State should have seen warning signs on Accenture deal, lawmaker says
Source: By Corrie MacLaggan, Austin American Statesman, Wednesday, March 7, 2007, 05:04 PM
A lawmaker leading an investigation into what went wrong with privately-run call centers enrolling Texans in public assistance said the state had warnings that the plan to turn over enrollment for food stamps and Medicaid to a private group led by Accenture LLP wouldn’t work.
State Rep. Abel Herrero, D-Robstown, chairman of a House Human Services subcommittee studying the call centers, said he was concerned to learn during a hearing Wednesday that state officials signed an $899 million contract even though they knew that TIERS, the computer system being phased in to handle client information, was not designed to work in a call center.