Blumenthal
HARTFORD, Conn. - The updating of an online highway for criminal justice information did not go well enough for Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal.
Blumenthal decided to file suit Wednesday against Maximus, Inc., the company hired to perform the update of the Connecticut On-Line Law Enforcement Communications Teleprocessing System (COLLECT). The system can be used for immediate criminal background checks.
The complaint can be viewed here.
"Maximus minimized quality -- squandering millions of taxpayer dollars and shortchanging law enforcement agencies. We are determined to seek maximum recovery from Maximus for state money paid and other costs," Blumenthal said.
"Maximus has sued its own primary subcontractor, claiming that the system is a failure -- a dramatic admission of its own ultimate responsibility."
The company agreed to the $6 million contract in 2002, and Blumenthal claims it provided a defective system that did not comply with new federal standards or old ones. The system failed a test in Aug. 2006, setting off a series of problems.
The company admitted in a January letter that the system had not met requirements. In August, Maximus sued Advanced Technology Systems, Inc., which was subcontracted. Maximus said ATS' web browser did not function properly.
Maximus did not meet a state-imposed deadline later that month to bring the system up to speed.