The Department of Treasury botched the planning,
execution and documentation of its Treasury communications
enterprise procurement and it lacked an adequate business
case for moving forward with the planned $1 billion,
10-year contract, the agency’s inspector general has said.
The TCE project is meant to support billing, personnel
transactions, and information sharing between law
enforcement and financial institutions — as well as expand
the range of transactions the agency conducts online with
citizens and businesses, including the filing taxes and
paying bills.
However, the initiative has been fraught with complications
and has been criticized through a series of false starts.
After awarding AT&T the initial 10-year, $1 billion contract
in December 2004, the Government Accountability Office
sustained a bid protest, then Treasury said it was going to
use a General Services Administration contract vehicle to
make an easier transition to GSA’s planned government-wide
Networx contract, finally abandoning that plan after
deciding its needs wouldn’t be met.
Treasury re-opened bidding in October 2005, but the IG report
makes a number of recommendations for proceeding with greater
transparency and accountability.
