Illinois re-ups Northrop Grumman contract

Northrop Grumman Corp. won a 10-year, $100 million contract renewal to continue providing electronic benefit transfer services for the Illinois Department of Human Resources, the company announced Aug. 20.The five-year contract includes five additional one-year options. Under the contract, Northrop Grumman Information Technology will provide data processing and software maintenance as well as coordination and management of EBT services for Illinois' food stamp program as well as several cash assistance programs.The Northrop Grumman IT system processes 4 million transactions monthly. The recipients access EBT benefits through debit card technology used at point-of-sale locations throughout the state.Northrop Grumman IT has served as the incumbent EBT service provider since July 2001.Cheryl Janey, vice president of state and local for Northrop Grumman IT, said the company will apply expertise and program knowledge gained from the Illinois EBT program and EBT programs with other states when it starts work on the new contract in October 2003.Northrop Grumman IT is a unit of Northrop Grumman of Los Angeles.