In response to a letter to the editor, “DMV has bigger problems than Irene plate”, I wanted to clarify the State’s position regarding the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and Hewlett Packard (HP).

The state strongly agrees that spending $18 million without having a new computer system in place at DMV, is not acceptable. Without spending additional money, the state continues to work with HP to bring the DMV modernization project to a successful conclusion. What HP has asked for is the time to make this right and we are working through a planning process with them, again at no additional cost, to make sure the state gets a system that meets the requirements established at the start of this project.

The state’s investment in this project began about six years ago and approximately 75 percent of the spending took place prior to 2010. Clearly, we are not happy it is taking so long, but we are committed to getting your money’s worth.

Not only does the state take this situation seriously, but the administration has joined forces with the legislature to put in place additional monitoring and controls on projects so corrective action can be taken much earlier for any future initiatives.

Richard Boes

Chief Information Officer

State of Vermont