New 2010 deadline set for Virginia's troubled IT contract

RICHMOND

A corrective plan filed by the private company hired to overhaul Virginia's computer systems indicates that most of the work is now expected to be completed by April.

Earlier this summer, after Northrop Grumman Corp. failed to meet a June 30 deadline for finishing the work, state technology officials instructed the company to submit an updated work plan.

The company's 10-year, $2.3 billion contract, inked in 2005, has come under intense scrutiny in recent months amid reports of cost overruns, delays and state employee dissatisfaction with technology services.

Coupled with those issues were questions about the departure of former Chief Information Officer Lem Stewart - who was removed from his job in June after suggesting a $14 million payment be withheld from Northrop Grumman - and the multiple roles Technology Secretary Len Pomata held with the Virginia Information Technologies Agency.

In addition to his cabinet job, Pomata serves on the Information Technology Investment Board and filled in as VITA's interim chief information officer after Stewart left. A new chief information officer, George F. Coulter, was hired earlier this month.

The 40-page plan filed Friday with VITA notes that meeting the new timetable will require cooperation from state agencies. Work is to be done by March 31, but three additional months are allowed. "To execute this plan, Northrop Grumman will ask each agency to formally accept its schedule and acknowledge its commitment," the document reads.

Del. Sam Nixon, R-Chesterfield, who has sponsored legislation dealing with state technology, said that while he is disappointed in the pace of the project, he thinks another year sounds about right to complete the work. "I hope it's based on realistic expectations moving forward, so that everyone involved understands exactly what is needed," he said.

Northrop Grumman officials recently said the initial transformation schedule was overly ambitious. The revised plan will be assessed by VITA officials in the coming weeks, and differences between the state and company will be hammered out, officials said.

Meanwhile, independent reviews of the privatization deal are being conducted by a state Senate subcommittee and the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, which is expected to finish its analysis in October.

Julian Walker, (804) 697-1564, julian.walker@pilotonline.com