The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced this week that it has awarded top spots to both Maximus and Accenture Federal Services on the agency’s $2.6 billion systems modernization blanket purchase agreement.
Under the terms of the Enterprise Development, Operations Services (EDOS) blanket purchase agreement, the two companies will compete with each other, among others, for future task orders to support the IRS in creating new ways for taxpayers and tax professionals to interact with the agency.
The May 24 press release details that the EDOS contract vehicle brings all 400-plus systems in the IRS’s applications development portfolio under one contract vehicle to modernize existing systems, build out analytics, and improve cybersecurity.
EDOS has a period of performance of seven years.
“The IRS laid out an ambitious plan to transform how the agency provides services and capabilities to improve the taxpayer experience as well as IRS internal operations. Maximus, through our excellent IRS team and modernization expertise, will deliver on that plan and taxpayer experience,” Teresa Weipert, general manager of Maximus Federal, said in a statement.
“The IRS had the foresight and vision to create a contract vehicle with the ability to keep up with, or even ahead of, new legislative demands,” Jessica Powell, a managing director in Accenture Federal Services and IRS client lead, said in a statement. “These reforms will result in faster processing of returns and quicker distributions of the credits and benefits that are vital to so many Americans. We’re thrilled to offer support to the IRS as they make these technology enhancements happen.”
Elaine Beeman, a senior managing director for the Accenture Federal Services Civilian portfolio, said in a statement, “We’re honored to support the IRS’ push to develop innovative ways for America’s millions of taxpayers to interact securely and effectively with the agency.”
The IRS has been under pressure in recent years to update its decades-old IT systems. During the most recent filing season, the Government Accountability Office wrote a blog, warning that the agency’s aging IT systems can slow down tax returns and refunds, as well as “make taxpayer information vulnerable to cyberattacks.”
