Census considers a smaller role for decennial count contractor

The Census Bureau is considering significantly reducing the role of Florida-based contractor Harris Corp. in the 2010 decennial count, Capitol Hill sources said on Thursday.

Comment on this article in The Forum.A final estimate delivered by Harris last week indicated that the cost of the contract to automate data collection for the 2010 census may be significantly greater than the $681 million estimated by nonprofit government contractor MITRE Corp. in May, setting the stage for a showdown.

Harris' final estimate put the total cost of providing the agency with handheld computers and technology to collect information in the field at almost $988 million. Sources told Nextgov that since receiving the estimate, the Census Bureau has been trying to minimize the role that Harris will play in the 2010 count.

"It troubles me that, this late in the process, the Census Bureau continues to zigzag and make fundamental changes to the work plan for the 2010 count," Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., wrote in an e-mail statement. "Now it appears the bureau is going to try to break that ambitious project into smaller pieces."

Census officials declined to comment on the ongoing negotiations with Harris. "We're in the process of realigning [field data collection automation] to maximize Harris, Census and other contractor responsibilities in order to manage risk and ensure a successful 2010 census," the agency said in a statement. "Disclosure of details or discussions related to the contract at this time could adversely affect the ongoing negotiations."

The contract originally was awarded to Harris in March 2006 for $595 million. The company was to provide handheld computers to enumerators, who go door to door counting households that do not return census forms. But the project has been beset by repeated delays and cost overruns, and in April, Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez announced that the Census Bureau would no longer use the handhelds to count households, instead reverting to traditional paper forms.

The agency still planned to use Harris' handhelds for address canvassing, where workers attempt to verify the addresses where census forms are mailed, and to have the company supply technology and support to field offices. But the Hill sources said Census is exploring options to move field office support in-house or find another contractor.

That approach is at odds with recommendations from the Government Accountability Office, which first highlighted the problems with the automation program more than a year ago. One of the issues GAO pointed out was the Census Bureau's lack of appropriately trained technology and acquisition personnel, which led the agency to lean heavily on contractors without conducting appropriate oversight.

When reached for comment on the cost proposal, a Harris spokesman said, "Although I can't comment on any specifics of the cost proposal or its dollar figure, I can tell you we invited the Census Bureau, GAO and MITRE to the table and developed the cost proposal with complete transparency based on the requirements provided to us by the Census Bureau." He added that Harris remains committed to helping Census achieve the most successful 2010 decennial count possible.

The latest change of course appears to have made some lawmakers uneasy. On Thursday, more than 60 members of Congress, including Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., sent a letter to Gutierrez, saying they remain "gravely concerned" about preparations for the 2010 count.

In his e-mail, Davis added, "This looks a lot like they're starting from scratch, and it's just too late for that. Years of planning and preparation shouldn't be wasted out of pique over a contract the bureau failed to manage properly. This basic retooling was not among the options the bureau or the [Commerce Department] presented to Congress when they decided to go to a paper nonresponse follow-up…The clock is ticking and our first priority is to prepare and implement the 2010 census, just 20 months away."

The Census Bureau has promised to complete negotiations with Harris and deliver a final cost proposal to Congress by Aug. 15.