New IBM Solution Helps Government Cut Waste, Save Money

IBM (NYSE: IBM) today extended the reach of its Maximo asset management software to the public sector by announcing a new offering that helps government agencies and their contractors improve the monitoring of goods and services they deliver to the public.

IBM Maximo Government was developed based on feedback from existing government customers and IBM business units working with federal, state and municipal governments and their contractors. The new solution includes support for contracts, personal property and the U.S. Department of Defense’s UID (Unique Identifier) requirements. When combined with other base Maximo applications, the offering provides “cradle-to-grave” resource tracking and management and supports compliance with government regulations for asset and property management.

A June 2007 report by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said the U.S. government has committed to spend a record-high $1.1 trillion with companies holding government contracts “plagued by waste, fraud, abuse or mismanagement.” Part of this waste is attributed to poor asset tracking, non-competitive contracts and the need to use private companies to perform government functions because of inefficiencies.

Government agencies face the same challenges as large businesses in monitoring the deployment of vast resources, ensuring return on investment with contractors and tracking overall performance and efficiency across the supply chain. This includes administration of everything from social services, health and human safety to transportation, defense and agricultural and environmental programs. Beyond tracking performance and ROI, these agencies are required to meet compliance regulations just like any other large enterprise.

The added functionality in Maximo for Government allows better management of certain mandatory government contract provisions. These include the ability to identify and manage contracts in greater detail than ever before. For example, it tracks the full spectrum of parties involved in delivering goods and services, distinguishing prime-contractors from sub-contractors and contract administrators, while providing a complete audit trail that supports compliance requirements.

Using the new solution, government customers can:

* Enable system consolidation and a “government-driven” view from a single platform;
* Create a holistic view of current property ownership, stewardship, location and status, enabling visibility into the entire asset lifecycle;
* Facilitate higher asset performance and mission readiness;
* Better manage risk and compliance with government, environmental and safety regulations;
* Drive accountability and governance through increased visibility and control of assets.

These features were incorporated based on successful deployments and have been field-tested with a range of government agencies and contractors.

“As the next offering in IBM Maximo industry solutions, Maximo for Government addresses many of the asset management related needs of the large government sector and its associated contractors,” said Houghton Leroy, Research Director, ARC Advisory Group. “The offering includes many of Maximo’s core abilities for tracking and managing assets, resources and information as well as new functionality for some of the recently enacted government reporting requirements. With many government agencies and contractors looking for more efficient ways to achieve asset compliance, this new Maximo solution should be well received and beneficial.”

“As the largest owners of assets, governments face significant challenges in tracking and accurately managing these extensive asset bases,” said Jack Young, Vice President, Maximo Development, IBM Tivoli Software. “Because of the work we’ve done with our many government customers, contractors and other experts, we’ve enhanced the deep functionality that these organizations need to better manage the range of assets that owners are responsible for.”

Maximo Government is designed for easy integration with other enterprise applications, offering lower costs and greater flexibility.