Dear Ministry of Social Development,

In 2006 the ministry put out a press release announcing that it had elected to replace a collection of core systems with Curam[1]. The project at that time was estimated to have a total cost of $54M and the press release stated the first phase would be completed at the end of 2007 and subsequent phases would take place over 'several years'.

As a follow up to this release, I would like to know:

* The total cost, and completion date, of all completed phases to this date
* The total cost so far, estimated cost to completion and estimated completion date of any phases which are presently underway.
* The estimated cost, and estimated completion date, of any phases which are yet to be started.
* The total cost of the curam system which was not tied to a particular phase.

For each item requested above please ensure the total costs include both capital expenditure & operational expenditure on the relevant phase. Capex and Opex can be itemised separately or you can provide a combined number, whichever is easiest.

I do not require a breakdown of expenditure by vendor, or internal vs external expenditure breakdowns, the total expenditure across all vendors and internal costs will be sufficient.

Warmest regards,

Michael Koziarski

[1] http://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our...

Hi there,

I can confirm that I've received your letter indicating you need an extension to the 27th of June 2013. I have no objection to you taking this additional time in order to ensure you're able to fully satisfy the information in the request.

Please note, I have explicitly not requested any breakdown of project costs by vendor, or even for a distinction between internal costs and external expenditure. I only require the ministry's total expenditure in each phase.

I would have a hard time seeing how release of this aggregate data could prejudice other parties. Especially when the parties previously put out a press release announcing the project, and the total expected budget.

Yours sincerely,

Michael Koziarski

Hi There,

Attention: Elisabeth Brunt

I'm writing to follow up on my Official Information Act request dated 9 May 2013 entitled:

Summary of Expenditure on Curam Client Management System

In your letter of 4th June 2013 you indicated that you needed further time to consult with other parties but you would have my information no later than 27th June 2013. It is now 28th June 2013 which, by my reckoning, is later than 27th June 2013.

Please provide me with an update on the status of this request as soon as possible, your response is now considerably overdue.

Kindest Regards,

Michael Koziarski

To Whom it May Concern,

I am writing again to request an update on my OIA request entitled "Summary of Expenditure on Curam Client Management System".

This request was received on May 9th 2013 by the Ministry and as such a response was due by June 7th 2013.

On 4th Jun 2013 Elisabeth Brunt requested an extension to the 27th of June to allow for consultation with third parties. That date has since passed with no communication from the ministry.

Please provide a response by close of business Thursday 4th July 2013 or I will be left with no choice but to file a complaint Ombudsman on the morning of Friday 5th July 2013.

I would also like to reiterate my earlier statements that I am explicitly not requesting a breakdown of expenses by vendor or technology, nor the vendors involved, merely the total expenditure for each of the phases of the project. I requested the aggregated information to ensure that there was no basis for concerns around the commercial sensitivity around the release of this information.

Yours in anticipation,

Michael Koziarski