Making Money on Immigration - Fixing ICE's Computers

The computer operator needs help












Another company has snagged a good deal with ICE. Performance Management Consulting of McLean, Virginia will make $25 million for two contracts that will develop a computer infrastructure for ICE. Since this contract is for service to ICE it is ok to approve and spend. Interesting that programs like SCHIP can't pass through Congress, - but ICE gets what it wants.

Will PMC help ICE with its computer problems? Remember the computer breakdown at LAX in August 2007? see "Cold as ICE, Customs Holds 20,000 Passengers Hostage at LAX" in a business travelers blog named Joe Sent Me - August 13, 2007.

Lastly, how many U.S. residents and citizens have been mistakenly deported by ICE because of a computer error? In some ways it is good that ICE is attempting to rectify these problems.

I'm sure the executives of PMC will receive a nice bonus for these contracts. Is this the remittance the U.S. Government sends to its corporations?

-----

PMC to Do Tech Work for U.S. Customs
By Alice Lipowicz
Special to the Washington Post
Monday, January 7, 2008; D04

Performance Management Consulting of McLean will develop an updated computer infrastructure for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under two contracts totaling $25 million.

Under the first contract, valued at about $13 million, PMC will build a computer system that services all of the agency's units, said MaryAnn Hoadley, vice president of business development for Aviel Systems, PMC's McLean-based parent company.

The project is part of a modernization of the agency's information technology systems. The program, known as Atlas, includes updates of hardware such as servers, routers and storage devices as well as software for database management, operating systems and network management. It also incorporates initiatives for information sharing, information security and workplace productivity.

PMC has managed the Atlas project under a separate contract since 2005, so taking on additional responsibility for installing the computer systems and equipment was a natural outgrowth of that, Hoadley said.

"We have been supporting the Department of Homeland Security since it was the [Immigration and Naturalization Service]," Hoadley said. "The common computing environment involves integrating the computer infrastructure so that everyone is operating on the same platform."

Under the second contract, valued at about $12 million, PMC will establish and operate a project management office for the engineering division that reports to ICE's chief information officer. The office will be in charge of information technology modernization initiatives, including help with budget tracking and formulation, contracts and acquisition support, scheduling and project tracking.

PMC's employees will do work under the two contracts in several locations throughout the District, Maryland and Northern Virginia, Hoadley said.

PMC was founded in 1997 as a woman-owned small business that focused on management consulting. In 2005, the company was acquired by Optimus Corp., another government contractor. Both firms had mostly federal clients, including the Federal Aviation Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Aviel was formed in January 2006 as a holding company for PMC and Optimus. Most of Aviel's work is in supporting federal information technology systems. Aviel Systems has about 400 employees and revenue of $75 million to $80 million annually, Hoadley said.

Alice Lipowicz is a staff writer with Washington Technology magazine. For more news on government contracts, go tohttp://www.washingtontechnology.com.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/06/AR2008010601781.html

cartoon: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.pritchettcartoons.com/cartoons/comp-dog.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.pritchettcartoons.com/comp-dog.htm&h=378&w=315&sz=62&hl=en&start=31&sig2=oaBslHrBkDYixQhqRhoWFQ&um=1&tbnid=xYiAQ_TnHuiuxM:&tbnh=122&tbnw=102&ei=9B2CR_yOMJSWgQP0tLiCBw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcartoon%2Bcomputer%26start%3D20%26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den-us%26sa%3DN