CSC to update tax database

Officials at Computer Sciences Corp. announced Wednesday they received a $27 million task order to immediately modify the Internal Revenue Service's central taxpayer information database.

The Customer Account Data Engine (CADE) is the centerpiece of the IRS' tax infrastructure and vital to the agency's Business Systems Modernization program. The program has had many delays and setbacks, and IRS officials penalized CSC for those problems in February.

However, the upcoming August milestone for CADE — full deployment of the version to support the 1040 EZ filers — is a critical one, IRS Commissioner Mark Everson told Senate appropriators at the beginning of April.

The task order on CSC's existing contract with the IRS is primarily to modify the system to account for changes in the tax laws, a situation that the agency faces every year as Congress updates tax codes. The task order also includes other services, such as training personnel on the new system and simulating operations using the updated software, according to the company.