Project tracker solicitation canceled

The Education Department officials last week canceled a solicitation for a project tracking system that the department would have used to monitor more than 650 of its special projects.

Bids originally were due Feb. 18, but Education officials withdrew the offer after deciding the system they sought was probably "too rich for our blood," said Bill Leidinger, the department's assistant secretary for management and chief information officer. He declined to say how much officials thought such a system would cost.

Leidinger said the department will do further market research before deciding what steps to take next.

Many offices through the department now monitor their own projects using various tools, in some cases yellow paper, Leidinger said. Senior officials wanted a departmentwide electronic system that would let managers use their desktop computers to view the continuously updated status and other information on projects that they might be following closely. But the department's internal research revealed that such real-time systems are expensive, Leidinger said.

Officials will look into other ways to capture the information that managers need "to stay focused and stay on target," he said.