Software integration problems hobble SBInet
Technical problems keep hobbling SBInet; Project 28 has fallen four months behind schedule, mostly owing to software integration problems, but challenges by community and environmental groups and difficulties in acquiring rights to land will likely combine to add costs, delays to program
Here is an update about SBInet. In November 2005 DHS launched the Secure Border Initiative (SBI), a multiyear, multibillion dollar program to secure U.S. borders. One element of SBI is SBInet, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program to develop a comprehensive border protection system through a mix of security infrastructure such as fencing and surveillance and communication technologies (radars, sensors, cameras, and satellite phones). DHS has made some progress to implement Project 28, the first segment of SBInet technology across the southwest border, but it has fallen behind its planned schedule. The SBInet contractor delivered the components to the Project 28 site in Tucson, Arizona on schedule, but Project 28 is incomplete more than four months after it was to become operational. DHS says the delays are primarily due to software integration problems. In September 2007 DHS officials said that the Project 28 contractor was making progress in correcting the problems, but DHS was unable to specify a date when the system would be operational.
The slippage in completing Project 28 has prompted DHS to revise the SBInet implementation schedule for follow-on technology projects, but the department still plans to deploy technology along 387 miles of the southwest border by 31 December 2008. DHS is also taking steps to strengthen its contract management for Project 28. SBInet infrastructure deployment along the southwest border is on schedule, but meeting CBP’s goal to have 370 miles of pedestrian fence and 200 miles of vehicle barriers in place by 31 December 2008 may be challenging and more costly than planned. The additional cost of commercial labor and potential unforeseen increases in contract costs suggest future deployment could be more costly than planned. DHS officials also reported other challenging factors they will continue to face for infrastructure deployment, including community resistance, environmental considerations, and difficulties in acquiring rights to land along the border. The impact of SBInet on CBP’s workforce needs and operating procedures remains unclear because the SBInet technology is not fully identified or deployed.
