Doing Business With the Social Security Administration

Social Security Administration6401 Security Blvd.Baltimore, MD 21235-0001(800) 772-1213 1935 Jo Anne Barnhart More than 65,000 The Social Security Administration administers the country's major income support payments for older Americans, the disabled and their dependents. It oversees the Supplemental Security Income program for low-income aged and disabled persons. It also supports Medicare on behalf of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The agency pays about $42 billion monthly in benefits to more than 50 million people. The agency is comprised of 13 offices. Throughout the country there are 10 regional offices, six processing centers and about 1,366 field offices. (estimated): $535 billion (estimated): $512 billion $490 billion $461 billionFor doing business with the agency, I found "Selling to SSA" on the homepage, and it took me right to the site for the Office of Acquisition and Grants (). While requests for quotes and solicitations are posted to FedBizOpps.gov, the site will give you all the info you need on getting the ball rolling. It even provides an agency acquisitions forecast for fiscal 2003, and a list of Freedom of Information Act reports on its contracts. Once you become an agency vendor, the online Vendor Payment Center () can help manage your fees. XXXSPLITXXX- Chief information officer November 2002 Dallas Columbia, Md. Enjoys running, and golfing as often as possible. "Bush at War" by Bob Woodward Bachelor of business administration in business systems analysis and design from University of Texas at Arlington, master's of business administration in finance from the University of Dallas, and master's in public administration from Harvard University.Hughes: You're always trying to prioritize challenges. ... There is always the agency's vigilance toward the No. 1 issue, security. We have a culture of really trying to maintain a strong vigilance in IT security, and that will remain a top priority. No. 2 is the e-Enabled initiatives that the agency is involved with, to bring greater Web applications to the public. Hughes: I'm not an expert on that area, but I do know the agency has taken that very seriously. We have a lead person in that role in our systems group. We keep track of the cost, and as far as I understand, it's going along pretty well. Hughes: When we talk about doing business, it depends on the project. When you are talking about the agency undergoing significant projects that involve a great deal of hardware or consulting services, we're looking for a strong track record and expertise in that specific area. An example might be IBM, which has a very strong business background; they are a very strong company financially, which is very important to us as an agency. We're sensitive about getting involved in detailed software engineering with small firms that might have a limited life span. And again, the track record: people that can come here with a strong point of view and with experience. Hughes: The agency as a whole is focused on bringing applications to the public. So a year from now, we'll have more Web-enabled applications for the public to use, and for businesses to use. We'll make it easier and more robust. Hughes: I think the agency is trying to blend their drive and the way they do business, and really how we can use experience out of the private sector. It's actually been very good. I would say the agency is forward thinking, and we're doing a lot of things right. I am quite pleased to see that a lot of work that we do is well-completed.