New Computer Was Not Needed for the St. Louis Computer Center

Gao ID: LCD-76-126 December 30, 1976

The procurement of a Burroughs Corporation B-4781 computer system for the Department of Agriculture's St. Louis Computer Center was reviewed.

The St. Louis Computer Center's data processing system has two computers and equipment that support, exclusively, the lending activities of the Farmers Home Administration. The procurement of a replacement computer system was not justified because the existing computer had sufficient capacity; the projected workload increases were overstated; improved use of computer resources would have enabled the Center to operate without the new computer system until consolidating with the Kansas City Computer Center and implementing a new management information system in fiscal year 1978; and implementation of suggested improvements could have resulted in annual savings of about $442,000.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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