From the
Washington Post's article,
Some FBI officials began raising doubts about the bureau's attempts to create a computerized case management system as early as 2003, two years before the $170 million project was abandoned altogether, according to a confidential report to the House Appropriations Committee.
By 2004, the report found, the FBI had identified 400 problems with early versions of the troubled software -- but never told the contractor. The bureau also went ahead with a $17 million testing program last December, even though it was clear by then that the software would have to be scrapped, according to the review.
Why are engineers, true technologists not being used more in government agencies? Right now
high tech companies with congressional help
are either bringing in H-1B VISA engineers to replace qualified Americans or offshore outsource R&D jobs. Yet, here with highly
qualified individuals unemployed, seemingly
the FBI and SAIC couldn't find anyone to help
them manage this project. They wasted $170M
dollars on a project almost every competent
US engineer knows was bogus.
Seemingly the FBI is more concerned whether a prospective employee smoked pot than hiring qualified technical personnel.
Richard Clarke warned of a cyberwar.
If the FBI can't even realize that a database architecture is completely hosed, how is it supposed to keep the nation's communications infastructure secure?