NDP say Ontario Liberals bleeding money to private IT consultants

TORONTO – The New Democrats say it’s “a huge mistake” for the Ontario government to spend more than $700 million a year on outside IT consultants.

NDP finance critic Catherine Fife says the province has $130 million worth of fee-for-service deals with nearly 1,500 IT consultants, and another $570 million in contracts with large tech companies.

The province employs 3,600 IT professionals, but Fife says there’s been a 63 per cent increase in the use of private IT consultants by the government in five years, and accuses the Liberals of “bleeding money” needlessly.

Fife says a government-commissioned report in 2012 found IT services cost up to three times as much when provided by the private sector, and claims the province could save $200 million a year by reducing outsourcing.

Finance Minister Charles Sousa says the government needs IT consultants for short-term and non-reoccurring projects like a one-time contract to get new programs up and running for cyber security upgrades.

Sousa also says since the Liberals were first elected in 2003, more than 1,500 IT consultant positions were converted to Ontario Public Service staff jobs, resulting in ongoing savings of about $60 million a year.