A rebooted legislative panel designed to oversee major IT projects took a closer at the UW-System’s planned $81 million payroll revamp. Among the concerns raised Tuesday by lawmakers on the Joint Committee on Information Policy and Technology, was the project’s lead contractor being under federal investigation.
Tom Andres, UW System’s Senior VP for Administration and Fiscal Affairs, expressed confidence Huron Consulting Group will complete the task, adding the firm has 700 clients and has not lost any of them during the SEC probe
Andres also noted the Chicago based company is getting paid for the work they do.
“We don’t say here’s 30 million up front and here’s 50 million at the end of it,” said Andres.
Additionally Andres says there contract provisions that require Huron to be fully staffed for the task otherwise face $100,000 penalties.
A previous overhaul attempt by the UW system payroll was scrapped but not before spending nearly $30 million on the plan.
Lawmakers also remember an audit a couple of years ago that revealed $170 million wasted by state IT projects that never came through. These occurred from 2003 to 2007 when the JCIPT was dormant.
The panel is planning on gathering more frequently than in the past, to guarantee better oversight. Meanwhile UW officials say they plan on reporting back to lawmakers the status of their payroll system.
