Why Spend $110 Million on Core-CT?

Why Spend $110 Million on Core-CT?

By Joe Santore

I am writing this because the response I have received from my state senator and representative on this issue have been rather disappointing, and because I think the public deserves to know more than they have been told. I understand that Connecticut is in a large financial crisis, and I understand that many sacrifices have to be made. However, I think that like any other citizen I have the right to ask about the way we got into this situation. What happened to the $1 billion surplus and the rainy day fund, etc. that we kept on hearing about from Mr. Rowland? Wall Street alone cannot be blamed for this situation, but I think bad management should be blamed.

I have recently learned of a certain state project called "Core-CT," the goal of which is to "upgrade and integrate the state’s core financial and personnel/ human resources management systems." The contract to develop this project was given to a company called Accenture by the Rowland administration; upon closer examination we find that Accenture was formerly known as Andersen Consulting, and was renamed when it broke away from Andersen Worldwide and Arthur Andersen in October 2000. It seems the public may once again have been taken in by Arthur Andersen. I have learned that some of the high level management staff on the state side used to work for Arthur Andersen, which in itself makes the legitimacy of this endeavor at least questionable. I am trying to find the names of these people.

What has me truly angry and baffled is the cost of the Core-CT computer program that is being developed by Accenture. It has climbed from its original astounding figure of $75 million to the much more astounding figure $110 million! I can understand the necessity for government expenditure when the public is the recipient of goods and services, but I seriously doubt that a computer program such as this is more important than the people of this state.

Mr. Rowland made mention of the tough choices that we all make in our daily lives—namely: if we do not have the money, we cannot go out and spend it. Yet a huge sum of money is being spent on this project as he speaks of not having it. It is hard to sit idly by and observe this kind of irresponsibility when $110 million could heal a great many financial wounds, such as providing services for the blind, and funding the centers to help people that are now going to be closed due to loss of staffing—and the list can go on for a while, of course.

I hope that someone finds this information worthy enough to take action on.