Accenture Wins $74.8M SSA Ticket to Work Deal

Federal program-management contractors can see how the SSA is structuring its recompetes, with one-year base periods and four one-year options.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Job Search

Low-angle view of a pale stone federal office building with tinted glass against a clear sky, with a flagpole in the foreground. — Accenture Federal Services won a $74.8 million contract to run the Social Security Administration's Ticket to Work program, succeeding Cognosante. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Accenture Federal Services won a $74.8 million contract to administer the Social Security Administration's Ticket to Work program, succeeding Cognosante as Ticket Program Manager. The award is a cost-plus-award-fee contract with a one-year base period and four one-year options.

Why it matters

The SSA recompeted the program under full and open competition, so the award reflects a formal procurement rather than a sole-source extension. For federal contractors and vendors, it signals how the agency is consolidating a service that handles beneficiary contact, payments and audits.

The contract is valued at $74.8 million, against the $70 million potential five-year contract Cognosante previously held to run the program. The base period is one year, with four one-year options that could extend the work.

The players

Accenture Federal Services

The federal arm of global consulting and technology firm Accenture, providing government IT, consulting and program-management services to federal agencies.

Social Security Administration

The federal agency that administers retirement, disability and survivor benefits and awards contracts to operate its programs, including the Ticket to Work program.

Cognosante

A Falls Church, Virginia government services contractor that previously held the Ticket Program Manager role before Accenture Federal Services acquired it.

The details

Under the award, Accenture Federal Services will operate the program's beneficiary contact center and websites, process EN payments and conduct EN audits. The contract is structured as cost-plus-award-fee, meaning the government reimburses allowable costs and pays a fee tied to performance. Accenture completed its acquisition of Cognosante in May 2024, adding more than 1,500 Cognosante employees to its workforce.

- May 2024: Accenture Federal Services completed its acquisition of Cognosante.
- August 2024: Accenture won an $81 million SSA AI and machine learning contract.
- May 2025: The SSA posted a presolicitation notice on SAM.gov for the recompete.
- November 3, 2026: The award notice was published on SAM.gov.

Market Landscape

The award follows the Ticket to Work program's design under the 1999 Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act, which relies on private Ticket Program Managers to serve beneficiaries. Federal recompetes of this kind are how the SSA changes contractors while keeping program services running.

Federal contractors should watch how the SSA structures recompetes, since cost-plus-award-fee terms and option years determine how long a vendor's work is secured. Companies that compete for similar federal program-management work should review the base-period and option-year structure in the solicitation before bidding.

The takeaway

The award shows the SSA is willing to consolidate a service through a full and open recompete, and the option-year structure gives the agency room to extend or end the work. Operators who sell program-management services to federal agencies should track future SAM.gov presolicitations for comparable recompetes.