08/21/07: Force Accenture To Finish Job - Wisconsin Democracy Campaign

Force Accenture To Finish Job

The Capital Times :: EDITORIAL :: A6

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

(WNPJ member group Wisconsin Democracy Campaign is featured in this Capital Times editorial)

One of the reasons why this newspaper began editorializing years ago about the need for the state of Wisconsin to avoid doing business with Accenture, the contractor that was unfortunately given the responsibility of building a voter registration system, was our sense that the corporation had a troubling record of respecting its responsibilities.

The list of state and federal agencies that had unsettling experiences with Accenture was already a long one at the point when Kevin Kennedy, the executive director of the state Elections Board, decided to award a lucrative contract to the firm.

Kennedy was warned about Accenture. He did not listen.

Members of the Elections Board were warned about Accenture. They did not listen.

Accenture was supposed to have Wisconsin fully compliant with an order by Congress that all states create statewide voter registration systems by Jan. 1, 2006.

But now, more than a year and a half after the deadline, Wisconsin officials and national analysts agree that the state is not yet fully compliant with the federal requirement. As Mike McCabe, the executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, says, "The state of Wisconsin has gotten a very raw deal here."

Accenture does not share this view. The firm claims it completed its contract work in January and is now performing additional duties under a nine-month warranty. The company says it will be done with the warranty work in October, when Accenture officials say their work will be done - no matter what state and federal observers say.

If this sounds like a scenario out of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, rest assured, Lewis Carroll would never have asked his readers to stretch their imaginations to the breaking point that Accenture is now approaching.

The corporation, which has already been paid $9.6 million, is actually claiming that it is owed an additional $1.95 million. And the firm is sending signals that it will be asking for more money to complete work that has yet to be finished to the satisfaction of state and federal officials.

How should Wisconsin respond?

McCabe says Wisconsin officials should follow the lead of other states that have cut ties with Accenture after disappointing experiences with the firm. And in so doing, McCabe advises, "Accenture shouldn't get another penny until it delivers something that works. I think the state needs to finally take a stand with this company."

State Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, who has been dogged in his scrutiny of the Accenture deal, goes a step further. "I think at this point you have to sue Accenture to get them to do what they were paid to do," says Pocan.

The legislator cites a list of legitimate concerns about how the new system runs slowly and issues absentee ballots in the wrong communities.

Accenture officials claim either that they are not responsible for the problems or that they have addressed them. But the Elections Board instructed municipal clerks in Madison and Green Bay not to use the absentee function of the system when conducting recent elections.

The seminal error in dealing with Accenture came when Kennedy and the Elections Board contracted with the firm. At this point, the essential responsibility of the state is to ensure that elections are run responsibly and well.

Paying any more money to Accenture would be a travesty. Formally breaking ties with Accenture would seem to make sense, but it is essential that any transition assures that state employees will be able to quickly clean up any messes left by the contractor.

For that reason, the lawsuit that Pocan suggests is probably wise - if only to force Accenture to recognize the seriousness with which Wisconsin officials believe the company has failed to meet its obligations.