The New York State Chief Information Officer/Office for Technology (CIO/OFT) last week announced it had issued a letter of default to M/A-COM Inc. -- the primary vendor responsible for building the Statewide Wireless Network. Under the contract, M/A-COM has 45 days to remediate remaining problems with the system and recertify the system as ready for use.
The decision to issue the default letter was based upon several factors including internal testing, independent reports from the State Comptroller and a private independent verification and validation firm, as well as operational tests performed by first responders in the field, according to a release from CIO/OFT.
In the default letter, the state identified 19 significant contractual deficiencies. These problems include equipment failures, unreliable emergency call modes, inconsistent in-building coverage, an absence of quality assurance processes, inadequate network reliability and failure to present a systematic plan for linking existing radio systems to the network.
"While M/A-COM has certified the network as ready for testing on two different occasions, each time the system was found to be unreliable and not of public safety grade," said Dr. Melodie Mayberry-Stewart, CIO and director of OFT. "It is imperative that first responders have a system they can rely on in situations that are potentially life-threatening. OFT continues to be committed to delivering a public safety grade radio system that meets the needs of the State's agencies and emergency first responders. I remain hopeful that M/A-COM can resolve these issues over the next 45 days."
