Straight into that special class of lawsuits - where you hope both sides lose.

Murdoch vs. EDS, what a choice. Is there a way to engineer this so that they both lose?

EDS should suck it down and pay the fiddler.

If their original quote was £48m but they left the door open by not having a clear specification, then tough shit on them.

I'm an independent consultant. If I quote someone £2000 to get a job done and it takes me longer, then I either negotiate with them or I finish the job for the original price. It depends on the quality of the original agreement/specification.

I *very* rarely overrun my timescales and costs and certainly never by the obscene amounts regularly claimed by these large consultancies like EDS.

Still, it's always handy to have lawyers to justify your failings.

It seems that when it comes to large contracts, the only criteria for being given the contract (or shortlisted) is whether you've ever done anything like it before. Quadrupling the original budget and failing to produce systems that are fit for purpose (repeatedly) seems to be irrelevant.

Good luck to BSkyB (for a change).

EDS have always ballsed up contracts, see Governments IT Projects for reference it's about time someone had a go at them.

Sue EDS

Though one can only believe they must have done as much research on the company as they do for the News

I reckon EDS thought they were working for the NHS!

Such delays and cost over-runs are the norm in the public sector.

William

Am i the only one who thought it would be a story featuring Jordan somehow?

Murdoch Vs EDS, unique in court cases, because I hope both sides loose.

Don't worry, the only winners will be the Lawyers. Normally, this is poor show but with these two companies it seems like justice.

BSkyB should have paid EDS a fixed amount of money to produce a detailed spec and then rigorously reviewed this spec. Then, EDS should have quoted on this spec. to build the "Super Duper" system. As always, because of urgency and macho management, no one bothers with detailed specs any more - even for fixed price contracts.

Perhaps BSkyB will act as referee when EDS bid as one of the preferred suppliers for the Identity and Passport Service contact ?

Let's get ready to rummbbbllleeee!!!

Hopefully the case will drag on, cost millions with EDS losing but BSlyB having to pay court costs.

That'd be what I call justice!

Yes I know EDS (and other outsourcers... such as Cap Gemini.. whom I used to work for) are quite happy to keep ramping up the price for contarcts they have under bid in an effort to make money... however if the case is true that BSkyB kept changing specs or asking for as Barnes says "new requirements kept on emerging like handkerchiefs from a magician's sleeve" and that then never had a complete idea of what they wanted (Which I have been at the recieving end of many a time, either from customers or my own manager) then they are both at fault and should shake hands and split the difference

I hope they both lose to be honest!!

I wonder if it all went wrong because BSkyB's supplier service IVR is as bad as their customer service system

I was on a multi-million EDS contract that was clearly bound to fail. The salesmen had sold the impossible and then went off for a month in the Carribean. A disaster followed. It's about time this was stopped. Hopefully this will teach everyone a lesson.

Regardless which way the verdict goes we can look forward to several smear articles in all of the Murdoch controlled press, most likely lifted straight from the pages of the various Private Eye exposés of EDS's incompetence on various public sector contracts. With Murdoch now in control of at least 1 major news source in most countries we can look forward to some significant reputation damage for EDS.

Entirely well deserved for a company that has been fleecing the UK taxpayer for at least the last 10 years.

Just another example of the problems with outsourcing.

The majority of outsourcing contracts never meet their budget goals and often perform lower than in house and/or outright failure to deliver.

As the man said you get what you pay for.

The big fat bonus that the executives and board give themselves for all that "labor savings" might make up for it from their point of view though.

I for one hope that this court case turns into Jarndyce vs Jarndyce...

"Murdoch vs. EDS, what a choice. "

That's not a dilemma, that's a win-win situation!

"Is there a way to engineer this so that they both lose?"

Whichever loses, /we/ *all* win! Happy happy joy joy joy!

"absurd and extravagant"

A bit like EDS's fees, then.

I do hope the case drags on, with maximum exposure of chicanery and double-dealing on both sides. At least it will tie up their legal departments for a bit.

As an ex (very gratefully ex!) EDS employee, I can't say I'm even remotely surprised at EDS' total incompetence.

They are hands down the worst employer I've ever had the misfortune of working for.

May they rot in the fiery pits of hell!

Have a nice day ;)

LOL all that cheap labour over many 60 hour days seems to translate to real money, about time the corps woke up and realised that cheap, quality and detail are in a companies values but are just that values that pay well.. nuts..

LOL @ EDS/CSC etc....