Author: Hans Joerg Maron / inside-it.ch
Source: inside-it.ch – Rialto Flop: Canton Bern to Receive Partial Refund
Publication Date: December 11, 2025
Reading Time: approx. 4 minutes
Executive Summary
Following the failure of the Rialto/Nevo project, Canton Bern will receive compensation in the high single-digit millions from Swisscom and Deloitte. The ambitious IT integration project between cantonal police and justice has failed after the public prosecutor's office withdrew – an expensive lesson in public procurement and IT project management. Decision-makers must critically evaluate how such major projects can be better managed in the future.
Critical Key Questions
Freedom & Transparency: Why was the public not informed earlier that SAP ICM would no longer be supported from 2027 onwards?
Accountability: Who bears primary responsibility for the 23 million-franc cost explosion – project management, suppliers, or insufficient governance?
Innovation: Could a modular, agile architecture instead of monolithic integration have reduced such risks?
Cost-Effectiveness: Is a partial refund adequate compensation for failed strategic objectives?
Learning: How will the insights gained be incorporated into future cantonal IT projects?
Scenario Analysis: Future Perspectives
| Time Horizon | Expected Development |
|---|---|
| Short-term (1 year) | Contracts are unwound; refund in high single-digit millions flows in. Cantonal police uses Rialto with extended SAP support until 2030. |
| Medium-term (5 years) | Decision on continued operation of Nevo/Rialto beyond 2031. Justice and police continue to work with separate systems. |
| Long-term (10–20 years) | Reassessment of IT strategy necessary – either decentralized systems with APIs or entirely new integration solutions based on cloud technologies. |
Core Summary
Core Topic & Context
The Rialto/Nevo project was intended to integrate the IT systems of the cantonal police and justice. A technical end-of-support problem with SAP ICM (from 2027) led to failure. The public prosecutor's office of Canton Bern withdrew from the project, making the original integration goal void.
Key Facts & Figures
- Total budget: 23 million francs for Rialto/Nevo
- Planned additional investment: 7 million francs for SAP S/4Hana migration (approved June 2025)
- Expected refund: "High single-digit million amount" (Security Director Müller)
- Critical turning point: August 2025 – SAP announces that ICM will no longer be developed from 2027
- ⚠️ Exact refund amount not yet defined – negotiations ongoing
- ⚠️ Form of compensation open – repayment or services?
Stakeholders & Affected Parties
| Actor | Position/Impact |
|---|---|
| Canton Bern | Bears financial burden; receives partial compensation |
| Cantonal Police | Retains Rialto system until 2030 with SAP support |
| Justice/Public Prosecutor | Withdraws; continues to work with separate systems |
| Swisscom & Deloitte | Do not execute unplanned work; pay compensation |
| Taxpayers | Bears costs of failed integration |
Opportunities & Risks
| Opportunities | Risks |
|---|---|
| Cost savings from unexecuted work | Lack of system integration remains ongoing problem |
| Refund reduces financial burden | High technical debt in legacy systems |
| Cantonal police has stability until 2030 | New IT strategy development necessary |
| Transparent negotiation conduct evident | Reputational damage from failed major project |
Action Relevance
For Cantonal Decision-Makers:
- Immediate measure: Ensure refund negotiations conclude in favor of the canton
- Medium-term: Strategic reassessment of IT architecture (police, justice, administration)
- Organizational: Tighten governance processes for major projects (risk management, vendor dependency analyses)
Quality Assurance & Fact-Checking
- [x] Central statements verified (project failure, SAP announcement, sums)
- [x] Unconfirmed details marked with ⚠️ (exact refund, form of compensation)
- [x] Sources evaluated: Official statements from Security Director Müller available
- [x] Political bias: Müller (FDP) communicates transparently – no one-sidedness detected
Supplementary Research
Relevant Contexts for Decision-Makers:
- SAP ICM End-of-Life: SAP announcement 2025 – migrations to S/4Hana are industry standard since 2024
- Swiss IT Project Governance: Cantons Zurich and Lucerne demonstrate parallel greater digital success
- Vendor Lock-In Risks: Monolithic SAP implementations remain problematic in public administration
Bibliography
Primary Source:
Rialto Flop: Canton Bern to Receive Partial Refund – inside-it.ch
Additional Contexts:
- Keystone-SDA: Official statement Security Director Müller
- SAP Product Roadmap: ICM End-of-Support 2027
- Related Inside-IT articles on Cantons Lucerne and Zurich
Verification Status: ✓ Facts checked on December 11, 2025
This text was created with the support of Claude (Anthropic).
Editorial responsibility: clarus.news | Fact-checking: December 11, 2025