REPORT CRITICIZES INS AUTOMATION EFFORTS

The Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General has issued a report slamming the INS’ efforts at automation. According to the report, the INS does not adequately manage its automation programs despite the fact that it has now spent over $ 800 million on these programs. The automation effort by the INS began in the 1995 fiscal year and has been managed by the agency’s Office of Information Resources Management.

As a result of the mismanagement, according to the OIG

• estimated completion dates for some projects have been delayed without explanations for the delays
• costs continue to spiral upward with no justification for how the funds are spent, and
• projects are nearing completion with no assurance that they will meet performance and functional requirements.

Furthermore, the report questioned the reliability of the INS’ estimate of spending $ 2.8 billion on the automation programs since the agency’s data is suspect.

The OIG issued a similar report in March 1998 stating similar conclusions. One key difference is that the INS is now $ 200 million over their previous stated estimate for expenses.

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