I wasn’t going to make this public, but I’m seeing some things that have me concerned, so I have decided to make it public.
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I’m a navy veteran.
Learned I was good with technology back around 1980.
Worked my way up the ladder by learning my trade.
My background is naval communications, specifically RF communications.
After the navy I did about 6 years as an electronics technician.
After that I did around 30 years of software development and I have worn all hats in software.
Around 2003 when I turned 45 it became hard to find work even though my skills were as sharp as ever, if not better.
Around 2016 I decided if I would go to work for the government, I could once again work my way up the ladder.
That never happened, but it put me in a position to explain this situation the government has, which is right up your alley.
As I was working as a janitor, I noticed all the RFID Sensors installed all over the VA hospital at Kerrville Texas.
Thinking this would be my way up the ladder, I found somebody in engineering to discuss it with and said, if you will give me access to about six of those sensors, I can find a way to get it running.
They wouldn’t even discuss it because apparently there was a big lawsuit going on where the contractor, they bid it out to couldn’t deliver.
That was the last time I heard anything about this system.
Thinking about your government efficiency program, I have a challenge, and I’ll be the first to tell you that I don’t know what the latest status is since I haven’t worked there in years.
A google search for the following terms makes it look like nothing has been accomplished.
veterans affairs rfid patient tracking
And some of the bids I’ve seen have been close to a billion dollars.
Hire me as a government employee (I need 3 more years to buy my military time back and get a small pension) at the GS-13 level (so that no bureaucrat at the local hospital in Kerrville can try and shut me down) for the 2.6 years you have given yourselves.
Somewhere between 6 months and 2 years, I’ll figure out how to get it working for whatever dollar amount my salary works out too, AND I’ll document all the steps necessary to make it work so that you can roll this out nationwide and save the government a bunch of money.
Why that timeframe?
I have no idea what is out there and what has been done.
I doubt very seriously the existing staff does either because they have a low-level systems technician come in from the San Antonio office and the guy that was there when it was installed has retired.
How will I make it work if you decide to approve this?
One doorway, one piece of equipment at a time.
Once you have that working, then you can move onto the hallway and the next doorway.
By that time, it is a simple exercise to replicate the process for all systems.
I did a lot of mapping showing the location of H-1B workers nationwide and the companies sending jobs offshore, so I don’t think it will be much of a problem as in its simplest form, that is all it is.
If I’m successful and you want me to stay around to train the staff at each hospital, I have no problem with that.
If I fail, which I doubt, you have spent hardly any money and you now have insight into one of the largest government agencies and how inefficient it is.
Respectfully,
Virgil Bierschwale
KeepAmericaAtWork.com