$1 billion of unclaimed property

Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. has been awarded a contract from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts to increase the amount of unclaimed property the state returns to its rightful owners. To support the Comptroller’s mission of finding the owners of more than $1 billion in property, the ACS Unclaimed Property Clearinghouse will provide the state with management and program direction, specialized services to locate property owners, as well as supplemental claims processing and call center services under the competitively bid contract. The unclaimed assets include payroll checks, utility deposits, bank accounts, safe deposit box contents and insurance proceeds.

The work of ACS touches millions of people every day. ACS processes more than half of the nation’s child support payments; manages 24 electronic payment card programs for state and federal clients, disbursing government payments and benefits; processes nearly 570 million Medicaid claims each year totaling more than $50 billion in provider payments; saves state child care programs millions of dollars; and services student loans for more than 11 million borrowers.

$16m in driver’s license solutions

L-1 Identity Solutions has been awarded contracts and contract extensions from Delaware, Louisiana, Tennessee, Indiana and a State to be named at a later date, to continue providing secure driver’s license solutions, bringing the total value of these contracts to $27.6 million. Extension options in the yet-to-be-named State would add an additional $16 million. All of the awards were made to the Secure Credentialing Division of L-1. www.L1ID.com.

$6.8m on explosives-detection systems

The U.S. Army has purchased $6.8 million of Fido XTi explosives-detection systems from ICx Technologies, a developer of advanced sensor technologies for homeland security, force protection and commercial applications. The Fido XTi is the international version of the combat-proven Fido XT. The Fido XTi features a modified user-interface, weighs less than three pounds, and provides trace detection of explosive materials or contamination.

Promoting to mobile phone’s idle screens

Ace Hardware is promoting popular home maintenance products to mobile consumers through mobile phone’s idle screens. A national campaign launched around Ace’s Memorial Day Sale invited consumers to visit their local Ace Hardware to take advantage of deals. The campaign was executed by Horizon Media and generated an average CTR of 18%. In addition, consumers that viewed the campaign were nearly 30% more likely to visit an Ace Hardware retail store. Mobile Posse’s innovative mobile idle screen advertising platform powered the campaign.

The Mobile Posse solution also allows advertisers to conduct short form surveys through the mobile idle screen. In follow-up to the Ace campaign, users were asked whether they had visited an Ace Hardware store within the past seven-to-ten days. Users that viewed the campaign were 29% more likely to have visited an Ace Hardware retail store than users that did not view the campaign. These results demonstrate that mobile idle screen ads and sponsorships can help to drive traffic to retail locations. Consumers opt-in to Mobile Posse’s free application to receive informative and fun content, along with valued offers from local and national retailers. Full-screen offers are targeted and interactive, and can feature rich graphics and customer surveys. Ace Hardware has 4,600 hardware, home center and building materials stores that generate annual retail sales of more than $12 billion. www.acehardware.com. (Andrew Vitellaro, Sr. Creative Specialist at Ace Hardware.) www.mobileposse.com

Alternative to plastic cards

CashStar, the interactive gift card and incentives company, has been selected by Dippin’ Dots, well known for its beaded ice cream. With CashStar’s technology, Dippin’ Dots will provide consumers with an alternative to plastic cards. Beginning this summer, ice cream lovers everywhere can order Dippin’ Dots gift cards online to be sent to recipients via e-mail. Virtual gift cards will be available on the company’s website (www.dippindots.com) and can be purchased the same way plastic gift cards are ordered; only the virtual gift card can be personalized with different images and text and is delivered via an e-mail with a link to activate the gift. Dippin’ Dots are tiny, cryogenically frozen beads of ice cream, yogurt, sherbet and flavored ice. Invented in 1988 by microbiologist Curt Jones., Dippin’ Dots are sold in nearly 250 franchised retail locations. (Anthony George, local area marketing manager at Dippin’ Dots.) www.cashstar.com

Software to operate digital signs

AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah (AAA NCNU) has selected Netkey software to operate digital signs in the club’s branch offices, headquarters and operations centers. The second-largest regional member club of the national AAA organization, AAA NCNU serves more than 4.2 million members via about 100 local branch offices and several operations centers. The club offers members a wide array of automotive, travel, insurance and financial products and services. As part of a strategy to enhance the member experience, present a consistent brand image and deliver targeted marketing and promotional information, AAA NCNU has replaced a primarily DVD-driven display system with digital signage powered by Netkey software. The deployment will also include a multi-screen video wall in the club’s Walnut Creek, Calif. headquarters which can also be used for TV commercial launches and special promotions. (Virginia Vovchuk, director of brand strategy and design for AAA NCNU.) www.netkey.com

Congratulations to Wells Fargo & Company

Wells Fargo & Company’s web site has taken top honors for technological and digital innovation, ranking first out of 68 leading U.S. corporations, according to the Brookings Institution. The Brookings Institution evaluated nearly two dozen features of digital innovation, including personalization, interactivity, transparency, PDA (personal digital assistant) access, disability access, language translation, number of online services, privacy, security and user feedback. Wells Fargo was ranked above sites belonging to corporations generally considered industry leaders including Google, Apple, Amazon, and Disney. (Jim Smith, executive vice president, Wells Fargo Internet Services Group.)

Construction permits

Avolve Software Corporation, developers of ProjectDox ePlan and collaboration software and a leading provider of ePlan solutions for cities, counties and states nationwide, announced today that West Palm Beach, Florida, ranked as a technology-advanced city in a 2008 Digital Cities Survey, will deploy its product as part of a continuing effort to embrace e-government and reduce the amount of paper, travel and other time and cost inefficiencies specifically associated with obtaining construction permits. www.avolvesoftware.com.

Commercial real estate and industrial loan processes

Platinum Community Bank has selected WebEquity Solutions’ on-demand lending software to automate its commercial real estate and industrial loan processes. Platinum Community Bank has recently opened a de novo branch in Ocala, Florida as part of its strategy to diversify the growing bank’s portfolio and expand its commercial lending business. WebEquity is an on-demand, software as a service (SaaS) offering which significantly reduces the demand on a bank’s IT resources, and enables lenders to access their loan information from anywhere via a Web browser. Its flexible design also allows an institution to setup the software to support the bank’s specific policies and lending guidelines such as credit analysis, risk ratings and approval processes. www.webequitysolutions.com. (Jim Hogan, Senior Credit Officer, Platinum Community Bank.)

Automated money laundering reporting

Saco & Biddeford Savings Institution, an independently owned community bank, has implemented Banker’s Toolbox’s Bank Secrecy Act / Anti-Money Laundering Management System (BAM) to provide automated money laundering reporting and prevention services to its six branches. BAM replaced a time-consuming, manual process that consisted of reviewing many spreadsheets and wire reports, which left a lot of room for manual error. (Tony LeBlanc, vice president and BSA officer for Saco & Biddeford Savings Institution.)

Logistics for tea

DSC Logistics, an integrated logistics and supply chain management company headquartered in Des Plaines, Illinois, has been selected as Lead Logistics Partner in the United States to Tata Tea group, currently the world's second largest tea company with recently unveiled ambitions to become a global leader in good-for-you beverages. DSC will offer supply chain and logistics support for Tata Tea group’s three main products in the U.S.: Tetley Tea, Eight O'Clock Coffee and Good Earth tea and coffee. DSC will also deliver logistics support for Empirical Group LLC which provides tea and coffee to Tata Tea group’s food service customers. DSC will provide full Supply Chain Services including: Network Design, Transportation Optimization, Logistics Center Design, and Transportation and Logistics Execution Services. www.dsclogistics.com (Chris Robinson, Tata Tea group’s U.S. Global Logistics Manager.)

$30,000 in one quarter through fuel savings

Wireless Matrix and PeakView Solutions, LLC have announced a successful deployment at NewWave Communications, a Multiple System Operator (MSO) serving customers across six states. Since deploying Wireless Matrix’s FleetOutlook solution parallel to PeakView Solutions’ DispatchView, as part of its Phase 2 mobile workforce management solution in mid-March, the MSO has already seen its fuel usage reduced significantly, about 4,200 gallons per month across 175 technicians. This reduction has led to an estimated cost savings of $30,000 over the first quarter of deployment. www.wirelessmatrix.com www.peakviewsolutions.com

$350,000 contract to automate patient medical records

Kofax plc, the provider of Intelligent Capture & Exchange solutions, has announced a $350,000 contract with EDCO Group, Inc., a business process outsourcing (BPO) provider of health document management services to more than 400 clients throughout the United States. EDCO Group will utilize Kofax software to automate the processing of millions of patient medical records for hospital and health clinic customers. EDCO Group estimates it will initially process in excess of 15 million pages of records annually and expand that number to as many as 60 million annually within the next several years. www.kofax.com.

Health Information Exchange and Enterprise Access

South Jersey Healthcare (SJH) has signed an agreement with MobileMD to implement MobileMD’s Health Information Exchange (HIE) and Enterprise Access (EA) technologies and services. South Jersey Healthcare will use MobileMD’s turnkey technology and services to establish Health Information Technology (HIT) connectivity and interoperability between their various facilities and their physician community. With MobileMD, SJH will electronically and securely connect with their health care community in order to send and receive all types of patient health information (PHI), e.g. labs, transcribed reports, orders, and other patient record documentation. Additionally, SJH will provide their business associates the ability to order services to be delivered in their outpatient settings. (Thomas Pacek, CIO of South Jersey Healthcare.) http://www.sjhs.com http://www.MobileMD.com

IT Project and Staff Augmentation

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) has selected Upp Technology, Inc. as a preferred IT Project and Staff Augmentation vendor. Upp Technology offers to BCBS headquarters and its member BCBS companies nationwide competitive pricing, a rapid response time, and the ability to find quality candidates on a local, regional, and national level. www.upp.com.

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 39 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide healthcare coverage for more than 102 million individuals – nearly one-in-three Americans. www.BCBS.com.

Contract renewal with the United States Postal Service

Convergys Corporation has won a contract renewal with the United States Postal Service. Since 2003, Convergys has provided the Postal Service with customer service support at three U.S. contact centers. This extension is the second two-year renewal of the contract. Convergys will provide the customer service support by leveraging its relationship management solutions portfolio, which includes Customer Service Solutions (live agent support), Multichannel Automation Solutions (automated speech, e-mail) and Back Office Solutions. Convergys will also continue to answer the popular (800) ASK-USPS toll-free number and provide analytics for a customer intelligence program that constantly measures customer satisfaction. www.convergys.com

$1 million subcontract for eyewear

Microvision has been awarded a $1 million subcontract by Lockheed Martin Corporation. This subcontract is part of DARPA’s Urban Leader Tactical Response, Awareness & Visualization (ULTRA-Vis) program, an advanced technology development initiative, whose objective it is to build a soldier-worn system that provides non-line-of-sight command and control in distributed urban operations for dismounted warfighters. Under the subcontract, Microvision will develop a daylight-readable, see-through, low-profile, ergonomic eyewear display. www.microvision.com

$8 million for technology enabler development

Argon ST, a systems engineering, development and services company providing full-service C5ISR (command, control, communications, computers, combat systems, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) systems and services to a wide range of defense and intelligence customers, has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Army’s Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) Acquisition Center in Fort Monmouth, NJ to provide technology enabler development. The approximately $8 million effort calls for Argon to perform research and development services in airborne communications intelligence. The contract has the capacity to accommodate up to $30 million of research and development over three years.

$4.3 million of geophysical equipment

OYO Geospace has received an order for $4.3 million of geophysical equipment, including 3,000 channels of the Geospace Seismic Recorder (GSR), the company’s new wireless seismic data acquisition system.

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