FBI chief admits failure in IT upgrade project
FBI Chief Robert Mueller on Thursday admitted in congressional testimony that he did not adequately oversee a failed, multimillion-dollar technology system.
But Mueller also blamed the department's contractor, Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC), for mismanaging the Virtual Case File project.
"In addition to our shortcomings in overseeing this project ... the contractor responsible for VCF bears some responsibility," Mueller said in written testimony to the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees the Justice Department.
The VCF system is a software program that was supposed to help FBI agents better manage their case records.
In written testimony, SAIC Executive Vice President Arnold Punaro rejected the FBI's assessment. "The product we presented to the FBI in December 2004 is not the product evaluated by the Aerospace Corporation," he wrote. Aerospace was hired to assess the system.
In a report issued Thursday, Justice Department Inspector General Glenn Fine called VCF "the FBI's most troublesome IT challenge" in its Trilogy project to upgrade the bureau's technology backbone.
"After more than three years and $170 million expected to be spent developing the VCF, the FBI has not provided a clear timetable or prospect for completing the VCF," Fine concluded.
COMMENTS
- Big deal! The cost of bad systems in DoD and the services far exceeds this little system. The DoD has awarded billions for BMMP that currently is underway and the parameters are being set on things by people that do not even know what they are talking about. Also, there was a systems project in DoD called DESCIM that spent hundreds of millions over several years and came up with nothing. Likewise, the services are spending millions on a system to become CFO compliant and nothing is flowing from the efforts because the people that define the requirements are also telling the systems people how to develop the system. There are billions being wasted on useless systems in the government and Congress is doing nothing to stop it other than saying stop it. In DoD we have a direct order not to spend on old systems but there are people spending millions to upgrade old systems that are supposed to go away and nothing is being done about it! taxpayer Posted February 8, 2005 7:04 AM
- Well, at least the FBI has the stones to admit the failure - the Navy can't seem to get the nerve to admit NMCI is the same. GovExec.com reader Posted February 8, 2005 6:06 AM
- This just proves that FBI stands for "Famous But Incompetent"! GovExec.com reader Posted February 4, 2005 3:18 PM
