NWA’s WIC Technology Conference wraps up

The biannual WIC Technology and Program Integrity Conference wrapped up last week and among sessions on the latest WIC vendor management studies, the future of state agency models (SAMs), and the development of the National UPC (NUPC) database, was an insightful session on Oregon’s RFP development process for its WIC EBT system.

Sarah Rosenberg, operations manager for the Oregon WIC Program, emphasized the value of using a quality control vendor to assist in the WIC EBT RFP development process. MAXIMUS provided the Oregon WIC office with guidance on what was feasible and reasonable to include in the RFP and helped create a solid statement of work (SOW). In reference to the SOW, Rosenberg advised states to “get it right the first time” and said it was a huge learning experience to have MAXIMUS working side by side. State officials quickly realized they did not know or understand nearly as much as they thought.

Oregon ultimately awarded a $10 million, five-year contract to JP Morgan Chase, which includes one, five-year renewal option. The session also provided an overview of FNS’ upcoming model RFP document for WIC EBT, presented by two Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) regional officers.

A general session led by the FNS Office of Policy Support highlighted the soon-to-be-released WIC Vendor Management Study and revealed the WIC program has a high level of integrity and a very low improper payment rate. The study is conducted every five years and will be available on the FNS website.

If you are looking for a comprehensive, in-depth recap of the WIC Technology and Program Integrity Conference, please stay tuned! Deltek will post one here in the very near future.