{{Distinguish|Korean Asset Management Company}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}} {{Use Australian English|date=July 2011}} {{Infobox company | name = Kamco | logo = Kamco red.JPG | type = Subsidiary | parent = NTT Data | foundation = 2003 | location = Melbourne, Australia | key_people = CEO Greg Purdy | num_employees = 120+ | products = myki | industry = Electronic ticketing }} '''Kamco''' (Keane Australia Micropayment Consortium Pty Ltd) is the company formed in 2003 to tender for a new public transport ticketing system in Victoria, Australia. It was contracted to provide the Myki ticketing system in 2005. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the American company Keane, and when the myki contract was awarded it described itself as "an alliance" of Keane Australia, Ascom, ERG and Giesecke & Devrient,<ref>{{cite web |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110304163634/http://www.doi.vic.gov.au/doi/doielect.nsf/2a6bd98dee287482ca256915001cff0c/0a62b12c5bb1b34dca25703c0009f31d/$FILE/Kamco%20Media%20Release.pdf |archivedate=4 March 2011 |url=http://www.doi.vic.gov.au/doi/doielect.nsf/2a6bd98dee287482ca256915001cff0c/0a62b12c5bb1b34dca25703c0009f31d/$FILE/Kamco%20Media%20Release.pdf |title=Kamco Media Release |date=12 July 2005 |author=Kamco |publisher=Department of Infrastructure |url-status=dead |access-date=8 March 2011 }}</ref> with Keane Australia providing "a single point of accountability" for Victoria's Transport Ticketing Authority.<ref>{{cite web |title=Keane Australia Micropayment Consortium - Profile v2.0 |date=May 2005 |publisher=Kamco |archivedate=10 June 2015 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610140321/http://www.robx1.net/victkt/myki/pdf/ka200505.pdf |url=http://www.robx1.net/victkt/myki/pdf/ka200505.pdf |url-status=live |accessdate=10 July 2014 }}</ref> ERG was the creator of Metcard.
In 2010, Keane was taken over by NTT Data and in October 2013 Keane Australia changed its name to NTT Data Victorian Ticketing System Pty Ltd.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://connectonline.asic.gov.au/RegistrySearch/faces/landing/SearchRegisters.jspx?_afrLoop=615143561042802&_afrWindowMode=0&_adf.ctrl-state=ksw9jyeu8_4 |title=ASIC Company Search |access-date=10 June 2015 |archive-date=10 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610141635/https://connectonline.asic.gov.au/RegistrySearch/faces/landing/SearchRegisters.jspx?_afrLoop=615143561042802&_afrWindowMode=0&_adf.ctrl-state=ksw9jyeu8_4 |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Controversy in Victoria ==
=== Procurement Process === In April 2008, Vivian Miners, chief executive of the Transport Ticketing Authority, quit his $545,000-a-year job. After a report into the tendering process by Des Pearson, Victoria's Attorney General Rob Hulls found the tendering for the ticket system had been conducted improperly.<ref>Ticket chief Stopped in tracks, The Age, 2 April 2008 http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/ticket-chief-stopped-in-tracks/2008/04/01/1206850910956.html?page=2 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628202730/http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/ticket-chief-stopped-in-tracks/2008/04/01/1206850910956.html?page=2 |date=28 June 2011 }}</ref> Mr Miners owned about $150,000 of shares in Headstrong, which was part of the Kamco consortium at the time it won the tender. Mr Miners' partner and former wife both worked for Headstrong and ERG, the Perth-based transport ticket company part of Keane.<ref>Transport shares questioned, Herald Sun, 15 February 2011 http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/transport-shares-questioned/story-e6frf7kx-1111115147938</ref> An early alleged draft of the report, leaked to the media in 2008, detailed a series of alleged conflicts of interest, probity issues, backdating of reports and favouring of the eventual winning bidder Kamco.<ref>Ticket chief stopped in tracks, ''The Age'' 2 April 2008 http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/ticket-chief-stopped-in-tracks/2008/04/01/1206850910956.html?page=2 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628202730/http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/ticket-chief-stopped-in-tracks/2008/04/01/1206850910956.html?page=2 |date=28 June 2011 }}</ref>
The final report observed that "Keane had no corporate experience in developing, implementing and operating a ticketing system" and "barely demonstrated adequate capacity."<ref>{{cite news | newspaper = Sydney Morning Herald | title = Locked into myki, public is owed answers | date = 25 February 2010 | url = http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/editorial/locked-into-myki-public-is-owed-answers-20100224-p3fu.html | accessdate = 18 March 2011 | archive-date = 13 May 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100513042612/http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/editorial/locked-into-myki-public-is-owed-answers-20100224-p3fu.html | url-status = live }}</ref> The project has since gone over both time and budget limits.<ref>Myki running late again, The Age, 24 November 2008 http://www.theage.com.au/national/myki-running-late-again-20081124-6g59.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628202739/http://www.theage.com.au/national/myki-running-late-again-20081124-6g59.html |date=28 June 2011 }}</ref><ref>Myki a $550m blowout, The Age, 17 July 2008 http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/myki-a-550m-blowout/story-e6frf7kx-1111116934835</ref>
=== Cash Injection required === ''The Australian'' reported on 24 December 2007 that Kamco had requested a cash injection and wanted to change the contract to receive an accelerated payments schedule.<ref>Victoria's $500m Myki card blow-out, ''The Australian'' 24 December 2007, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/victorias-500m-myki-card-blow-out/story-e6frgan6-1111115185812</ref> To date Kamco has received $150m of the approx $750m spent.
=== Dispute with ERG === Kamco sub-contracted installation and repair of myki equipment to ERG in an A$106 million contract. However, ERG refused to release myki equipment to Kamco claiming "unpaid bills worth $1.8 million". Kamco repudiated the contract in June 2009 arguing a change in ERG's company structure broke their agreement. ERG sued Kamco for a $30 million loss it claimed from the repudiation,<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.zdnet.com/article/erg-sues-myki-vendor-for-30m/ | author = Ben Grubb | publisher = ZDNet.com.au | date = 22 February 2010 | title = ERG sues myki vendor for $30m | access-date = 10 July 2014 | archive-date = 14 July 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140714164056/http://www.zdnet.com/erg-sues-myki-vendor-for-30m-1339301260/ | url-status = live }}</ref> and Kamco launched a counter-claim in the Victorian Supreme Court.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Age |url=http://www.theage.com.au/national/company-behind-myki-sued-for-30m-20100221-oo1u.html |title=Company behind myki sued for $30m |author=Clay Lucas |date=22 February 2010 |access-date=16 March 2011 |archive-date=3 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110403144802/http://www.theage.com.au/national/company-behind-myki-sued-for-30m-20100221-oo1u.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
=== January 2010 roll-out === By early 2010, the state's political opponents were presenting figures alleging that "Melbourne has by far the most costly smartcard system in the world". The Labor Party's Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky attributed issues with the January 2010 roll-out to errors by Kamco, including "very silly mistakes" and "unacceptable" problems including a recall of 30,500 cards.<ref>{{cite news | newspaper = Herald Sun | url = http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/lynne-kosky-slams-myki-company-kamco-for-series-of-bungles-in-melbourne-launch/story-e6frf7jo-1225818576786 | title = Lynne Kosky slams myki company Kamco for series of bungles in Melbourne launch | date = 12 January 2010 | author = Ashley Gardiner }}</ref> Major operation problems included incorrect fare charging, cards that couldn't be activated and cards that wouldn't open entrance or exit gates.<ref>{{cite news | magazine = IEEE Spectrum | author = Robert Charette | title = Australia's A$1.3 billion Myki Ticketing System Introduction Marred By Multiple Missteps | date = 8 January 2010 | url = https://spectrum.ieee.org/australias-au13-billion-myki-ticketing-system-introduction-marred-by-multiple-missteps | access-date = 18 March 2011 | archive-date = 1 October 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121001190329/http://spectrum.ieee.org/riskfactor/computing/it/australias-au13-billion-myki-ticketing-system-introduction-marred-by-multiple-missteps | url-status = live }}</ref>
=== Review into myki 2010/2011 === After the change of Government in the 2010 Victorian Election the incoming Liberal/National Coalition announced a "warts and all" review of myki by Deloitte.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/wartsandall-review-of-myki-20101228-1999i.html | title = 'Warts-and-all' review of myki | author = Richard Willingham | date = 29 December 2010 | newspaper = The Age | accessdate = 25 March 2011 | archive-date = 5 March 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110305105413/http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/wartsandall-review-of-myki-20101228-1999i.html | url-status = live }}</ref> As of 2013, the Victorian Government had declined to release the report on the ground that "it would be disadvantageous to release it while negotiations for the operating contract are ongoing".<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/the-reports-you-are-not-allowed-to-see-20130126-2ddss.html | title = The reports you are not allowed to see | author = Farrah Tomazin | date = 27 January 2013 | newspaper = The Age | accessdate = 18 April 2019 | archive-date = 18 April 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190418113500/https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/the-reports-you-are-not-allowed-to-see-20130126-2ddss.html | url-status = live }}</ref> Other companies have claimed they can provide alternative technical solutions at lower cost, but the Public Transport minister Terry Mulder said that it was not appropriate to consider these proposals until the Department of Treasury and Finance had costed the options in Deloitte's report. It could cost the government hundreds of millions of dollars to end its contract with Kamco early.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/Victorian-ticketing-proposal-to-save-100m-EB5X2?OpenDocument&src=rab | publisher = Business Spectator | date = 22 February 2011 | title = Metcard operator offers Myki 'solution' | author = Alan Kohler | author-link = Alan Kohler | accessdate = 18 March 2011 | archive-date = 6 July 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110706102412/http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/Victorian-ticketing-proposal-to-save-100m-EB5X2?OpenDocument&src=rab | url-status = live }}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20110423010310/http://www.kamco.com.au/ Kamco website]
Category:Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Category:Transport companies established in 2003 Category:2003 establishments in Australia