Police and KPMG unable to say why $6m contract cancelled

Old computer systems cause Tasmania Police officers to be delayed when filing intelligence reports today.

In short:

Tasmania Police gave KPMG a contract in 2024 to improve its digital policing systems.

The contract ended after two years, costing over $6 million, with one big project stopped and another delayed seven months.

What's next?

Both Tasmania Police and KPMG say they cannot explain the termination because of confidentiality and non‑disparagement clauses; the police have paused the work while looking for temporary fixes.

Tasmania Police ended the digital deal with KPMG after spending more than $6 million on unfinished work that faced long delays, quality problems and cost questions.

The project is now being reviewed, and the settlement between the state and the firm includes confidentiality and non‑disparagement clauses.

The deed, part of which was shown in Tasmanian Parliament, also mentions a dispute between the two parties.

It concerns upgrades to the Atlas intelligence management system, bought off‑the‑shelf in 2019 for $13 million.

Police Commissioner Donna Adams says the upgrades are now under review.

Atlas was promoted as a tool to improve police intelligence, but Commissioner Adams calls it “clunky,” noting it can take officers up to 30 minutes to file a report.

In 2024, Tasmania Police awarded KPMG a $14.8 million contract to link Atlas and manage the broader Project Unify upgrades.

The police paid KPMG $1.3 million when the contract was signed and another $654,000 to start the work.

The deal was meant to run until April this year but was ended in January; KPMG had received $5.4 million, and the ABC reports project‑management problems.

There was no termination payment, police say.

The ending includes clauses that stop the public from learning why it was cancelled.

The deed states each side will not make any comment that disparages the other regarding the project or the dispute.

Commissioner Adams told parliament in June the work is paused while an independent review runs, and police plan to add a new interface to Atlas.

Crime reporting portal not up to standard

A man under active criminal investigation, described as of “dubious character,” was in a claimed relationship with a police officer who gave him police information, an inquiry found.

During the contract, Tasmania Police asked KPMG to add more work, including building a public online crime‑reporting portal called Project Link.

This addition was an “agreed variation”; it is unclear if it was opened to tender.

KPMG received $637,000 for Project Link, but the ABC says the portal faced delays due to major functionality problems.

It was meant to launch in November 2024, then pushed to April 2025, before being paused a few months later.

Commissioner Adams told parliament the system would not meet community expectations for reporting minor crimes.

After KPMG left in January, Tasmania Police needed another seven months to finish the portal, which went live this month.

Deputy Commissioner Jonathan Higgins told parliament Project Link was originally funded with $1.75 million.

Do you know more? Contact Adam Holmes at holmes.adam@abc.net.au.

Later answers showed the original amount was $500,000, with the rest moved from a firearms register program no longer needed.

An independent review of the projects is ongoing.

A Tasmania Police spokesperson said the review will guide next steps.

They said work completed so far, including design and build of extra modules, is being assessed.

They added it would be too early to comment further while the review continues.

The spokesperson could not give more details about the KPMG contract.

Funding questions remain

The projects were part of a $46 million ICT upgrade plan for Tasmania Police that began in 2020.

In its parliamentary answers, Tasmania Police listed seven projects that make up this total.

The list did not include a $4.1 million upgrade to the infringement notice system or a $5.47 million Atlas interface.

The interface project is in a proof‑of‑concept stage and should roll out later this year.

Tasmania Police officers have had to work with old filing systems.

Upper‑house MLC Meg Webb, who questioned police about the KPMG deal, said there are serious oversight and accountability concerns.

She said the settlement deed may keep the public from learning why the contract failed.

She asked why such strong non‑disparagement and confidentiality clauses were needed in the state’s settlement with KPMG.

Commissioner Adams told parliament ICT projects have many curves and hurdles.

Departments face digital upgrade issues

Tasmania Police is one of several government departments under scrutiny for ICT contract procurement.

The Health Department spent $61 million on 742 labour‑hire contracts each under $99,999 as part of its Bluegum digital transformation.

Contracts of this size can be awarded directly without a tender.

Auditor‑general Martin Thompson found 80 contracts started before their award dates, including one that began four months early.

The state government said fast delivery and need for specialist skills explained the contracting approach.

The auditor‑general also criticised a human‑resource information system program as ineffective and costly.

More Tasmania news

Topic: Housing Policy

Topic: Animal Cruelty

Topic: Postal and Delivery Services

See more ABC coverage in your search results

Top Stories

LIVE

Topic: Landslides

Topic: Credit and Lending

LIVE

Topic: Crime

Top Stories

LIVE

Topic: Landslides

Topic: Credit and Lending

LIVE

Topic: Crime

Just In

Topic: Boxing

Topic: Technology

Topic: Movies

Topic: Courts