CPSA Annual report

[Nimbusgb]

£52500 for a database.

 

[Rupert]

Maybe its massive?

 

[Salopian]

You really must learn to understand that we , the membership are not interested in money being wasted, we only want to shoot and have our averages recorded.

Let's just wait for next years figures and see how much the Rio Olympics have cost us , even though it is nothing to do with the CPSA.

How did we  get on in the FIFA elections yesterday?

 

[schmokinn]

presumably this is a database of names and addresses of people like us that don't usually want to be in the databases people are selling?

FFS they are not selling timeshares,do they think we won't notice these payments,seems every year its something like this.

so what do they intend to do mailshot people and see if they want to join,surely it would be a lot cheaper to have a leaflet dispenser on every gunshop counter if they want to reach gun owners.

i'm sure it wasn't a close freind or aquaintance that got the contract....how do they believe they can keep on wasting our money!!

 

[Salopian]

Because WE the membership only want to shoot and have our averages recorded. :wink:

 

[schmokinn]

personally i want them to do there bloody job properly....is that to much to ask?

 

[woody]

I'm not a member so haven't got the right for an opinion on cpsa matters, but like nimbus, as a technology professional I'm amazed at that.

some of the biggest/most secure databases in the world are in open source technologies. Yesterday the banking app I work on had its busiest ever day. Nearly 4 million people made secure transactions to the value of 300 million pounds. At one point 10k people a minute were transacting. All on a database of similar cost.

 

[ExSCA]

I could put together a small team of people on this site - knock up their database, host it, maintain it and do it inside a weekend.  For about 10K all in.... 

 

[CharlesP]

Of course, whoever wrote and whoever "signed off" the report may not know the difference between a database (which does on the face of it sound rather expensive) and other IT related projects which may have been carried out. This sort of thing happens all the time.

As a matter of interest, where is this report published?

 

[PhilR]

In PULL! magazine.

 

[Dog Tyred]

I'm not a member so haven't got the right for an opinion on cpsa matters, but like nimbus, as a technology professional I'm amazed at that.

some of the biggest/most secure databases in the world are in open source technologies. Yesterday the banking app I work on had its busiest ever day. Nearly 4 million people made secure transactions to the value of 300 million pounds. At one point 10k people a minute were transacting. All on a database of similar cost.

maybe the CPSA are expecting a big influx of members in the near future 

DT

 

[schmokinn]

seems they do there purchasing based on the same formula as most government depts. pick the most expensive and claim it is better value...if any normal person ran a business like this they would go bankrupt in no time!

i have sent them an email requesting a breakdown of the costs of the "database" i wait with bated breath for the reply!

 

[ExSCA]

Although - thinking about this - none of us have any idea of the reality behind this...

1. the scope of the work being commissioned
2. the quality of the work being delivered
3. the working relationship between the client and the supplier

Maybe the extra calls falls into those margins. 

 

[Deershooter]

A data base for the CPSA they only have 27000 members I could have done that on a £250 laptop 

 

[Nimbusgb]

27000 members, lets say 1/2 of them shoot a registered comp once a week.( yeah right! ) even a clay-by-clay record doesn't result in a challenge for current databases.

Even adding 20 years of history wouldn't strain any of the popular frameworks.

Does the CPSA 'tender' to its membership or do they go out to 'contacts' in the open world?

There are so many IT based members that I would have thought getting some tenders from the membership should be a policy from the word go. Not suggesting it needs to be a homebuilt cobbled together job but a professional solution with support from someone with a vested interest in 'the game'.

Why do members only hear about the requirements when they are presented with a fait acompli?

 

[schmokinn]

Although - thinking about this - none of us have any idea of the reality behind this...

1. the scope of the work being commissioned
2. the quality of the work being delivered
3. the working relationship between the client and the supplier

Maybe the extra calls falls into those margins. 

well if if they answer the email maybe we will find out?

 

[RobertBeard]

With all this comment I thought I ought to read Pull to find out all about it but of course there's no real information said in PULL!

We have no idea what the purpose of this database is!  It could be marketing, membership or competition based which are the obvious ones.  The past problem is that the last developers retained the intellectual property rights from memory so we are tied to where we go for work to be done unless we scrap it and start again.  If you have something bespoke to you then you are tied to going back for bespoke work to update it when things change.  Even if you buy something off the shelf it then has to be set up and tailored to your requirements and the staff have to be trained in its use.  From a sensibility perspective you can't rely on one skilled member of staff because they go sick, leave etc so you need to have two and so on the costs can very quickly accelerate especially with any external input.

We know from what we have seen on here what good coaching costs so decent IT input certainly doesn't come any cheaper!  It would just be nice to know that it is money being spent effectively!

If there are skilled IT professionals on here then why not do a pitch setting out you skills and capabilities, prices and resources for ongoing support and development.

 

[Les53]

presumably this is a database of names and addresses of people like us that don't usually want to be in the databases people are selling?

FFS they are not selling timeshares,do they think we won't notice these payments,seems every year its something like this.

so what do they intend to do mailshot people and see if they want to join,surely it would be a lot cheaper to have a leaflet dispenser on every gunshop counter if they want to reach gun owners.

i'm sure it wasn't a close freind or aquaintance that got the contract....how do they believe they can keep on wasting our money!!

You're now on the Dorset committee Mark, perhaps you should bring it up at the next meeting!  I'm sure such a question will be well received! 

 

[schmokinn]

Shoosh don't tell evryone,was trying to stay deep undercover!!

i do not believe that sort of information would be available at county level and i did email HQ requesting a breakdown of the costs.

From what i can see county comittees seem almost completely disconnected  from HQ in any normal sense of structure and HQ offer very little if any support to the county,everything within the county is organised by the committee and financed within the county from what i can see they work hard at it giving there time and in some cases there own money to ensure the best experience for our countys' shooters.

then again i'm a newbie and maybe there will be a revelation of the masses of support they offer behind the scenes.

if you are a Dorset CPSA member Les i would be more than happy to raise the question on your behalf if you requested me to do so,though i feel a more direct approach would be more likely to yeild any information hence my email as i would like to be able to answer questions when asked.

i know this may go completely against normal CPSA policy but i do believe there should be full transparency for members to see exactly how there money is spent from my point of view as a CPSA member if they can spend that much on a database they can spend a tiny little bit more to make the full information available.