Not Just Healthcare.gov: NASA Has 'Significant Problems' With $2.5B IT Contract 176
schwit1 writes "According to the Inspector General, NASA and HP Enterprise Services have encountered significant problems implementing the $2.5 billion Agency Consolidated End-User Services (ACES) contract, which provides desktops, laptops, computer equipment and end-user services such as help desk and data backup. Those problems include 'a failed effort to replace most NASA employees' computers within the first six months and low customer satisfaction,' the report states (PDF). It adds that NASA lacked the technical and cultural readiness for an agencywide IT delivery model and did not offer clear contract requirements, while HP failed to deliver on multiple promises."
Re:Typical.... (Score:4, Informative)
Dress Codes? Man, we didn't have dress codes when I worked at NASA 10 years ago. That's sad.
[John]
Re:I hate Dice.com (Score:3, Informative)
Not to worry fellas. They're LISTENING to us (and greatly value our input). Timothy PROMISED!
Just like they've been listening to us for months now, as exactly NOTHING has changed with the beta.
Re:I hate Dice.com (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Typical.... (Score:5, Informative)
Throwing $2.5 billion at "desktops, laptops, computer equipment and end-user services such as help desk and data backup" doesnt sound like underfunding IT to me.
You're right; it wouldn't be, if that's what they were doing, which they aren't. TFA is pretty enlightening; you should read the first couple of pages.
This is an Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity contract with a potential worth of $2.5B. IDIQ means a phased program where whether the vendor gets to continue supplying products and services, depends on whether the customer is (1) satisfied with past performance, and (2) convinced that that the program is meeting its goals. This is not a case of "Here's $2.5 Billion. There's more where that came from; please do your best." If this ends up with $2.5B spent and goals not meant, then NASA will have seriously screwed up. That's the sort of result that IDIQ contracts are designed to prevent.
This contract is for more than computers, help desk and data backup; NASA wants to migrate from a balkanized IT structure to an enterprise structure, which is a massive cultural change. Unsurprisingly, the NASA managers whose empires consist of the disparate parts of the IT structure are not exactly embracing the new order of things.
Re:I hate Dice.com (Score:4, Informative)
And I'm sure it wasn't Timothy who modded this thread "0 off-topic." No, he's far too busy listening to us and implementing our suggestions to have time to do downmods.
As someone who's been hit by an editor downmod(I suspect a certain slashvertisement poster), 0 is a bit high for that. Getting dropped from a +5 to a -1 without seeing anything in-between is a pretty clear sign. Some people with mod points are tired of beta complaints, and it's not unreasonable to assume that they're starting to act.
I don't think malice is required to explain that moderation.
Re:Typical.... (Score:4, Informative)
As a contractor, I was always looking for work. One company I worked for when I was at Johns Hopkins APL would immediately "release" you if work ended. My manager came to me and said that when the contract ended in six months, I would be let go because they had no requirement for network engineers. Since looking for work while unemployed is more difficult than when employed, I immediately started looking for another job. That's when I went to work at NASA.
So I'm going to stretch my job out as much as possible since I like being able to eat regularly.
[John]