The Department had to manage the risk that slow progress on their CAPS system could affect the Benefits Payment Card project

3.15  Issuing benefits payment cards and making payments to claimants depended on the successful flow of payment information between the Department's and Pathway's systems. In May 1995, while negotiations with bidders for the Card contract were proceeding, the Department commenced development of the Customer Accounting and Payments (CAPS) system that would provide this information to the benefits payment card system. The objectives of the CAPS project were to:

■  support card payments, to meet commitments given by Ministers, the Department and Post Office Counters Ltd;

■  support security initiatives to prevent programme losses;

■  support improved accounting, to provide proper stewardship of programme money and to position the Department to produce resource accounts;

■  facilitate the alignment of benefit sytems, bringing commonality to business processes and to harmonise data; and

■  make data available that meets the Department's information needs.