FBI Response to the DOJ/OIG Draft Audit Report
SENTINEL Audit II:  Status of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s
Case Management System

Recommendation # 1:  Ensure the management reserve is based on an assessment of project risks for each phase and for the project overall.

FBI Response:   Agree. The FBI’s Deputy Director governs the use of the management reserve through the Finance Division (FD). The SENTINEL Program Management Office (PMO) will work with FD and senior FBI management to determine the appropriate management reserve for each phase. The PMO asserts that 11 percent is an appropriate overall reserve amount and may be adjusted per phase depending on a comprehensive assessment of risk.

Recommendation # 2:  Periodically update the estimate of total project costs as actual cost data is available.

FBI Response:   Agree. Since contract award, the PMO, in conjunction with Lockheed Martin (Lockheed) and FD, has worked to revise projected program costs as appropriate, and will continue to do so over the life of the project. These changes will be communicated through budget requests and the OMB Exhibit 300 process.

Recommendation # 3:  Complete contingency plans as required by the SENTINEL Risk Management Plan.

FBI Response:   Agree. During the course of this audit, the Office of IT Policy and Planning (OIPP) released Version 2 of the FBI’s Risk Management Plan. The most recent version only requires “contingency triggers” and plans for high risks. The SENTINEL Risk Management Plan is being revised so that it complies with the new OIPP risk policy. That being said, the first high risk was identified in mid-October. This risk was associated with schedule compression. The PMO is evaluating Lockheed’s re-plan strategy and is developing contingency plans for this high risk.

Recommendation # 4:  Ensure that the independent verification and validation process is conducted through project completion.

FBI Response:   Agree. The FBI, as stated in the audit, will be providing experienced contractors to perform this service. Along those lines, the Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) services will report to the CIO on both the PMO and Lockheed’s performance as mandated by the program plan.

Recommendation # 5:  Complete hiring as soon as possible for the vacant PMO positions needed during the current project phase.

FBI Response:   Agree. The PMO continues to aggressively fill government and contractor positions. The two vacancies represent less than 5 percent of the total PMO staffing. The PMO believes that this is significantly less than government and industry levels, and will continue to actively recruit for positions before vacancies occur. Since the PMO requires contractors to have existing security clearances, contractor replacements have tended to be very quick, generally less than 30 days. The six O&M vacancies that had been deferred are currently being finalized for recruitment.