So, as we know, last Friday President Dmitry A. Medvedev of the Russian Federation once again angrily lashed out at officials cheating in public procurement. He said he would throw them all in jail and even lamented that we do not have the death penalty for this. What should we do in this situation? In this situation, we should extend a hand to Dmitry A. Medvedev and help him in his righteous struggle. After all, we assume he did not declare it just for show. We present for your attention (and for the attention of Dmitry A. Medvedev) an updated list of blatantly fraudulent and corrupt IT tenders, which we compiled from your letters, dear readers. The letters keep coming, so the list will be updated continuously. We suggest President Medvedev draw his sharp saber and start lopping off heads straight down the list. We still need help: qualified expert assessments for every item on the list. In any case, all of these tenders will be challenged. We urge prudent crooks to cancel the bidding amicably. Let’s start with our highlight. Remember Rostransnadzor director Kurzenkov, boldly driving in the oncoming lane, even beyond the metal barrier? This man is quick not only when it comes to traffic violations: Rostransnadzor is commissioning the creation, including design, of automated transport control and supervision centers (based on Rostransnadzor’s existing duty dispatch services: 1 main center and 8 regional ones). Starting contract price: 43 million rubles. Deadline: no more than 30 days. Here
and one more: 2. Rostransnadzor is commissioning the development and creation of a remote monitoring and supervision system for transport security at priority transport infrastructure facilities and Category I transport infrastructure facilities, including the creation of 4 pilot projects for sea or inland waterway, air, rail, and road transport (Stage: Development of technical documentation and creation of a prototype remote monitoring and supervision system for 2 air and/or rail transport facilities). Starting contract price: 53.2 million rubles. Deadline: no more than 30 days. Here
Moving on down the list of crooks: 3. The Federal State Institution “Federal Testing Center” is commissioning IT support for interaction among organizations responsible for administering the Unified State Exam (Russia’s nationwide school-leaving exam) at the federal and regional levels, using the Internet. Starting contract price: 18.1 million rubles. Deadline: 20 days. Here
The Judicial Department at the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation is commissioning the development and refinement of specialized software as part of the expansion of the State Automated System “Pravosudie” (“Justice”). Starting contract price: 79 million rubles. Deadline: no more than 20 days. Here
The Committee for Informatization and Communications of the St. Petersburg Government is commissioning the supply of equipment to connect St. Petersburg executive government bodies to the Unified Multi-Service Telecommunications Network (EMTS) for the city’s public needs. Starting contract price: 175 million rubles. Deadline: no more than 20 days. Here
The Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation is commissioning technical work to develop the information system for monitoring and information support of the State Program, and to collect data for the creation of state information resources to be included in the government’s agricultural information support system. Starting contract price: 50 million rubles. Deadline: no more than 15 days. Here
The Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation is commissioning work (services) under Project I-2, “Support for a network-based distance learning system to train specialists with advanced knowledge of the history and culture of Islam, operating via a specialized website on the Internet.” Starting contract price: 15 million rubles. Deadline: no more than 15 days. Here
The Federal Tax Service is commissioning work to modernize the software of the Federal Tax Service’s automated information system in order to organize information exchange with the Federal State Statistics Service. Starting contract price: 15,185,124.18 rubles. Deadline: no more than 15 days. Here
The Federal State Institution “Russian Information Fund for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources” is commissioning the development of an automated system for the оперативного remote detection of likely fire sources and fire-hazard situations in federally protected natural areas. Starting contract price: 20 million rubles. Deadline: no more than 14 days. Here
The Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (“Rospotrebnadzor”) is commissioning the creation of an internet portal (website) for the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing in 2010. Starting contract price: 5 million rubles. Deadline: no more than 10 days. A website costing $170,000 is being made in ten days!!!!! Now that’s modernization! No Skolkovo (Russia’s state-backed innovation hub) needed. Here
The Federal Agency for Information Technology is commissioning the development of the infrastructure and application software of the Federal Management Personnel Portal, and the creation of a comprehensive information security system as part of the 2010 implementation of the federal target program “Electronic Russia (2002–2010).” Starting contract price: 50.4 million rubles. Deadline: no more than 30 days. Here
There is something altogether strange and suspicious about this FAIT matter (item 11). I would be very grateful for any additional information about it. As I understand it, the Federal Agency for Information Technology was abolished by presidential decree in August 2010, and its powers were transferred to the Ministry of Communications. However, in September a number of tenders appeared on the public procurement website with FAIT listed as the organizer. The largest one Deadline: no more than 25 days. Starting contract price: 7 million rubles. The press service of the Ministry of Communications explained the appearance of the FAIT tender on the public procurement website as a technical error and promised it would soon be corrected. But in the end, no changes were made to the documentation, the tender was declared unsuccessful because only one organization submitted a bid, and the customer was then advised to conclude the state contract with that organization on the terms and at the price specified in its bid and in the tender documentation—6.8 million rubles—see the bid review protocol in the "documents" section
How this could have happened is unclear. And in October, several more tenders run by FAIT appeared, including one worth more than 50 million rubles. We will look into it. In short, as you can see, President Medvedev has plenty of places to apply his anti-corruption initiatives. I am sure he will not reject help from the public—the outstretched hand of civil society, so to speak. We await a response and are filing complaints. And remember the expert assessments—we need them.