C-IV Consortium Completes Implementation of New Automated Welfare System Designed to Accelerate Casework Processing and Delivery of Benefits to Needy Families; 35 More Counties to Migrate to Accenture-Developed C-IV System.

RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. -- The California Statewide Automated Welfare System Consortium-IV has completed the implementation of its new automated welfare system in Merced, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Stanislaus counties -- all four counties that comprise the consortium.

Developed and implemented with assistance from Accenture (NYSE: ACN), the C-IV system, as the new system is known, is a customer-based online information system that manages the critical data and complex rules associated with a number of key social services programs in the state. It is designed to help determine the eligibility of beneficiaries for programs such as California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKS), Food Stamps, Medi-Cal, Foster Care, Child Care, and refugee assistance programs, and helps the counties' social services departments reduce the time required to process casework and deliver assistance.

With the implementation in the four consortium counties now completed, a group of 35 other counties currently using an older welfare system known as ISAWS and the State are investigating how to transition to the C-IV system. The 35 ISAWS counties selected C-IV as their preferred system in December 2004, citing the system's user friendliness, leading-edge technology, central system maintenance and extensive user support.

"After nearly seven years from its inception, the C-IV vision is now a reality for many of California's needy families," said Scott Pettygrove, Deputy Director, Administrative Services, Merced County Human Services Agency. "This new system will provide better service to all of our customers. It allows better public access to service provider directories, enables telephone access to individual case information, and reduces the volume of paper forms that need to be warehoused. Through new process efficiencies, it enables caseworkers to better serve beneficiaries while aiding in the detection of social services fraud or abuse. Merced County is very excited to be teaming with our county partners and with Accenture for the ongoing maintenance and future expansion of the C-IV system."

The C-IV system currently supports more than 6,000 county workers in the four consortium counties, who 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 addition of the 35 ISAWS counties is projected to roughly double the current caseload of 800,000 eligible recipients being processed through the C-IV system.

"In terms of scale, performance and functionality, no other system in the country can really match C-IV's capabilities," said David Ross, managing partner of Accenture's State & Local Government practice. "This is the first system that integrates welfare programs such as CalWORKS, Food Stamps and MediCal, with employment services, child care and foster care, all under one Web-enabled, fully automated system. This unprecedented integration allows the counties to treat families that are eligible for multiple social programs holistically, while at the same time monitoring outcomes across all programs."

The four-county consortium selected Accenture in 2001 as the prime contractor responsible for providing project management, design, development, testing, infrastructure build, change management, business strategy, end-user training, implementation and maintenance services for the C-IV system.

About C-IV

C-IV is the Statewide Automated Welfare System (SAWS) Consortium-IV. C-IV was the fourth consortium of California counties founded as a result of the statewide mandate for an automated welfare system. The C-IV system has been implemented in Merced, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Stanislaus counties. The C-IV system is a user-friendly, customer-focused, on-line and fully integrated information system designed to manage the data for a number of California social services programs. For more information about C-IV, please visit www.c-iv.org.

About Accenture

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. Committed to delivering innovation, Accenture collaborates with its clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. With deep industry and business process expertise, broad global resources and a proven track record, Accenture can mobilize the right people, skills and technologies to help clients improve their performance. With more than 100,000 people in 48 countries, the company generated net revenues of US$13.67 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2004. Its home page is www.accenture.com.