diff --git a/services/web/app/src/Features/ThirdPartyDataStore/TpdsUpdateSender.js b/services/web/app/src/Features/ThirdPartyDataStore/TpdsUpdateSender.js
index 9e3cc3a6ab..39c16139a0 100644
--- a/services/web/app/src/Features/ThirdPartyDataStore/TpdsUpdateSender.js
+++ b/services/web/app/src/Features/ThirdPartyDataStore/TpdsUpdateSender.js
@@ -113,16 +113,17 @@ async function deleteProject(options) {
   metrics.inc('tpds.delete-project')
   // send the request directly to project archiver, bypassing third-party-datastore
   try {
-    const response = await request({
+    await request({
       uri: `${settings.apis.project_archiver.url}/project/${options.project_id}`,
       method: 'delete',
     })
-    return response
+    return true
   } catch (err) {
     logger.error(
       { err, project_id: options.project_id },
       'error deleting project in third party datastore (project_archiver)'
     )
+    return false
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/services/web/scripts/delete_orphaned_project_archives.js b/services/web/scripts/delete_orphaned_project_archives.js
index ac31d43f20..3f7892feb4 100644
--- a/services/web/scripts/delete_orphaned_project_archives.js
+++ b/services/web/scripts/delete_orphaned_project_archives.js
@@ -74,10 +74,10 @@ async function hardDeleteProjectArchiverData(projectId) {
   console.log(`Destroying hard deleted project archive for ${projectId}`)
   if (DRY_RUN) return
 
-  const res = await TpdsUpdateSender.promises.deleteProject({
+  const ok = await TpdsUpdateSender.promises.deleteProject({
     project_id: projectId,
   })
-  if (!res) {
+  if (!ok) {
     throw new Error(`deletion failed for ${projectId}, check logs`)
   }
 }