A scaled-back version of the first phase of the five-phase project is on track for delivery at least two months late, the GAO says. And because it will be late, and lack certain capabilities (such as the ability to manage access to classified material), NARA and Lockheed have had to come up with a Plan B for receiving Bush's records.

Federal regulations mandate that material from an outgoing president must be available to Congress, the former and incumbent president and the courts after the January transition.

And what is that Plan B?

Buying off-the-shelf software for a separate "executive office of the president," or EOP, system just for Bush's stuff.

This off-the-shelf system, which still will require lots of customization, is a different architecture from the overall ERA. That means at some point, it will have to be migrated at some future point "in the long term," the GAO notes. NARA has so far spent $13 million on this interim system.

But EOP itself is hitting snags. Lockheed and NARA haven't been able to finalize a contract because they can't accurately scope out the work because, according to NARA, the Bush Administration hasn't come across with full details about the types and volume of data it plans to turn over come January. Officials have said they have 32 different systems but haven't outlined data types or formats other than to say e-mail and images will be included, NARA told the GAO.

That leaves NARA to estimate. Clinton sent over 2TB of data when he left office, which took 400 days to process. NARA expects the Bushies to turn over 100TB of information.

If they can find it, I presume.