The Advisory Council on IT assessment is the successor to the Bureau IT assessment (BIT).

In 2015, the Temporary IT Committee concluded that the Dutch government had not properly managed some of its IT projects. This led to a waste of taxpayers’ money. The committee recommended setting up a temporary Bureau IT assessment (BIT). The BIT was tasked with independently, efficiently, and expertly assessing, before the start of any major IT project (over 5 million euros), whether it had a chance of success. This recommendation was adopted and implemented.

At the end of 2020, the Cabinet agreed with the proposal of the State Secretary for the Interior and Kingdom Relations to establish AcICT as the successor to the BIT. A temporary legal basis was created via the Establishment Decree ICT Assessment Advisory Council On July 1, 2024, the  ICT Assessment Advisory Council Act (Wet adviescollege ICT-toetsing) entered into force. This law provides for the permanent establishment of a remotely positioned assessment authority: the Advisory council on IT Assessment.

AcICT is an independent council positioned at arm’s length from the ministries, independent administrative bodies, the police, and the Council for the Judiciary. This prevents potential conflicts of interest and the appearance thereof.

Our core tasks

  • Advising
    The Advisory Council on IT assessment (AcICT) advises on the effective and efficient design, application, and management of information systems for the implementation of policies and regulations within the central government, and on the risks and chances of success of (proposed) IT projects. Ministries are required to register all proposed IT projects costing more than five million euros with us.
    We direct our advice directly to the responsible minister or to the Tweede or Eerste Kamer (House of Representatives or Senate). 

  • Sharing experiences and knowledge
    AcICT pays considerable attention to sharing experiences and transferring knowledge about IT management. In this way, we stimulate the learning capacity within the central government, especially within the CIO community.

Our working method is laid down in rules of procedure and a code of integrity (Reglement van orde en integriteitscode).

Research Approach

The Advisory Council on IT assessment investigates and advises on:

  • the risks and likelihood of success of IT projects within central government
  • the effective and efficient maintenance and management of information systems
  • the effective and efficient design of information systems used in implementing policy and legislation

The way we conduct an investigation is described in the investigation protocol (onderzoeksprotocol). We use our assessment framework (toetskader) to gain insight into the main risks.