CGI inks New York public housing outsourcing deal

Administrative responsibilities for more than 76,000 public housing units in New York state will be turned over to CGI Group Inc.

The Housing Trust Fund Corporation of New York, a division of Housing and Community Renewal, has awarded Montreal-based CGI a five-year contract valued at $44 million to run a segment of the state's Housing and Urban Development program.

CGI, under the trust fund's direction, will manage all functions of contract administration and payment services for site-based, multifamily housing assistance payments in the state of New York.

The project is part of HUD's 2020 reform plan, where the department is outsourcing the administration of housing assistance payment contracts.

The Section 8 program allows individuals to use voucher payments from a local housing authority to help pay for rent on privately owned rental properties.

CGI vice president of government services and solutions George Pilla said the company plans to hire 75 business process services and IT professionals from within New York to help on the project.

With the addition of New York to its roster of HUD clients, CGI is now responsible for more than 214,000 housing units across the United States, the company said in a statement.

CGI Group has about 25,000 employees and annual revenues of $3 billion.