October 12, 2007 05:56 PM UTC

Ritter to Overhaul State Computer System

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• by: Colorado Pols

As The Denver Post reports:

Gov. Bill Ritter announced a plan Thursday to revamp the state’s splintered process for buying and installing new computer systems – a move that is intended to prevent another round of costly meltdowns.

Over the past four years, the state has spent up to $300 million on failed computer systems, staff time, legal work and other costs related to crashing computers.

“I can’t say a bad ideology drove them to make mistakes,” Ritter said. “But you wound up seeing a great deal of money that was badly spent, and we’re not going to throw good money after bad.”

Ritter unveiled the plan to bridge the state’s digital divide during a trade group meeting in downtown Denver.

“We’re going to do it by tapping into your private-sector expertise,” Ritter said in a speech to the Colorado Software and Internet Association.

Colorado’s failed computer systems were one of the great troubles of the end of the Bill Owens era. As the Post outlines:

Colorado’s computer troubles

CBMS – The $223 million welfare-benefits system, developed by EDS and used by the counties and the state, has been hampered by many problems since it was unveiled in 2004. In April, the federal government ordered the state to repay $11.2 million in overpaid benefits.

CSTARS – The Department of Revenue’s new program stalled in April, after the state spent about $10 million. The program by Avanade was providing incorrect information to some law enforcement officers.

ERP – The department of transportation’s computerized paycheck system delivered loads of problems late last year and early this year. The $38 million system was developed by SAP.

Genesis – The state paid $24.2 million to Accenture to update its unemployment insurance program. The total contract was $40.8 million, but officials terminated the program in December 2005. Key parts of the program – monitoring taxes paid by employers and benefits paid to workers – don’t work.

SCORE – Accenture was hired to provide the program for computerized voting records, but the contract was canceled in November 2005. The state had spent $1.5 million on the $10.5 million contract, but the contractor “missed every deadline.” In late December, the company agreed to refund $2 million.