Conduent has launched a new version of its WIC Connect platform. The technology platform supports the transmission of Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits to recipients via Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT).
The company says that the new platform will cut down on time to deployment for system upgrades and new installs.
With the new platform, some custom upgrades may be available to other agencies. For example, a state may request that Conduent develop a new online customer service function. The rest of the agencies on the shared platform would also have access to this enhancement. As new product features are added they’ll be made available to all agencies on the platform in order to avoid repeat customizations which cost time and money.
Pushing out features in this way is becoming more common in government technology. Platform providers are working with anchor customers on features and making them available to other governments off the shelf. The trend cuts down on the number of custom pilot projects and also improves interoperability. Providing more off the shelf options can also be a cost-effective way for smaller localities to modernize without the trial and error of pilot projects.
WIC Connect is built on Electronic Payment Processing and Information Control (EPPIC) system, Conduent’s open-architecture payment platform. The platform is based on work Conduent already does in the prepaid debit card industry. The idea is to migrate legacy systems to a single multi-tenant solution known as Way2Go. Way2Go already serves more than 12 million cardholders nationwide for redemption of services such as unemployment insurance, child support and state payroll.
Conduent is currently running two WIC Connect pilots in New York and Tennessee, with plans to add an additional five new clients to the platform over the next 12 months. Conduent also intends to migrate all legacy customers to this new platform and deliver to them the full benefits of the shared model.
