Further to the launch of Eircode.
Gary Delaney is a GPS and positioning consultant and a director of Loc8 Code, the “modern alternative” to a post code rejected by the government in place of Eircode..
Gary writes:
“Of The total cost to the economy of the proposed postcode is estimated at €100million (NOT the €26.5 million popularly quoted);- yet An Post have said they do not need it, the code is to be mainly random and therefore prone to error, the code is limited to “letterboxes”, the code will not solve public safety issues and the needs of the emergency services, the code will be optional and therefore may not enjoy popular use, the code has not been subjected to oversight and there is no guarantee that the global leaders in Navigation devices will support it as they are already supporting other cheaper, more robust and more flexible next generation solutions….
Anyone?
For more detailed analysis…
The Road to Eircode
1. The postcode process began with consultation in 2003;- 11 years ago!
2.In 2005 a National Postcode Project Board was established to manage the project.
3. Noel Dempsey set the 1stJan 2008 as the 1st postcode implementation deadline – missed now by 6 years!
4.Eamon Ryan set multiple postcode deadlines none of which were met.
5. Pat Rabbitte set multiple deadlines all of which were missed so far. He is unlikely to see any part of the postcode implemented as a result of his imminent retirement!
6.From 2003 onwards An Post repeatedly stated that it did not need a postcode, it saw a postcode as a “20th century solution to a 21st century problem”!
7.Over the period 2005 – 2008 many consultants reports were prepared on postcodes – listed here : http://www.dcenr.gov.ie/Communications/Postal/Postcodes.htmividual
8. In these reports, the idea of a postcode that defined an individual property was discounted as a result of the Data Commissioner’s input.
9. In these reports An Post quoted figures of between €27 and €37 million as the cost of them adopting a postcode which they said would give them very little benefit!
10. Eamon Ryan is famously quoted on the record of the Dáil as stating that his Department had developed something better than GPS to be used as a postcode!
11. In July 2010, as a result of multiple missed deadlines on behalf of Government, Loc8 Code was launched;- making a unique Digital Address Code (a modern alternative to a postcode) available to the Irish public. Loc8 Code has been successfully available since then and is used by State Agencies and the Emergency services as well as logistics services and the wider public. It is FREE to use and is a cross border 32 county solution. Loc8 Code is NOT limited to just letterboxes and does NOT need access to a database to use.
12. In Oct 2010 Eamon Ryan was criticised for awarding a tender to oversee selection of a postcode contractor and postcode implementation to PA consulting who had provided many of the related previous consultancy reports. This tender had to be run twice as the first attempt was cancelled for “technical reasons”!
13. The PA contract was to run for 18 months to mid 2012 when postcodes should have been implemented;- this was never achieved and PA were still paid nearly €1 million.
14. No figures for consultancy or the work of postcode project board for the period 2003-2011 have been released.
15. A postcode tender started in Jan 2011 to award a 10 year contract to a new postcode license holder under PA’s management. The postcode was to be a postal model with postal district and postal route “blockface” area, covering up to 50 properties in one postcode as per the consultancy reports (see link above to DCENR website)
16. The above tender was rushed in just before the Government fell in Feb 2011 and Pat Rabbitte inherited it.
17. This tender was due to be completed in Aug 2011 – it was completed over 2 years late in Oct 2013!
18. The tender required all participants to have a €40 million turnover and this was challenged as well as other terms in early 2011 by one company but without redress.
19. In May 2013 Loc8 Code offered its code, which was in operation since 2010, to the State for free. This was not considered.
20. The original purpose of a postcode was to level the playing field on addresses for postal competitors in liberalised postal market. Over 750,000 houses and 100,000 businesses in Ireland have non unique addresses. But during the extended nearly 3 year postcode tender process, the focus changed to applying a unique identifier on all properties for LPT, Water Charges and Broadcast Charge.
21. The postcode that was announced in Oct 2013 did not conform with the tender specifications, consultants reports or data commissioner’s requirements.
22. The code will be for “letterboxes” meaning that locations to which mail is not delivered will not have a postcode. Many buildings in business, education, sporting and accommodation campuses do not have letterboxes! Many delivery, emergency and service destinations in Ireland do not have letterboxes and therefore they will not have a postcode either.
23. The last 4 characters of the postcode are to be random with the result that:
a. Neighbours postcodes will have nothing in common at local level
b. A database will be required at all times to interpret any useful element of the postcode at a cost to commercial users. It will only be by reference to this database will the exact location of the postcode be known. Using a mainly random code means that the locality cannot be learned or iterated!
c. Usage on navigation devices will be dependent on whether manufacturers/developers will take the cost of using the postcode;-because the Irish market is small there is no guarantee of this. Garmin and TomTom already have gone in different directions using next generation solutions which are not dependent on any databases.
d. The random code will mean high costs to validate the code in business systems
e. The random code will mean many errors in public use
f. The random code will render the code of little use for Public Safety and the emergency services.
24. The postcode consortium is headed by Capita but also includes:
a. Bearing Point
b. Autoaddress
c. Tico Group
d. An Post
25. Both Tico Group and An Post were involved in the National Postcode project Board advising DCENR;- a matter over which there may be a legal challenge. This was the subject of an article alleging a conflict of interest in the SBP in Nov 2012
26. An investigation into the Postcode procurement process was undertaken by the EU procurement Unit. This investigation revealed 3 possible breaches of EU/Irish best practice and legislation. A private company is currently considering a legal challenge on that basis.
27. The Minister has stated that the proposed code will be optional to use so it may not become popularly used.
28. The postcode tender was awarded apparently without the postcode design being agreed, after 30 months of collaborative tender when the technical detail was supposed to have been agreed!
29. A further tender was started on 23rd December 2013 to select further consultants to assist with the postcode design and implementation – one specified role being:
to ”Oversee the postcode and postcode address database ( PAD) design to ensure it is fit for purpose”
These consultants were supposed to have been appointed by 24th April 2014 but no award has been announced
30. Any announcement of a postcode design in advance of the above contract award would suggest that consultants will not have an input into the final design meaning no oversight and points to a waste of funds in contracting more consultants.
31. The creation of databases related to the postcode is the focus of current work. These databases are based on An Post’s Geodirectory product which will be rendered redundant once the new databases are created. Geodirectory is An Post business which presumably will see redundancies as a result of the product becoming redundant.
32. There is no National Address Agency proposed – such an independent agency would be essential to oversee how addresses and postcodes would be managed, created and used;- especially for Public Safety.
33. The total cost of the postcode is quoted as €26.5 million. This is NOT actually the case:
a. If An Post were to adjust their technology to use the code then from their own figures (in consultants reports- see link to DCENR website above) the cost would be between €27-€37 million.
i. Mail business is declining and loss making
ii. Post Offices are being closed
iii. The postcode will be optional so An Post will have to work the current system as well as the new postcode system, resulting in extra cost and complication
iv. An Post have stated that the postcode will be of little benefit
v. An Post is the only company penalised if mail is not delivered by COMREG on time.
vi. The source of the €27-€37 million is not confirmed but Minister Rabbitte has confirmed it is not included in the €26.5 million contract price to be paid from DCENR’s budget.
b. Consultants costs so far have not included in the cost quoted:
i. PA 2011-2013 – €1million
ii. PA and others – 2003-2011 – Unknown – estimated €1milliom
iii. New consultants April 2014 – 2016 – not known – estimated €1million
iv. There will be a cost to businesses and non-core Government agencies (LPT, Water Charges, Broadcast tax) in adopting postcodes. Banks, Local Authorities, Logistics Companies, Utilities (except water), small businesses, health services and the wider economy:- cost estimated in the region of €40-50million
Gary Delaney
