A story titled One Luddite, one web site = AUS$4m at The Register notes that the Australian Department of Communications spent $4 million (Australian dollars) on it’s new Web site. Merely $3.4 million over budget!
This is one of those cases where everyone of the parties involved is at fault. There is no viable reason for being that far over budget. The situation is made all the worse as the site is rather boring, if not downright ugly and uses an insane amount of unneeded technology, including an $800,000 Vignette setup.
A great use of taxpayer money.
And why didn’t they call me to help them? I would have been more than happy to invoice them for a few hours. I wouldn’t ask much… maybe $75,000. A drop in the bucket really.