I logged on because I thought there would be comments about the following.
I see nothing so here's a cut-n-paste from Mission Critical magazine's website:
9/2/08
The New York State Chief Information Officer/Office for Technology (CIO/OFT) Friday issued a letter of default to M/A-COM, the primary vendor responsible for building the Statewide Wireless Network (SWN). Under the contract, M/A-COM has 45 days to remediate remaining problems with the system and recertify the system as ready for use.
Tyco Electronics, the parent company of M/A-COM, said in a statement that the company “has met or exceeded contractual requirements for the project and is prepared to vigorously defend that position.”
The decision to issue the default letter was based on several factors including internal testing, independent reports from the state comptroller and a private independent verification and validation firm, as well as operational tests performed by first responders in the field, OFT said in a statement.
“While M/A-COM has certified the network as ready for testing on two different occasions, each time the system was found to be unreliable and not of public-safety grade,” said Dr. Melodie Mayberry-Stewart, chief information officer (CIO) and director of OFT. “It is imperative that first responders have a system they can rely on in situations that are potentially life-threatening. OFT continues to be committed to delivering a public-safety-grade radio system that meets the needs of the state’s agencies and emergency first responders. I remain hopeful that M/A-COM can resolve these issues over the next 45 days.”
M/A-COM officials said the company has completed construction on the primary region of the SWN project, consisting of 38 fully integrated and operational sites within Erie and Chautauqua counties, providing coverage across more than 2,000 square miles. The network provides required security and encryption features for voice and data. In addition, M/A-COM completed a network-operating center, which is operational 24x7 and is currently monitoring the system.
“We are disappointed that the OFT has issued a letter of default,” said Chuck Dougherty, president of M/A-COM. “We have been cooperating with OFT through a remediation plan to resolve what we believe are the few remaining open items in the program. We have assured the OFT that we want to resolve this dispute quickly.
“We have notified the Governor’s Office that we are committed to delivering one of the most capable, public-safety-grade communications systems in the nation.”
Last month, State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli said OFT shouldn’t move forward on the $2 billion SWN contract with M/A-COM, awarded in 2004, unless all the problems identified in testing are fully resolved and all contract requirements are met.
In the default letter, the state identifies 19 contractual deficiencies, including equipment failures, unreliable emergency call modes, inconsistent in-building coverage, an absence of quality assurance processes, inadequate network reliability and failure to present a systematic plan for linking existing radio systems to the network. The OFT letter to M/A-COM specifically said that during July testing, 31 percent of mobiles, 60 percent of vehicular repeaters and 78 percent of portable radios failed.
I see nothing so here's a cut-n-paste from Mission Critical magazine's website:
9/2/08
The New York State Chief Information Officer/Office for Technology (CIO/OFT) Friday issued a letter of default to M/A-COM, the primary vendor responsible for building the Statewide Wireless Network (SWN). Under the contract, M/A-COM has 45 days to remediate remaining problems with the system and recertify the system as ready for use.
Tyco Electronics, the parent company of M/A-COM, said in a statement that the company “has met or exceeded contractual requirements for the project and is prepared to vigorously defend that position.”
The decision to issue the default letter was based on several factors including internal testing, independent reports from the state comptroller and a private independent verification and validation firm, as well as operational tests performed by first responders in the field, OFT said in a statement.
“While M/A-COM has certified the network as ready for testing on two different occasions, each time the system was found to be unreliable and not of public-safety grade,” said Dr. Melodie Mayberry-Stewart, chief information officer (CIO) and director of OFT. “It is imperative that first responders have a system they can rely on in situations that are potentially life-threatening. OFT continues to be committed to delivering a public-safety-grade radio system that meets the needs of the state’s agencies and emergency first responders. I remain hopeful that M/A-COM can resolve these issues over the next 45 days.”
M/A-COM officials said the company has completed construction on the primary region of the SWN project, consisting of 38 fully integrated and operational sites within Erie and Chautauqua counties, providing coverage across more than 2,000 square miles. The network provides required security and encryption features for voice and data. In addition, M/A-COM completed a network-operating center, which is operational 24x7 and is currently monitoring the system.
“We are disappointed that the OFT has issued a letter of default,” said Chuck Dougherty, president of M/A-COM. “We have been cooperating with OFT through a remediation plan to resolve what we believe are the few remaining open items in the program. We have assured the OFT that we want to resolve this dispute quickly.
“We have notified the Governor’s Office that we are committed to delivering one of the most capable, public-safety-grade communications systems in the nation.”
Last month, State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli said OFT shouldn’t move forward on the $2 billion SWN contract with M/A-COM, awarded in 2004, unless all the problems identified in testing are fully resolved and all contract requirements are met.
In the default letter, the state identifies 19 contractual deficiencies, including equipment failures, unreliable emergency call modes, inconsistent in-building coverage, an absence of quality assurance processes, inadequate network reliability and failure to present a systematic plan for linking existing radio systems to the network. The OFT letter to M/A-COM specifically said that during July testing, 31 percent of mobiles, 60 percent of vehicular repeaters and 78 percent of portable radios failed.
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