The Federal Bureau of Investigation has awarded a six-year,
$305 million contract to Lockheed Martin to develop Sentinel,
the agency’s planned information management and sharing system.
Last year, the agency abandoned a failed attempt to develop
its virtual case file system, after sinking $170 million into
it.
In a recently issued audit report, the FBI inspector general
said the failure of the VCF system was largely due to “a
fragmented and ill-equipped PMO that suffered from rapid
personnel turnover.”
The IG said however that the agency’s newly created IT
management processes, reviews, and controls, coupled with
external oversight by the IG, contractors, and congressional
committees, should help achieve cost, schedule, performance,
and technical benchmarks for Sentinel.
However, the IG also noted that it’s critical to for the
program management office to have stable leadership, and said
the program’s success could hinge on whether the current
program manager stays on past his two-year agreement, and
optional third year without returning to the Central
Intelligence Agency, or whether a transition to new leadership
is seamless.
The agency estimates the total cost of the project would be
$425 million, including program management, systems development,
operations and maintenance, and independent validation and
verification.
Sentinel will deliver an electronic information management
system, automate workflow processes, and provide an online
interface to access and search multiple databases, according
to IRS.
It said Sentinel would also provide enhanced information
sharing, search, and analysis capabilities, as well as facilitate
sharing with members of the law enforcement and intelligence
communities.
