HHS Awards Dubious $187 Million Contract To Original HHS Chief Nominee Tom Daschle’s Client Verizon

April 21st, 2010 (2) Posted By Pat Dollard.

Daschle-Confirmation Hearing

I just called the HHS phone system, which Verizon says is in need of improvements in the area of call routing. Bull. My call was routed effectively and swiftly to every possible topic and concern I could have had, lickety split. When I wanted human assistance, the girl was on in seconds. Unless Verizon is going to install a psychic system, I’m not sure what an approaching-a-quarter billion dollar upgrade is for.

“Tom Daschle — Obama’s first choice to head Health and Human Services — is an adviser for a lobbying firm that represents Verizon.” - Reuters and Politico, by coincidence, today.

NEW YORK (AP) – Verizon Communications Inc. has signed a $187 million contract with the Department of Heath and Human Services to help improve the agency’s phone systems, the company said Wednesday.

Verizon, which is based in New York, said it will help route calls from the public more efficiently and also provide a range of phone and Web-based services designed to boost employee productivity.

The contract runs through 2017 at the latest.

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  • The Sentinel at the Gate

    Why would HHS need a better routing systems to talk to the public – us? Would that be to tell us to go ahead and die faster and get us off the line so they can deliver the bad news to another caller?

    From my experience, you can never get any fucking body in a government office to answer or if they do answer it’s usually the lowest common denominator on the phone who confounds you so bad you hang up on the moron.

    Looks, smells and probably tastes like bullshit – but I’m not tasting it. Really smacks of campaign kickbacks, doesn’t it?

  • The Sentinel at the Gate

    Oh, oh and this statement; “designed to boost employee productivity.” should key you in on the total nonsense this really is. When has the government ever been productive or cost effective? Do you really want me to answer this one; it’s so very simple.