Agreement follows steady progress on RI Bridges
PROVIDENCE, RI - Governor Gina Raimondo announced today that -- following months of negotiations -- Deloitte Consulting LLP will remain under contract with the state through June 2021 to operate and maintain the RI Bridges public-benefits computer system. As part of an agreement, Deloitte will pay Rhode Island $50 million and provide the state with additional discounted work.
In total, the state will have received more than $210 million in cash and discounts from Deloitte since the system's launch in 2016 and will only pay Deloitte for future operation and maintenance costs, estimated at $30 million over the life of the contract.
"The agreement we've reached with Deloitte will bring millions of dollars back to the state, provide Rhode Island with significantly discounted services, and ensure that critical benefits relied upon by our citizens are not at risk by an untimely transition to a new vendor," said Governor Raimondo. "This is truly an unprecedented settlement. We are not aware of any other agreement of this magnitude for a system that has been delivered. While we still have more work to do, we would not have reached this agreement with Deloitte if we hadn't made significant progress over the past two years."
Under the agreement, which is subject to federal review, the state will waive claims against Deloitte for prior work. Deloitte will continue to focus on system stability and compliance through the end of 2019 and ensure RI Bridges is properly operated through FY2021.
"What is best for Rhode Islanders who rely on this system has grounded every decision we've made and will continue to make," said Department of Human Services Director Courtney Hawkins. "I am confident that the terms of this agreement will enable us to continue to build on the considerable progress the state and Deloitte have made."
The Governor's announcement comes as RI Bridges continues to make substantial progress, including an overall drop in application backlogs, a 70 percent reduction in system issues, 98 percent of Medicaid renewals generated timely and accurately, and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program timeliness above 90 percent for 10 consecutive months.
"The state and its vendor, Deloitte, are making very good progress. For the past several months, the Department of Human Services has met the SNAP 96 percent timeliness standard required by the consent agreement," said Deming E. Sherman, Special Master appointed by the courts to ensure that the state met SNAP standards. "In addition, the customer portal now works well for new applications, and wait times at the call center and in the lobbies remain low. This is evidence that both the technology and the DHS staff are working well together, and I am optimistic that this will continue."
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