Report: ICE computer upgrade meeting most requirements

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency mostly fulfilled congressional requirements for a multimillion-dollar information technology upgrade, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.

But the potential for mismanagement, including cost and schedule overruns, remains high, the report (GAO-06-823) stated.

The program, known as Atlas, received $39.6 million as part of its fiscal 2005 appropriations on the condition that the Homeland Security Department fulfill five requirements in its expenditure plan submitted to the House and Senate Appropriations Homeland Security subcommittees.

The department's plans either satisfied or partially satisfied those five requirements, GAO said.

ICE partially satisfied the requirement that the project meet Office of Management and Budget financial requirements and conform to the DHS enterprise architecture, a way of describing the structure of an organization's processes and IT systems.

The program fully complied with federal acquisition rules and was approved after review by DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff, the department's investment review board and OMB, the report stated.

According to ICE, the Senate Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee approved the expenditure plan on May 12, and the corresponding House subcommittee accepted it on June 19.

But the fulfillment or partial fulfillment of congressional conditions is based on plans and commitments, rather than actions, the GAO report stated.

Atlas is made up of seven interrelated projects, including the implementation of a single agencywide e-mail system and an agencywide content management system. It is intended to move ICE computer equipment and software from Justice Department data centers to the DHS system. It also will put in place an information security system and upgrade basic computer equipment.

The program, projected in 2002 to cost $158 million, has been appropriated $182.9 million through fiscal 2006.

The fiscal 2006 Atlas appropriation was $39.7 million, and the expenditure plan is making its way through the clearance process at the department and OMB.

GAO recommended that to reduce the risk of mismanagement, ICE should report on the program's progress periodically to Senate and House Appropriations Homeland Security subcommittees.

Reviewers also noted the agency has been less successful at fulfilling GAO recommendations from a September 2005 report (GAO-05-805). Issues included the partially complete development of a security plan and privacy impact assessment, the report said.

In addition, the agency's revised cost-benefit analysis, released in December 2005, does not address all of its mission requirements, such as information sharing with outside organizations, GAO said. An April 2006 security plan is missing crucial security management practices, auditors added.

GAO's recommendation that the agency keep the Atlas program office operational is progressing, the report said, along with the development of performance management practices and ensuring the full disclosure of system capabilities, costs and benefits.

ICE officials agreed with all of GAO's findings.

Judd Gregg, R-N.H., chairman of the Senate Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee, said in a statement that he is "encouraged by the progress that GAO has noted in the program management at ICE" and that he looks "forward to working with ICE and OMB to ensure that remaining weaknesses are addressed in this program, given [how critical it is] to the success of the ICE mission."