Integrated Wireless Network abandoned
The Integrated Wireless Network was launched in 2004 to serve more than 80,000 federal agents; GAO says that the three departments working on the project — DHS, Justice, and Treasury — had different goals and failed to collaborate effectively; the three will now pursue separate departmental upgrades
Another promising post-911 program bits the dust. DHS, Justice, and Treasury departments have abandoned their efforts jointly to develop the $10 billion Integrated Wireless Network (IWN) nationwide radio system for federal agents (see 23 August 2007 HS Daily Wire), according to a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Alice Lipowicz writes in FCW.com that the departments are now pursuing separate updates to their radio systems, a strategy GAO described as possibly inefficient and risky. “In abandoning collaboration on a joint solution, the departments risk duplication of effort and inefficient use of resources as they continue to invest significant resources in independent solutions,” the GAO report of 12 December states. “Further, these efforts will not ensure the interoperability needed to serve day-to-day law enforcement operations or a coordinated response to terrorist or other events.”
The joint network, which was to cost approximately $10 billion, had been in development since 2004 and was intended to serve more than 80,000 federal agents. The project has been categorized as high risk by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). In April 2007 General Dynamics Corp. was named the prime contractor.
GAO said that while recently the three departments have determined that this specific system design cannot be implemented on a nationwide scale, they have not acted collaboratively to identify an alternative approach. DHS, Justice, and Treasury also have disbanded the formal IWN governance structure and are not using the existing contract for IWN, the report said.
Lipowicz quotes GAO to say that the effort failed in part because the departments did not use good collaboration practices to overcome their different priorities. DHS’ priority was improving radio systems for border patrol, while Justice’s was in other areas, the report said. “Program officials from both departments acknowledged that these differing priorities led to an inability to resolve conflicts,” GAO said.
The departments have made little or no progress on re-establishing a governance structure for a new joint communications solution, the report added.
