WASHINGTON – AUGUST 15: The exterior of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is seen August 15, 2006 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Don’t underestimate the importance of back end work.
Publicis Sapient, which emerged from the ashes of Razorfish in February with the power to disrupt all your paradigms, just won some big business from the U.S. government.
As first reported by G2Xchange Health, the agency scored a 4-year contract to provide operations and maintenance support while working to modernize and enhance BMISS, or the Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW) Management Information System Solution (BMISS) Platform. In layman’s terms, it’s a system that provides “automated support for loan and scholarship programs, and a database of Healthcare delivery sites and school information” to members of federal programs such as the National Health Service Corps, the Army NURSE Corps or the Faculty Loan Repayment Program.
These are people who studied to become primary healthcare providers and received federal loans, as well as members of the Bureau of Health workforce or the general public who want to seek out “medical facilities and job opportunities in underserved communities.”
The Health Resources and Services Administration that oversees this program is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Sapient, which was a “known incumbent,” beat out 4 other bidders to win the review. It may not sound incredibly sexy, but wait until you see the price tag: $112 million over 4 years.
What’s not clear is exactly how the agency beat its rivals. According to public information regarding the competition, which went live last November, other interested vendors included Cipher Solutions, Inc., Ion Tech Inc., Scigon Solutions, Inc., Anchor Technology & Consultants, LLC, and Creative Business Solutions, Inc.
All of these groups qualified as either Self-Certified Small Disadvantaged, Veteran-Owned, or Minority-Owned businesses.
A Publicis Sapient spokesperson declined to comment on the win.
If you’re feeling extremely dorky, here’s an extensive overview of the platform itself.