Legislator questions state's computer expenditures The Associated Press 12/6/00 1:45 AM

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- Expenditures on computers and data processing by state agencies, which reached $140.3 million in the recently ended budget year, must be reduced, a state lawmaker said.

"I certainly understand the importance of computer technology, but state government has got to get a handle on the amount of money," Rep. Perry Hooper Jr., R-Montgomery, said Tuesday. "It is important that government be accountable, and that these state agencies do the best job they can negotiating these computer contracts," he said.

A survey requested by Hooper shows the $140.3 million was spent on computers, software, training, repairs, databases, contracts with computer-service companies and data processing equipment and supplies in the 2000 budget year.

As of Oct. 1, state agencies had awarded unbid computer-service contracts, most running through Sept. 30, 2001, that could total $44.5 million if all contract spending limits are reached, according to another fiscal office report requested by Hooper.

Hooper chairs a legislative panel that oversees unbid contracts for computer training.

Deputy State Finance Director Jim Bryce, a top aide to Gov. Don Siegelman, said agencies already have started renegotiating unbid contracts to try to get better deals on services, such as installing new software to keep better track of child-support payments.

Bryce said agencies also are hiring more and more employees with technical training to reduce the number of state contracts with computer-services companies.

"This is a big item of concern. We're taking a lot of actions to try to get a handle on these costs," said Bryce, interim chief of the information services division of the state Finance Department.

Bryce said computer-related spending from Oct. 1, 1999, through Sept. 30 likely was greatly inflated by fears about the Y2K bug, that computers would crash on Jan. 1, 2000.

http://www.al.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/cgi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?j1443_BC_AL--ComputerCosts&&news&al_headlines

-- Doris (nocents@bellsouth.net), December 07, 2000