Indiana nixes offshore deal to protect jobs

[Another Bill C.]

A few jobs saved here.
http://news.com.com/2100-1022_3-5111987.html?tag=nefd_top

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Good for Indiana!

I use QuickBooks at work, and was dismayed when I had to call tech support recently. Last year, it was obvious that the call was taken by an American. And this year it was just as obvious that the call was taken by someone in India. Anyone have a phone number to QuickBooks where I can complain?

[kcwayne]

2. It's too early for celebration

For those that have not been followng this story, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, which is responsible for processing unemployment claims, retraining layed off workers, and finding employment opportunities for Hoosiers got 50 million of federal money to upgrade their computer systems, and decided to spend the money on a company based in India.

While the Governor stopped the award of the contract, it does not mean that Tata (the Indian firm) won't win it back on the re-bid.

The problem with the contract is that it was written specifically to fit Tata. The financial requirements (size of the winning bidder) of the contract and the fact that the bidder must have a software package that did the work the state was interested in (of which there is only one such system in the US, developed by, you guessed it Tata) meant that all Indiana companies that received the RFP had to recuse themselves from bidding because they did not meet the requirements.

So the Governor (after taking alot of heat in the local press and from Lou Dobbs) decided that the RFP should be written such that Indiana firms are not automatically disqualified. Tata is not being excluded from bidding again.

Tata will win the bid again. The reality of this business is that American companies cannot compete with the labor costs from Tata. Tata's proposal was 10 million less than the next nearest bidder (Arthur Andersen).

To make the award politically acceptable, an Indiana company will win the contract as the prime contractor. The winning Indiana company will be subcontracting Tata to do the work, guaranteed.

As I said in a letter to the editor that was published in the Indianapolis Star, if the name of the game is nothing more than bottom line dollars, the state should immediately cancel all funding for Engineering and Computer Science progams at the state universities. What the State is doing in their contract award is no different than what the industry is doing. If neither the industry or the state can hire local citizens for this work, what is the point of funding higher education to train people in skills that are not needed? We should also outsource the entire State Government operations to Calcutta. They could be closer to their consituency, and there is no reason why the citizens of Indiana should pay 15 times the going rate for bureaucrats..

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

3. bureaucrats are much cheaper overseas - same with politicians

I've long proposed an H1B for Canadian politicians to serve in the US - better policies, cheaper rate.