Public Access to Legislation Project
Project update, October 2006
Progress so far
The PAL Project resumed in March 2005. The first stage involved completion of the following work:
- consolidation of the PCO's requirements for the PAL system, including:
- Legislation Outputs Specifications
- Consolidated Functional Specifications
- proof of concept of key technology components
- spotlight review of deliverables and timeframe
See the Project update, April 2006 for more detail about the first stage.
Design and development by Unisys has now been completed, with the PCO focusing on reviewing and signing off design documents. The PCO and Unisys have also been working together in the preliminary testing of printed documents produced from the authoring and rendering components of the PAL system. The PCO has found that a good standard of quality is being achieved in the appearance of the printed legislation.
Technical issues
The development phase has experienced delays from technical issues relating to the integration and performance of several key software components, particularly when handling very large legislative documents.
In overcoming the technical issues, Unisys sought assistance from the software suppliers in the United States. The Canadian federal drafting office in Ottawa, which has successfully implemented a similar XML-based drafting and publishing system, has also assisted, as has Dr Timothy Arnold-Moore, the PCO's independent technical adviser.
Throughout the process, Unisys has kept the PCO well informed on progress, about the issues that have arisen, and about work towards their resolution.
See Technical issues and their resolution for more detail.
Revised timetable
The timetable agreed by the PCO and Unisys in February 2006 has been revised in the light of the delays to the development phase. The new PAL system is now expected to be in operation and available to the public around mid-2007.
Financial and other implications
There are no additional costs payable to Unisys by the PCO as a result of the delays.
The delays have given rise to contractual issues between Unisys and the PCO. However, both organisations have agreed to set the contractual issues to one side for now and focus on successfully completing the PAL Project.
Further work
Systems integration testing will begin shortly. This will primarily be a Unisys function, but will involve a small group of PCO staff. At the end of this phase, the project's progress will be assessed.
User acceptance testing, stress testing, and performance testing are scheduled to begin at the start of 2007. This work will involve a larger number of PCO staff.
Unisys and the PCO are also working to finalise ongoing services arrangements for when the PAL system is implemented (such as maintenance, support, and enhancement). Business implementation planning by the PCO (with the involvement of the Office of the Clerk and the IRD) is ongoing.