There is a lot I tried to reference in this cartoon, because asking  what went wrong with a government website can lead in a lot of different directions. I found the contracting process the most interesting . In sum, only certain well-connected companies with the proper certifications can be awarded these kind of  IT contracts. This means that behemoths like CGI, and even contractors that traditionally deal in defense projects like Northrop Grumman, Booz Allen Hamilton, and General Dynamics were picked to work on the Obamacare Exchange, instead of  more agile and appropriate firms.

CGI Federal, which is a subsidiary of a the Canadian Firm CGI Group, has many more projects in the pipeline. According to the Washington Post, that’s an 8 billion dollar pipeline of future orders that includes $871 Million for the Defense Information Systems Agency, $143 Million for visa processing in China, and a five year “indefinite quantity” contract with Homeland Security and the Coast Guard.