FBI : Scrapping $170 million computer program but.....

[spanone]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/01/13/fbi.software/index.html

<snip> WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A top FBI official said Thursday the bureau may have to scrap a computer program that so far has cost $170 million and was intended to be an important tool in fighting terrorism.
Bureau officials told a news briefing that they expect to find that after four years in development their much-touted Virtual Case File system does not work. But they said a suitable replacement is commercially available. <snip>



Can you believe what this says??? They are scraping a ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY MILLION DOLLAR project but a suitable replacement is COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE!!! WHAT THE FUCK???? WHERE DID THE 170 MILLION GO? They never cease to amaze me.

[babylonsister]

1. And a question I had when this story first broke:

Who Was The Contractor? Who's pocketing all this money without showing any results? And what the hell kind of govt contract was drawn up w/o clauses for possible failure?

[Syrinx]

2. SAIC

Science Applications International Corporation.

[dkofos]

6. That would be most govt contracts

[LoZoccolo]

3. $170 million really isn't much for a large custom software project.

Especially after four years of development. It sounds like a lot to pay for something that's like, all labor, but it's expensive labor.

[spanone]

5. Yea, but after all that hard expensive labor, the program should WORK.

Or they should refund the money. You or I would probably demand as much.

[Dover]

4. My memory is a bit foggy, but wasn't there some discussion of their

system and a connection to the consulting/accounting firm (a la ENRON) Andersen?

Or maybe I'm lumping two different stories together. But I remember hearing about the FBI computer programming problem about the same time that Enron and Andersen consulting were being investigated a few years ago. I think Andersen may have had a contract with the FBI or some such thing.

On edit: Found this in a google -

Andersen picked for FBI review

BY Christopher J. Dorobek
July 23, 2001

The Justice Department has selected Andersen to conduct a comprehensive review of the FBI, including its antiquated computer systems.

The study is being undertaken on behalf of Justice's Strategic Management Council, a new organization that Attorney General John Ashcroft created to provide long-range planning. Ashcroft said that the council's review will include a management study of the FBI's policies and practices focusing on information technology, personnel, crisis management and other issues.

The FBI has been reeling from problems in recent years, including the discovery this year of its failure to turn over thousands of documents in connection with the trial of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. The delay in handing over those documents has been blamed in part on the FBI's inadequate computers.

Ashcroft, in a June 20 memo to deputy attorney general Larry Thompson, ordered the comprehensive review to "identify and recommend actions dedicated to improving and upgrading the performance of the FBI."

The contract specifies that "Andersen will evaluate the organizational structure and mission of the FBI, including the agency's own perception of its mission and core values and how well its organizational structure is suited to identify and act on institutional and operational problems," Justice said.

Andersen will review the FBI's policies, practices and procedures in several other areas:

* The way the agency approaches the procurement and maintenance of IT systems.

* Its records and data management.

* Its approach to human resources management, including the recruitment, selection, hiring and retention of employees, as well as its approach to human capital planning and resource deployment.

* The manner in which the bureau reacts to crises, emphasizing the effectiveness of its communication structure, its decision-making and command authority, and the relation of headquarters officials to those in field offices.

Justice awarded the contract from a competition using the General Services Administration's Management, Organizational, and Business Improvement Services contract, department officials said....cont'd

http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2001/0723/web-fbi-07-23-01.asp


http://www.rense.com/general19/ffg.htm

[Moderator]

12. Dover

Per DU copyright rules
please post only four
paragraphs from the
copyrighted news source.


Thank you.


DU Moderator

[spanone]

7. I would be curious how much the commercially available version cost?

It obviously works. It would be an interesting comparison.

[Peregrine]

11. Obviously works?

What makes you jump to the conclusion that an OTS application obviously works. I worked for 17 years in the industry and never saw a single OTS that obviously worked without millions of $$$ in modifications followed by a long term high $ relationship between the agency and the vendor.

Some company sold them a bill of goods, that the odds say will be no better than what they have.

It isn't just the governments fault. If you ever worked on a large scale software project you quickly learn that the government has no idea what it realy wants and you are left with requirement creep. Which as a company exec is fine as long as you get paid. But most software development failure is not the fault of the contractor, it is the government's.

[The Revolution]

8. Clearly a cover story

This is clearly a cover story to explain the disappearance of $170 million that is being allocated to fund covert ops and the study of recovered extraterrestrial spacecraft.:tinfoilhat:

[ret5hd]

9. you can take the tinfoil hat off...

this is EXACTLY how they fund covert ops. Now, the ufo's...you're on your own there bub.

[Dover]

10. Spotlight turned on FBI systems (from June 2001)

http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2001/0618/web-fbi-06-21-01.asp

Spotlight turned on FBI systems

BY Christopher J. Dorobek
June 21, 2001

More Related Links
The FBI's antiquated computer system will be under the microscope in the coming months.

Attorney General John Ashcroft announced Wednesday that he has ordered a comprehensive review of the FBI, including its inadequate computer systems.

The Justice Department's review comes as the Senate Judiciary Committee held the first of a series of hearings into management problems at the bureau. Lawmakers proposed measures designed to fix the FBI, which was criticized as arrogant and insular. Those measures include the creation of a "blue ribbon" panel to conduct a top-to-bottom review of the bureau and the creation of an FBI inspector general position.

The FBI has been reeling from problems in recent years, including the discovery in May of its failure to turn over thousands of documents in connection with the trial of convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. The delay in handing over those documents has been blamed in part on the FBI's inadequate computers.

Ashcroft, in a memo to deputy attorney general Larry Thompson, ordered the comprehensive review to "identify and recommend actions dedicated to improving and upgrading the performance of the FBI."

The Strategic Management Council, a new organization created by Ashcroft to provide long-range planning, will conduct the review. The council is headed by Thompson and includes senior Justice officials and directors of the FBI, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Prisons...cont'd

http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2001/0618/web-fbi-06-21-01.asp