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What's the Biggest Federal IT Boondoggle Contract You Have Worked On?
Posted by: Manesh (Gopi) Balasuramabama ()
Date: August 23, 2016 12:04PM

In another thread, IT "professionals" are bragging about how they make $100K-$500K a year, fwiw.

But! They wouldn't be making that kind of cash unless they are contributing to massive cost overruns by working on some pointless Federal IT project.

Let's hear the stories!!

Submission #1, a long time ex colleague was milking the Air Force over $200K a year as a NG "project manager" overseeing the boxing up and disposal of obsolete PCs, modems and other assorted, seldom-used IT junk from various DC AF locations and other bases. He's been heartbroken (and unemployed) since the client wised up a killed the project in June. A sad, sad time. But even the AF realized junk is junk and you don't need to develop custom software account for every 15 year old PC that's going to be recycled anyway.

Submission #2, over ten years or so, several heavy hitting Federal contractors milked a little known part of the broader "IRS modernization" boondoggle called the "Custodial Accounting Project". When the IRS pulled the plug in 2006 (or so...) $100s of millions had disappeared developing software that never successfully extracted data from the IRS master file and migrated it to an already obsolete relational database. Contractors couldn't book enough overtime at $120/hr. plus. But that was peanuts as the principal contractors GSA rate was $250/hr. plus for C++ programmers!!

Your tax $$ at work good citizens!!

PS-Your reporter 'Gopi' is now semi-retired, having returned to Mumbai where my cousin and I provide offshore IT support for many US businesses!! We owe it all to Hillary's undying support for Indian offshore workers!!

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Re: What's the Biggest Federal IT Boondoggle Contract You Have Worked On?
Posted by: SAIC, FBI Case Management ()
Date: August 23, 2016 12:36PM

SAIC spent billions of FBI dollars and finally it was just scrapped. Lots of people retired from SAIC off of that one.

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Re: What's the Biggest Federal IT Boondoggle Contract You Have Worked On?
Posted by: Rosslyn IT Guy ()
Date: August 23, 2016 12:59PM

Been hearing 80% of the FDIC's IT projects don't get delivered on time, but that's not taxpayer money.

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Re: What's the Biggest Federal IT Boondoggle Contract You Have Worked On?
Posted by: Woodsy Al ()
Date: August 23, 2016 01:04PM

The list is nearly endless.

I've known many contracts that were let simply to blow a few hundred million and give the appearance that something was being done. Executives knew at the outset it would totally fail and nothing would be accomplished, except forwarding their careers another 5-10 years. The gov't doesn't care how many times a company fails or takes 9 or 10 figures for delivering nothing, it's always blamed on the feds anyway.

I have this friend that personally knows several congressman and former congressman that will admit off the record that the real purpose of many fed contracts is simply to keep the local economy moving along.

This is DC. It's the way this town works.

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Re: What's the Biggest Federal IT Boondoggle Contract You Have Worked On?
Posted by: gumballs ()
Date: August 23, 2016 01:37PM

I like working on the project to have Hooters girls on roller-skates deliver a free lunch everyday. Too bad it was scrapped at the last moment. Would have made me want to come into work everyday.

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Re: What's the Biggest Federal IT Boondoggle Contract You Have Worked On?
Posted by: Believe it or not! ()
Date: August 23, 2016 01:54PM

I have been overseeing the programming for software that is used to monitor elephants ejaculating, while in pools of water, to see if it increases the amount released compared to out of water ejaculations.

I have a team of twelve programmers / IT pros under me for this project. They all make mid 100's and, since I'm in charge, I make more than double the highest paid that's under me. It's on a sliding scale, so my income is based on my highest paid employees salary. If her salary goes up, then so does mine!

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Re: What's the Biggest Federal IT Boondoggle Contract You Have Worked On?
Posted by: WeHyp ()
Date: August 23, 2016 02:18PM

Believe it or not! Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have been overseeing the programming for
> software that is used to monitor elephants
> ejaculating, while in pools of water, to see if it
> increases the amount released compared to out of
> water ejaculations.
>
> I have a team of twelve programmers / IT pros
> under me for this project. They all make mid 100's
> and, since I'm in charge, I make more than double
> the highest paid that's under me. It's on a
> sliding scale, so my income is based on my highest
> paid employees salary. If her salary goes up, then
> so does mine!

Too many variables. Are they using the same female elephants? What did the elephant have for breakfast? Is there music like Ravel Balero playing in the background?

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Re: What's the Biggest Federal IT Boondoggle Contract You Have Worked On?
Posted by: Elephant joke ()
Date: August 23, 2016 02:19PM

What do you do if an elephant comes thru your window?

















Swim for life!

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Re: What's the Biggest Federal IT Boondoggle Contract You Have Worked On?
Posted by: Contractor X ()
Date: August 23, 2016 03:41PM

Most every contractor around here billing full time to a single contract is a scam.

Admit it. You don't really devote all of those hours billed specifically to that clients work. Not even counting that probably 1/3 or more is unnecessary, busy work, draggged out, or padded in some way.

That's the biggest boondoggle of all since it's 90% of all support services contracts.

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Re: What's the Biggest Federal IT Boondoggle Contract You Have Worked On?
Posted by: EedJe ()
Date: August 23, 2016 06:46PM

Anything related to the air traffic control software upgrade.

http://dailycaller.com/2015/07/30/major-air-traffic-control-upgrade-broken-again-and-again-and-2/

My company had contracts there. They spun that part of the company off. Not because they weren't profitable. we were the dead weight they wanted to get rid of.

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Re: What's the Biggest Federal IT Boondoggle Contract You Have Worked On?
Posted by: Contender ()
Date: August 23, 2016 06:58PM

EedJe Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Anything related to the air traffic control
> software upgrade.
>
> http://dailycaller.com/2015/07/30/major-air-traffi
> c-control-upgrade-broken-again-and-again-and-2/
>
> My company had contracts there. They spun that
> part of the company off. Not because they weren't
> profitable. we were the dead weight they wanted
> to get rid of.


We could have a winner.

That's been going on in various forms for probably +35 years now. This latest itteration is the follow-on to at least one prior major faliure.

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Re: What's the Biggest Federal IT Boondoggle Contract You Have Worked On?
Posted by: ANNAPOLIS ()
Date: August 24, 2016 09:08AM

Yep, that's it, I know a long time Air Inc contractor who has been in and out of that disaster since the 80's, still billing like a champ, and would be retired if it weren't for two disastrous marriages, but he takes the money knowing knowing his most important work has been filling out his weekly timesheet, and posting YouTube videos from the office when somebody jams a snack vending machine and this guy and his idiot coworkers pay for bags if chips and watch them pile up behind the glass and giggle. Doesn't make me want to fly.

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Re: What's the Biggest Federal IT Boondoggle Contract You Have Worked On?
Posted by: 4uyhy67j57 ()
Date: May 15, 2022 12:33PM

little red riding hood

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Re: What's the Biggest Federal IT Boondoggle Contract You Have Worked On?
Posted by: 4e34hr543 ()
Date: May 15, 2022 12:36PM

during Reagan, NASA materials such as improvements to gcc and X11 were publicly accessible

however - during clinton they began the scam "don't release a list of public material" and privatising federal projects

democrats have begun demanding money for public software and telling the world they are fabulously rich while: using weapons and bribes - in DC - like surrounding the capitol with mayor bowser democrat arranged military forces - causing shortages, building mansions, helping terrorists overseas

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Re: What's the Biggest Federal IT Boondoggle Contract You Have Worked On?
Posted by: dis un ()
Date: May 15, 2022 02:57PM

Hunter needs more cash.
Attachments:
ukraine-boondoggle.jpeg

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