I think, here, we were trying to highlight.... I want to be clear that it's not a very linear thing. It wasn't about using an external resource or an internal one. It was just demonstrating how continued reliance on external resources can start to hinder the value that taxpayers receive for money spent.
It was reasonable, in our view, at the start of the pandemic, to seek help outside of the public service. What I would have expected, however, as time went on, was dependency being reduced and a transition to internal resources, either to operate the application or to transfer knowledge.
Your question started off with this: What could we do, going forward, as a public service to improve things? I think having this worked into some of the contracts is a great place to start. Recognize that the public service might need to upskill, or that it might not have certain needed skills or skills that aren't needed every day. How do you transition some of that knowledge from the private sector to the public service so that, going forward, you can have options available that might be less costly and result in better value for money?