A State of California department needed support to run their EBT program that included technical and financial reconciliation services to support program and system development, maintenance, and support. The objective was to automate the issuance, delivery, redemption, settlement, and reconciliation of food and cash public assistance benefits in California, which is unique in its decentralized administration across 58 counties. State department needed consultant services who would be responsible for various tasks including system maintenance and operations, integration of system changes and new functionality, data repository and data analytics, support for the procurement and transition to a new EBT system, knowledge transfer, planning for the end-of-contract changeover and any unanticipated tasks that may be needed.
Radian Solutions’ proposed solution for this project involves providing technical and financial reconciliation services to develop, maintain, and support the program and the system for the California State Department. The key components of their solution include:
- Task Management: Radian Solutions will manage tasks, prepare and deliver monthly status reports, and develop an initial workplan and monthly updates.
- Maintenance and Operations (M&O): This includes system support, application management, software architecture support, system maintenance, monitoring and maintenance of the IT infrastructure, and documentation updates.
- Integration of System Changes and New Functionality: Radian Solutions will review system change requests, design, develop, test, implement, and support new reconciliation applications and software solutions.
- Data Repository and Data Analytics: They will develop and maintain the project data repository, develop application code for ad hoc data queries and reports, and provide ongoing maintenance and support.
- New Procurement, Transition, and Enhancements: Radian Solutions will provide technical expertise to the State procurement team, support implementation and testing of the new system, service provider’s interfaces, and evaluate the need for system modifications.
- Knowledge Transfer: They will train departmental staff on various aspects of the IT system functionality and maintenance.
- End-of-Contract Changeover Plan: Radian Solutions will prepare and submit a plan detailing how they will transition all services to a new IT System Integrator.
- Unanticipated Tasks: They will set aside a portion of the contract value for unanticipated tasks and provide services for these tasks as needed.
Overall, Radian Solutions’ proposed solution aims to ensure the effective operation and maintenance of the IT System, support the integration of new functionalities, and facilitate the transition to the new California EBT system.
Radian Solutions offered services to manage the State’s EBT Program that offered several benefits and impacts:
- Automated Reconciliation: Automates the reconciliation process for food and cash public assistance benefits, reducing manual errors and increasing efficiency.
- Enhanced Fraud Analysis: The transactional data in SARS supports enhanced welfare fraud analysis and investigations, helping to ensure that benefits are distributed accurately and securely.
- Improved Program Reporting: This project provides improved program reporting capabilities, allowing for better tracking and management of benefits.
- Effective Case Management: The system allows for more effective case management for the counties, helping to ensure that beneficiaries receive the correct benefits.
- Financial Management: County financial staff can use this system to ascertain the amount of money that needs to be moved between county bank accounts to fund redeemed benefits, improving financial management.
- Data Analytics: Provide data analytics and financial reconciliation expertise toward the development, testing, and implementation of the new California EBT system data warehouse and business intelligence.
- Data Repository: This project serves as a data repository, providing counties access to their reconciliation information, which can be used for various analytical purposes.
- Technical Expertise: Radian Solutions provided technical expertise to operate and maintain the system, ensuring its reliability and effectiveness.
- Statewide Coordination: This system provides a centralized application that allows the counties and the State to view various levels of data to reconcile benefit issuance, redemption, and obligations, promoting statewide coordination.
- System Customization: The solution involves customizing the EBT system for California, taking into account the unique structure of the CalFresh Program and the decentralized administration of benefits across 58 counties.
- Ongoing Support: The contractor is responsible for ongoing operations, developing and integrating new functionality, providing customer support, and data analytics.
- Transition Support: The contractor will also assist in the procurement of and transition to a new California EBT system, ensuring a smooth transition and continuity of services.
- Knowledge Transfer: The solution includes knowledge transfer to departmental staff, ensuring that they are equipped to manage and operate the system effectively in the future.
Overall, the proposed solution aims to enhance the efficiency, accuracy, and security of the benefit distribution process in California, while also providing a robust system for managing and reconciling financial transactions associated with public assistance benefits.
- Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK)
- Iterative approach
- NET Core MVC
- Entity Framework Core
- XML, HTML, and CSS
- JQuery, bootstrap, and JavaScript
- RESTful web services with ASP.NET Core
- Micro-services architecture
- Kubernetes – Red Hat OpenShift
- Docker Desktop for Windows
- MS SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS)