Press Release
October 23, 2012
External Affairs Branch
(916) 795-3991
Robert Udall Glazier, Deputy Executive Officer
Brad Pacheco, Chief, Office of Public Affairs
pressroom@calpers.ca.gov
CalPERS IT Programs Recognized for Excellence
SACRAMENTO, CA – Leveraging technology to serve members and employers, two California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) programs were recently recognized for excellence. The Pension System Resumption (PSR) Project – known as my|CalPERS – received a 2012 Government Computer News (GCN) Award for “Outstanding Information Technology Achievement in Government.” Additionally, the Public Employer Readiness Team (PERT) received a 2012 Recognition Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Information Technology in State Government from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO).
“Our teams truly embody the CalPERS core value of quality in striving to exceed our customers’ needs and expectations through competence, innovation and teamwork. These honors are well deserved,” said Anne Stausboll, CalPERS Chief Executive Officer.
The PSR team took on the monumental task of streamlining 109 separate and outdated IT systems that were supporting 3 billion records. Their work involved retiring 200 interfaces, 90 databases and 109 silos, utilizing 550 staff working on 50 sub-projects. Services for members and employers have been significantly enhanced. CalPERS is one of ten recipients nationwide of the GCN Award.
The PERT outreach program was launched to foster collaboration with more than 3,000 business partners as CalPERS consolidated its information exchange network for the new my|CalPERS system. PERT’s task was to ensure that the voice of the customer was heard in all stages of design and development. PERT is one of ten national recipients of the NASCIO Award.
“It was very rewarding to work alongside the public agency employers who are our partners in every way. PERT’s approach to change readiness demonstrates the power and value of collaborative partnerships,” said Dale Jablonsky, Assistant Executive Officer for CalPERS Information Technology Services Branch.
Vendor partners also played a key role in CalPERS success. They included Accenture as the system integrator, Delegata for project office and interfaces management, and KPMG for independent oversight.
About the GCN Award:
GCN has been honoring exceptional federal, state and local government IT projects and their management teams for more than 25 years. This year’s awardees were selected based on their ability to improve “an agency’s ability to operate more efficiently or serve the public more effectively.”
About the NASCIO Award:
NASCIO annually honors information technology initiatives that make exceptional contributions to state government operations. An organization of state Chief Information Officers and information technology executives from the states, territories, and the District of Columbia, NASCIO is in its 24th year of recognizing innovative IT projects.
About CalPERS:
CalPERS is the nation’s largest public pension fund with approximately $245 billion in assets, providing retirement benefits to more than 1.6 million State, public school, and local public agency employees, retirees, and their families, and health benefits to more than 1.3 million members. The average CalPERS pension is $2,420 per month. The average benefit for those who retired in the most recent fiscal year that ended June 30, 2012, is $3,025 per month. For more information about CalPERS, visit www.calpers.ca.gov.
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Dated: 10-23-2012
