Pension Benefit Guarantee Corp. revises IT processes

A recent audit of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.’s information technology processes and its use of best practices found deficiencies in many of the 34 areas the examination measured. To begin to solve those problems, the organization hired the Ambit Group to provide IT program management support for developing and implementing ways to improve PBGC’s IT posture, said John Condon, Ambit’s chief executive officer. The service-disabled, veteran-owned small-business set-aside contract is for a year and is worth $2.6 million.“We want to pave the way for major improvements down on the line,” Condon said. “The contract is also about improving PBGC’s ability to do their business better. This is a major transformational effort.” Condon said some of the initial work Ambit will do includes the review and alignment of IT strategy with the organization’s corporate strategy. The company also will evaluate PBGC’s IT staff members to ensure their skills match the organization’s needs. Another initial area Ambit will address is organizational communication and change management issues, said Kim Shackleford, Ambit’s president. “PBGC is looking at systems and processes such as Information Technology Information Library and others to drive transformation,” she said. “This transformation is about taking best practices, using innovative approaches around change management and technology management and help drive their transformation.” In other news about Ambit, on Nov. 19 the company hired Ron Miller, former chief information officer at the Federal Emergency Management Agency.