The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services today announced that a contract to operate the OhioWorks.com job-matching system has been awarded through the competitive bid process.

Compuware, a Michigan-based e-commerce company, was awarded the contract through the Ohio Department of Administrative Services, Computer Services Division. The $28 million, two-year contract takes effect in July.

"We are committed to making OhioWorks.com work as the taxpayers of Ohio expect," ODJFS Interim Director Greg Moody said. "We will directly engage the business community to ensure the system best meets the needs of job-seekers and employers."

The contract uses a Quarterly Deliverable Agreement concept, in which payments are based on deliverables instead of time and materials. Prior to the start of each quarter the contractor will develop project plans and resource/cost projections. Work for the quarter cannot begin until the departments of Job and Family Services and Administrative Services sign the quarterly agreements which spell out deliverables, milestones and expectations. The Department of Administrative Services will hold the contract on behalf of ODJFS.

A notice about the OhioWorks.com Request For Proposal was mailed to more than 2,100 vendors. Evaluation criteria included management philosophy, corporate and key individual qualifications and pricing. Compuware employs 15,000 and has more than 120 offices in 46 countries. The company has three offices in Ohio including one in Columbus.

Also today, Moody announced the hiring of Salim Antoun as Project Director for OhioWorks.com. Antoun is a certified Project Management Professional with 15 years of project management experience. Qualifications for Antoun's position were developed with input from Greg Jackson, the state's Chief Information Officer. Jackson is part of a Management Review Team, headed by Bureau of Workers' Compensation Administrator/CEO Jim Conrad, that is conducting an assessment of specific areas of the department. The review team will remain in place until Sept. 4, when Cuyahoga County Administrator Tom Hayes becomes director of the department.

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For more information contact Jon Allen, ODJFS Communications, (614) 466-6650.