Year 2000 - Independent Verification and Validation Services

By Valton Wood

Starting in March, kick off meetings were hosted by BIS to introduce executive department agencies to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) LLP who will provide Year 2000 Independent Verification and Validation (IVV) services to the State of Maine. PwC will work with agencies to ensure the State's Year 2000 compliance is completed in a satisfactory and timely manner. The services entail a review of 1) Year 2000 project plans, 2) work products, and 3) test results. It does not include code review.

All seventeen (17) executive branch departments will participate in the Year 2000 Independent Verification and Validation services effort. Agencies outside of the executive branch may participate in this project also. Each individual department/agency will be responsible for providing access to all program files, libraries, personal computer based systems, software packages, network systems, security systems, and hardware as required to complete the services. Costs will be based on the number of person-hours times the hourly rate to determine a fixed price per agency/department. To date, work has already started at the State Planning Office, Bureaus of the Budget, Accounts and Controls and Human Resources, and Department of Labor.

Prior to beginning work with any agency, PwC will evaluate each site, at no charge, prepare a detailed workplan with a specific list of deliverables, person-hours, and a fixed price cost to complete the work at that agency. PwC will submit the proposed detailed workplan to the state's project manager or agency coordinator for review and approval. Later, PwC will also incorporate each agency’s approved workplan into the overall Executive Branch Project Workplan.

Each individual agency will be responsible for submitting a contract amendment to authorize services. The contract amendment will consist of the state’s contract amendment form, the agency’s approved detailed workplan with its specific list of tasks, deliverables, person-hours, and a fixed price cost to complete the work at that agency. For each agency PwC will:

• conduct an IVV study to verify Year 2000 compliance of all project plans, work products, and other identified deliverables for participating agencies and provide written documentation of all work conducted and any findings resulting from each study,

• identify, document, and communicate any project risks and anomalies in project plans, work products and other identified deliverables,

• explain the mechanism that will be utilized to ensure that any anomalies are identified as early as possible to allow for effective and timely resolution, and

• describe how they will identify, document, and recommended steps for correcting anomalies and mitigating risks in a timely manner to reduce the negative impact of such anomalies and risks on the success of the overall project.

The project Work Plan will also include:

• a detailed project work plan,
• a list of all deliverables,
• a description of the team that will be performing the site evaluation,
• number of person-hours to complete the agency effort, and
• a fixed price cost to complete the work.

Minimum deliverables include:

• assessment plan,
• completed surveys,
• risk management plan,
• report card,
• findings and recommendations summary report,
• detailed recommendations report,
• any sub-tasks/plans, and a
• final report.

Have more questions? Contact Val Wood at valton.wood@state.me.us for more information.