The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) awarded Accenture Federal Services a one-year contract to continue technical improvements to the Health Insurance Marketplace website HealthCare.gov. The site launched on Oct. 1, 2013, marking the opening of the Health Insurance Marketplace.

Following a transition period on the current program, Accenture will provide services to support the federally-facilitated marketplace to prepare for open enrollment in October 2014, including 24/7 support of the Marketplace application, eligibility and enrollment functions, generation and transmission of enrollment forms, and features related to special enrollment periods, among other services. Accenture also will develop new capabilities required for future phases of program implementation.

The $45 million contract is for the initial phase of the project, which includes a transition plan to define the work required. The contract will be based on mutually agreed upon work plans, which will help define the final value of the one-year contract.

“Accenture will bring deep healthcare industry insight as well as proven experience building large-scale, public-facing websites to continue improving HealthCare.gov,” said David Moskovitz, chief executive, Accenture Federal Services.