Why this big-name IT services firm is doubling down on Baltimore

On Security Boulevard in Woodlawn, Accenture Federal Services’ new office provides the company with more space for its growing IT services team, and proximity to the two big U.S. government clients that are now across the street.
The new office reflects planned growth for a presence that started with 30 people in 2010. Along with the new office, the subsidiary of professional services giant Accenture made bold plans to double its current local workforce of about 160 people.
Inside the “Innovation Center for Technology,” there’s also a move to stay up-to-date. There’s no foosball table or posters with bold sayings like a startup office, but the bright green walls, smart TVs and areas for quick meetings reflect a desire to facilitate agile development for the hulking Social Security Administration and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

But in conference rooms named for Federal Hill and Canton, there’s also a sign that the move is oriented directly to Baltimore. The office that opened in 2010 meant many of the company’s employees who lived in Baltimore no longer had to commute to Northern Virginia. The location is now moving well beyond satellite status.
Now there’s room for meetings and training sessions across the street from the big federal offices. Before, those meetings were held in D.C., said Laura Coon, a Client Account Lead who was one of those employees that lives in Baltimore. The technology also allows the ability to link to the company’s offices in Atlanta, and global cities like Tivoli, Italy, and Sofia, Bulgaria.
Being close to the big federal anchors are a main focus of the move. Coon couldn’t provide details on current work, but Accenture made headlines for its efforts to fix HealthCare.gov in 2014, and the Wall Street Journal reported it won a renewed $563 million contract that year. It was also one of 81 companies that received another $25 billion IT contract at CMS.

But the company also has private clients in downtown Baltimore, and many of the people who work there are based in Maryland. They recruit from local universities like Loyola University of Maryland, University of Maryland and UMBC, and give work to local subcontracting firms.
With the expanding work presence, the company also wants to increase how it gives back. Accenture Federal Services is looking to build on an existing mentoring presence at Cristo Rey Jesuit School in Upper Fells Point and KIPP Baltimore, and helps run code-a-thons to get students excited about technical careers.
“A lot of the mentoring and things that we’re doing is to take the energy and focus that they have in playing with their tablets and phones, and trying to translate it to the longer-term picture for them,” she said. “These jobs are excellent jobs, but you have to have the skills and training to obtain them.”