We withhold recommendation on the proposed $9.6 million in federal funds to continue implementation of the Integrated Statewide Information System project for the WIC Program, pending submission and approval of a revised Special Project Report for the project. The budget proposes $9.6 million in federal funds, including 26 positions, to continue implementation of the Integrated Statewide Information System (ISIS), an automated system designed to improve program operations, monitoring, and record keeping for local WIC agencies.
Our review of the ISIS indicates that the project has been delayed and therefore will not achieve full implementation by May 1996 as projected in the August 1994 revised Special Project Report (SPR) prepared by the department. For example, the SPR projected that site reviews for all WIC clinics would be completed by February 1995; however, the department now indicates that less than 40 percent of the clinics have been reviewed. In addition, under the SPR plan, 18 of the 80 WIC agencies were to be ready for ISIS implementation by January 1995; currently only seven agencies are equipped with the ISIS, and none have reached roll-out status due to several technical problems. These technical problems, furthermore, have led the WIC Program to revise its site installation process, which the department indicates will now cost more than projected in the SPR.
The State Administrative Manual requires the department to submit a revised SPR if costs, schedule, or benefits deviate or are anticipated to deviate by 10 percent. Our review of the ISIS indicates that its costs and implementation schedule have deviated by over 10 percent. Accordingly, we withhold recommendation on the $9.6 million proposed for the ISIS pending submission and approval of a revised SPR.
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