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A delivery date for CADE 2, the IRS’ subsequent modernization effort, has slipped several years even as contractors working on the project have earned as much a
by sehugg 8y ago
A delivery date for CADE 2, the IRS’ subsequent modernization effort, has slipped several years even as contractors working on the project have earned as much as $290 million.
They call them "Beltway Bandits" for a reason.
- empath75 8y agoAs someone working on a modernization contract, the problems are more complicated than just contractors standing on shovels. Building an app to a complex and ever shifting spec is a much different process than the way that startups work. You can’t just release a half done app to friends and family. You need to do the whole thing at once, with 100% if the functionality and it has to be ready for everyone in the country to use it in day 1. And the federal government has fairly onerous requirements for getting stuff through security— you can’t just google for random shit from GitHub and expect to put it straight into production. I can only speak to my particular project, but everyone on it is working hard at getting it done on time and on budget, using modern deployment and development practices, but there’s limits to how much you’re allowed to just move fast and break things.
- dx034 8y agoI'm always amazed that so many are outraged by Investment Bankers and Lawyers making millions when IT consultants get so little attention. Maybe it's because few people understand what IT consultants actually do and have no alternatives but hiring them but cost overruns due to increased IT consultancy appear much more prevalent than escalating legal costs.