Sacramento, July 30, 2001 – A thirteen-and-one-half-year contract has been awarded to Accenture, a management and technology consulting company, by a consortium of California counties, including San Bernardino, Riverside, Stanislaus and Merced, to design, build, deploy and operate the C-IV system, a fully automated and integrated human services information system.
The system will support the determination of more than 350,000 families’ eligibility for California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWorks), Food Stamps, Medi-Cal, Foster Care and refugee assistance programs. Additionally, 6,000 County employees will use the system to manage and administer service delivery to needy families and families seeking employment services, such as job training and placement programs. The C-IV system also will allow the public to access directories of service providers, provide interactive voice response capabilities for easier access to individual case information, and include document imaging to reduce the current large volume of paper forms kept in warehouse storage.
While enabling new process efficiencies and providing caseworkers with a clearer view of the needs and services they provide to their customers, the system also is designed to aid detection of fraud or abuse in these public assistance programs. The C-IV System will interface with several State and Federal systems to improve the accuracy and completeness of an individual’s case information. At the same time, the system will support compliance with the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act (PRWOA), a Federal welfare reform law enacted in 1996, which was intended to shorten the time individuals require public assistance without encouraging dependency on government programs.
“Accenture clearly demonstrated that the firm understood the goals, vision and needs of C-IV, and proposed the best value solution for addressing those diverse human services concerns,” said Grover Omyer, chairman, C-IV Consortium Board of Directors. . “We’re pleased to work with this team which is bringing us leading practices and technical capabilities which will help us realize our goal of developing and using an up-to-date automated system.”
During the first three-and-one-half years of the $453 million contract, which is subject to the annual government appropriations process, Accenture is charged with designing, building and deploying the system. The C-IV system will use Internet technology to allow access by caseworkers, providers and other authorized customers of the counties’ public assistance services. Accenture will operate, maintain and provide enhancements to the system for the remaining 10 years of the contract.
"Accenture is pleased to lead the team selected by this visionary consortium to design, build and run this system for years to come," said Thomas J. Hartman, Accenture partner in the Government practice. “Increasingly, we see governments seeking innovative ways to work with the private sector to deliver new cost efficiencies, while enabling governments to focus on their core mission of serving the people. This long-term contract is indicative of this trend, and demonstrates the Consortium’s willingness to enter into a long-term public-private relationship that will generate results for citizens.”
EDS will install the hardware and software for the C-IV system in each of the counties. The company also will build and operate the C-IV Data Center, and the disaster recovery and system development facility. The completed system will be maintained and enhanced during the 10-year operational phase of the contract at these facilities.
Avanade, a company formed by Accenture and Microsoft, will help the Accenture team integrate Microsoft technologies into the overall solution. “Avanade will draw on our deep expertise in Microsoft technology and our role in Accenture’s eGovernment initiative, to integrate multiple software applications and hardware that will contribute to efficient, reliable system operations,” said Adam Warby, general manager, Avanade.
Others on the Accenture team include Dell Computer and BEA .
All 58 of California’s counties belong to one of four consortia authorized by State law to comply with the PRWORA. The system being designed by the Accenture team is expected to help counties participating in C-IV, which handles 14 percent of California’s public assistance cases, to address the eligibility determination and welfare-to-work requirements of the 1996 Act.
About Accenture
Accenture is the world’s leading provider of management and technology consulting services and solutions, with more than 75,000 people in 46 countries delivering a wide range of specialized capabilities and solutions to clients across all industries. Accenture operates globally with one common brand and business model designed to enable the company to serve its clients on a consistent basis around the world. Under its strategy, Accenture is building a network of businesses to meet the full range of any organization’s needs – consulting, technology, outsourcing, alliances and venture capital. The company generated revenues before reimbursements of $9.75 billion for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2000, and $8.67 billion for the nine months ended May 31, 2001. Its home page is http://www.accenture.com.
About Avanade
Founded in April 2000, Avanade Inc. is a joint venture between Microsoft and Accenture that leverages the Microsoft platform to deliver enterprise technology solutions. Avanade creates value for its customers by designing, building and deploying customized, reliable architectures and scalable infrastructures to increase profitability, improve speed-to-market, and accelerate growth.
With more than 1,200 employees throughout Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas, Avanade provides cutting-edge technology integration services to Global 2000 companies and emerging market makers. Additional information can be found on the Avanade Web site at http://www.avanade.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements, the accuracy of which is necessarily subject to risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied include general economic conditions and the factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in our registration statement on Form S-1 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.