LANSING – The
Michigan Department of State has canceled its contract with Hewlett Packard for
its Business Application Modernization project, the company confirmed
Wednesday.
The project
yielded a number of improvements, including moving some services to the
Internet. But it also has been running since early in the administration of
former Secretary of State Terri Land and still incomplete
Neither side
would elaborate beyond prepared statements as to the reasons for ending the
contract a year early.
The
department did not exactly confirm that the contract had been canceled.
“Our
relationship with Hewlett Packard has changed,” Gisgie Davila Gendreau,
spokesperson forSecretary
of State Ruth Johnson, said. “We’re in conversations with them and
because of the nature of those conversations it wouldn’t be appropriate for us
to comment at this time.”
HP was more
definitive on its future participation in the project, but would not indicate
reasons why it was being let go.
“It’s
unfortunate that the state of Michigan chose to terminate the contract. HP
remains willing to work with the state on reaching a constructive
resolution,” HP spokesperson Sarah Pompei said.
An audit
early in Johnson’s administration was critical of the department and the
Department of Technology, Management and Budget for not holding HP to the terms
of the contract and for designing a contract that made such accountability
difficult (SeeGongwer
Michigan Report, July 19, 2012).
