Programmer here. I seriously doubt this is correct. Sure, a system this complex implemented by multiple contractors is going to be unwieldy and unnecessarily large, but this seems to be a gross exaggeration. Still, this does highlight a major issue with the way the government does business. Rather than farming out work -- for profit -- to the lowest bidder, the government should do what the U.K. did and set up its own tech service. Not only would it save a ton of money, it would streamline processes making them easier to troubleshoot and maintain in the future.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/28/united-kingdom-digital-government_n_4171574.html