'Harsh light' shone on £21m IT system failure

More than £21m was wasted by the government on an IT system which had no meaningful benefit to taxpayers, a report said.

An investigation into MyGov, announced in November 2025, found the programme suffered from weak governance, poor financial control and an over-reliance on external contractors in Guernsey.

The report from Boley Smillie, the States' Chief Executive and Head of the Public Service, found the system - which cost more than the £18m initially reported - should have been ended sooner and suffered from "poor decision-making".

The States said it would look to make changes in its leadership structures following the report.

"This report shines a harsh light on the MyGov programme, highlighting significant issues that need addressing," Smillie said in the report.

"However, these findings do not define the civil service as a whole."

The report said a total of £21.6m was spent on the system, with the majority of the cash - £16.2m - paid to Agilisys, the firm which had the contract to run IT services.

There was also £1.6m spent on external consultancy, £2.3m for internal recharges and £1.5m for other costs.

The review stated that, while no intentional wrongdoing had been identified, MyGov was poorly managed and there was a failure to act decisively when warning signs emerged.

The report added there were plenty of opportunities to stop spending money but decisions were deferred or talked about outside of the formal channels, meaning the appropriate intervention was not taken.

Agilisys staff held a number of seats on the programme board and it was effectively marking its own performance while shaping how it was reported which created a conflict, the report said.

"This weakened oversight and contributed directly to poor decision-making," the report added.

The report found staff who raised "well founded concerns" were often seen as resistant or unhelpful.

In some cases, they were excluded from discussions or forums and even reprimanded.

The report said this created a "culture where challenge was discouraged, limiting the organisation's ability to respond to emerging risks".

Smillie added: "Never again can we be in a situation where we're not listening to the concerns and issues being raised by our own staff.

"Some people were treated quite badly in terms of raising issues, genuine issues and they turned out to be right."

In the report, Smillie said by addressing issues within MyGov, he believed the States could start to build public trust and "highlight the dedication and values that define the rest of the civil service".

Smillie said States leaders in the future would be "expected to listen to challenges, act on it and show clear evidence of how concerns are addressed".

He added there would be more done to strengthen the board which oversees the delivery of major projects, with independent experts to reduce reliance on external contractors.

There would be more transparency from the States, which will publish an annual report with updates on major programmes, along with introducing chief officers aligned to principal committees to ensure clear accountability.

Smillie said: "In the face of such a significant failure, I want to assure the community that this review was not an exercise in 'lessons learned', but rather it identifies where tangible action is needed, and will be delivered."

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