the department to reputational damage. Further, Defence initially planned to develop DeHS as a mature system by December 2011, but did not complete rollout until December 2014.”
We hope Defence has adequately learnt from this experience.

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