SSA disagrees with IG on data center site recommendations

By Alice Lipowicz

| September 2, 2010

The Social Security Administration accepts half of its inspector general's advice for site selection for a new data center.

Under the economic stimulus law of 2009, the SSA received $500 million to replace the National Computer Center. The new center must be in 40 miles of the agency’s main campus in Baltimore. Choices include on-campus and off-campus sites. The IG previously identified weaknesses in the SSA’s method for that site selection.

The Social Security Administration rejected two of the four recommendations from its own Office of Inspector General over site selection for a new data center, according to a new report.

SSA agreed with the IG's recommendations to continue “off-campus site selection” activities and to assess the effects of delays in the project, according to the Aug. 27 report. However, the SSA didn't agree with suggestions to revise the data center program nor to revisit a recent study on the project. Further explanation about the disagreement was not available in the report, which was published in a limited form due to sensitive procurement information it had.

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The Social Security Administration accepts half of its inspector general's advice for site selection for a new data center.