The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s technology woes keep coming. The overhaul of the agency’s Trilogy project is running behind schedule again (“FBI: Under the Gun,” Case 088, September 2003).
In December, both Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC) and Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) missed deadlines to implement a key component of Trilogy’s third and final phase. The suppliers were supposed to deliver the Virtual Case File (VCF), an Internet-based system to combine 180 databases and enhance information-sharing among agents. FBI Director Robert Mueller III testified before a Senate subcommittee last month that the VCF project won’t be completed until June and cost overruns will total $50 million more than the original November 2000 $119 million estimate. Mueller also said the CSC contract has been renegotiated to include financial penalties for missed deadlines, and that the FBI also plans to redo its SAIC deal.