NSW Audit Office - Financial Reports – 2003 - Volume 1 – Review of Sydney Water's Customer Information

Review of Sydney Water’s Customer Information and Billing System INTRODUCTION Sydney Water is the largest water services provider in Australia with annual total revenue of $1.4 billion and assets in excess of $13 billion. It manages large-scale programs of capital works and maintenance. In recent years it has completed a number of projects including the $90 million upgrade of the Cronulla sewage treatment plant and the $460 million Alliance for the Northside Storage Tunnel. The CIBS project with a final budget of $60 million was Sydney Water’s largest IT project. In October 2002 the Treasurer requested the Auditor-General to audit CIBS and report to Parliament. The review covers Sydney Water’s performance in relation to: § project governance § project specification, interface with users, project management § selection of suitable contractor § cost estimation § risk management. Our work has primarily focused on relevant Sydney Water documentation and interviews with individuals mainly within Sydney Water. It has been done with the benefit of hindsight. Some individuals and parties external to Sydney Water, including PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and the previous Managing Director of Sydney Water, Mr Alex Walker, were also interviewed. The focus on Sydney Water should not carry any adverse inference about Sydney Water’s legal relationship with PwC. At the time of the request for the review, Sydney Water was seeking legal advice on the project’s ...