> Agency officials did not complete the basic plans for the computer system until nearly three years after the initial $500 million contract had been awarded to IBM
Nothing wrong with a company bidding on a project of undefined scope. They likely properly laid out what that money bought -- hours, months, years of consulting / implementation. If the client did not have the interested in getting to implementation in short order, that is the client's issue. The company (IBM's) clock starts immediately and the dollars start disappearing.
> Agency officials did not complete the basic plans for the computer system until nearly three years after the initial $500 million contract had been awarded to IBM
Nothing wrong with a company bidding on a project of undefined scope. They likely properly laid out what that money bought -- hours, months, years of consulting / implementation. If the client did not have the interested in getting to implementation in short order, that is the client's issue. The company (IBM's) clock starts immediately and the dollars start disappearing.