Accenture Federal Wins $74.8M Social Security Ticket Deal
Accenture Federal Services will administer the Social Security Administration's Ticket to Work program after succeeding Cognosante as program manager.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Job Search
Live Poll
Do you trust private companies to run federal disability benefit programs well?
Accenture Federal Services secured a $74.8 million contract to administer the Social Security Administration's Ticket to Work program. The award follows a full and open recompete, and Accenture will succeed Cognosante as Ticket Program Manager.
Why it matters
The contract places a federal employment support program with a new administrator, shifting operation of the program's beneficiary contact center, websites, and payment processing. The change reflects the continued consolidation of federal IT and program-management work under large contractors.
The cost-plus-award-fee contract runs a one-year base period with four one-year options, totaling up to five years. It carries a $74.8 million value, roughly $4.8 million above the $70 million potential ceiling of Cognosante's prior five-year award.
The players
Accenture Federal Services
The federal arm of global consulting firm Accenture, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, which has pursued a growing portfolio of government IT and program-management contracts.
Social Security Administration
The independent federal agency that administers Social Security retirement, disability, and supplemental income programs, including the Ticket to Work employment support program.
Cognosante
A Falls Church, Virginia-based federal contractor that previously held the Ticket Program Manager role before being acquired by Accenture Federal Services in May 2024.
The details
Accenture Federal Services will operate the program's beneficiary contact center and websites, and will process EN payments and conduct EN audits. The Social Security Administration ran the recompete using full and open competition after posting a presolicitation notice in May 2025.
Timeline
May 2024: Accenture Federal Services completed its acquisition of Cognosante, adding more than 1,500 employees.
August 2024: Accenture Federal Services won an $81 million SSA AI and machine learning contract.
May 2025: The SSA posted a presolicitation notice on SAM.gov for the Ticket Program Manager recompete.
November 3, 2026: The award notice for the Ticket Program Manager contract was published on SAM.gov.
Program Continuity
The contract continues a federal framework set by the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999, which established the Ticket Program Manager role that Accenture now assumes. The recompete keeps that statutory structure intact while changing the contractor administering it.
Beneficiaries of the Ticket to Work program will interact with a new contact center and website operated by Accenture Federal Services rather than Cognosante. The change affects how program participants reach support and receive EN payments.
The takeaway
Federal employment support programs can change administrators without changing their underlying purpose, so beneficiaries should watch for updated contact information. Contract transitions often bring new service channels, and checking official program pages helps avoid confusion during the handoff.
Further reading
For more on federal employment programs, see Job Search coverage across the United States.
Source note: This article includes information reported by ExecutiveBiz.
Live Poll
Do you trust private companies to run federal disability benefit programs well?
