After a discussion in a closed-door meeting yesterday, the board of trustees of the Retirement Fund decided to file a complaint in court.
Fund Chairman Sixto Igisomar confirmed to Variety, “The board directed counsel to process filing of complaint.”
The Fund found the software “not operational” even after it gave the vendor, Express Electronics Ltd. the opportunity to fix the problems which the vendor had committed to resolving.
“This new system was supposed to automate a lot of functions. If it actually operated, it would have relieved a lot of the manual [work],” said Fund Administrator Richard S. Villagomez.
Vice Chairman Jerry Crisostimo inquired if the Fund administration had made it clear with the vendor the expected deliverables.
Villagomez said the scope of the deliverables was contained in the request for proposals, copies of which went to vendors including Express Electronics Ltd.
He said it was stated in the RFP the Fund’s expectation for a fully automated system.
“In doing the comparison, there were some pretty obvious shortfalls in what we have now compared to what was expected,” said Villagomez alluding to the conclusion of the Fund that the vendor failed to satisfy the RFP.
In July, Fund legal counsel Christopher Timmons reported to the Retirement Fund board of his meeting with Gary Sword of Express Electronics Ltd. which he described as “productive.”
Timmons said he conveyed to the vendor the Fund’s detailed report that found deficiencies of the software to which the vendor acknowledged the work that needed to be done.
The Fund legal counsel also reported that Express Electronics Ltd. had committed to taking the report back to the programmers, review it and come back with an implementation plan indicating dates for taking the corrective actions to have an automated pension system that works in accordance with the Fund’s RFP.
Timmons told the board that he had informed the vendor that the Fund would hold off on any action pending receipt of the vendor’s response.
The pension software was supposed to be completed in 2008 with 90 percent of the contract paid for. However, the Fund has yet to see the software working. It was earlier reported that the contract amount was close to $450,000.
