Controversies
CGI faced notable challenges with its involvement in the HealthCare.gov website for the U.S. government. As reported by Vanity Fair, CGI's work on the site frustrated government officials due to missed deadlines, with the CMS's chief operating officer stating, "If we could fire them, we would."[31] The Washington Post further highlighted that the company's previous project controversies were not taken into account when awarding the healthcare.gov contract.[32] Additionally, Reuters documented the U.S. government's decision to part ways with CGI after the site "failed to work when it launched in October" and experienced ongoing issues, further igniting political debates.[33]
Separately, in Ontario, CGI encountered issues with an online medical registry project. The Washington Examiner reported that eHealth Ontario, an Ontario provincial agency, decided to cancel CGI Group's $46.2 million contract related to the registry due to being 14 months behind schedule. Furthermore, the contract was terminated, and a group of other IT companies successfully replicated the registry, rendering CGI's project obsolete. Consequently, due to contract stipulations requiring payment only upon satisfactory delivery, the province refused to pay CGI.[34]
In Hawaii, the Affordable Care Act's implementation via the Hawaii Health Connector faced significant obstacles, leading to the resignation of its executive director, Coral Andrews. The Hawaii Health Connector had secured $200 million in federal funding for its establishment, with CGI Group developing its website at a cost of $53 million. However, the website's launch on Oct. 1 encountered severe technical issues, causing user frustrations due to site crashes and inaccessibility. Despite expectations from officials, including Gov. Neil Abercrombie, for a large enrollment, as of Nov. 15, only 257 individuals successfully secured healthcare through the platform. Senate President Donna Mercado Kim had previously cautioned against employing CGI Group, referencing their involvement with the problematic Hawaii state tax department website.[35]
CGI, who was instrumental in developing Hawaii's computerized tax system and a disease surveillance system, has also come under scrutiny from that state's auditor. The system installed by CGI has been credited with a $66 million increase in tax collections since 2008. The state Legislature initiated an audit following concerns about the $25 million contract awarded to CGI for the delinquent tax system and several other contracts. These concerns were spurred by suspicions of improprieties in the contract award process and the modification of an original contract in CGI's favor. The adjusted agreement appeared more beneficial to CGI than to Hawaii, according to House Finance Chairman Marcus Oshiro. The audit was influenced by claims from a former tax research officer, Tu Duc Pham, who suggested that the revised agreement with CGI unduly favored the company. Besides the tax department, the Health Department's ties with CGI are also being evaluated due to noncompetitive contracts awarded to the firm. Overall, CGI has received contracts amounting to approximately $90 million from Hawaii's Tax and Health departments since 1999, with a notable portion being awarded without competitive bidding.[36]
