First Name:
Last Name:
Organization:
Email:
Comments:

Skire Helps Public Sector Agencies Meet Recovery Act
Transparency, Accountability Requirements


New Initiative Provides Framework, Information, and Pre-packaged Software
for Accelerating Compliance with Transparent Reporting Requirements

Menlo Park, CA, March 10, 2009 – Skire, Inc., the leading provider of capital program, integrated workplace and project portfolio management software, today launched an initiative to help public sector agencies more easily meet the controls and reporting requirements of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. The Skire Transparency, Accountability, Recovery, Reinvestment (STARR) initiative provides agencies with education and updates regarding ARRA, as well as information-sharing opportunities and pre-packaged software and services to assist customers in meeting ARRA requirements.

The passage of ARRA brings a level of infrastructure investment not seen in multiple decades along with a heightened emphasis on accountability. The act places a premium on readiness, streamlined execution and accuracy of information. Agencies receiving ARRA funds, or managing capital improvement and infrastructure projects, must report on fund use and can expect high levels of scrutiny on managing risk, controlling costs and making data available to the public. Organizations that are unable to meet this expectation and report the use of funds quickly, accurately and transparently will be left out of funding opportunities.

“Skire is committed to helping agencies implement standardized, automated processes for receiving, overseeing and investing ARRA funds," said Massy Mehdipour, Skire’s chief executive officer. “Skire Unifier™ capabilities, our experience in capital project management and the collective knowledge of our public-sector customers are combined in this initiative to help agencies meet ARRA's accelerated timeframes and extensive requirements so that they can quickly benefit from this funding.”

Initial components of STARR include:

  • A webinar entitled "The New Era of Transparency and Accountability: Are You Ready for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act?" at 11 a.m. PDT on March 26, featuring Roy Block, president of Roy W. Block Consulting and an industry specialist in public sector funding practices and capital improvement programs, Sandy Oliver, assistant director of the City of Fort Worth Project Management Office, and Paul Verveniotis, vice president of industry solutions for Skire;
  • Pre-packaged solutions and services that incorporate standard configurations and business processes supporting the reporting requirements outlined in the guidance issued by the Office of Management and Budget, enabling customers to get up and running quickly to meet ARRA requirements;
  • Promotional pricing for 120 days from the ARRA effective date and special procurement options to facilitate public sector agencies rapidly deploying Unifier;
  • A resource portal on the Skire web site for updates and links to other resources; and
  • An Advisory Council composed of Skire public sector customers and industry specialists to facilitate networking and information sharing.

The State of Ohio, City of Wichita, Michigan State University, the University of Texas System, and the City of Fort Worth are among the many Skire public institutions and agencies using Unifier to establish and automate processes for planning and prioritizing projects, managing funding allocation and consumption, controlling project delivery, enforcing compliance and simplifying reporting.

For more information about the Skire STARR initiative and to register for the webinar, visit www.skire.com/recovery

About Unifier

Skire Unifier is a powerful business process automation platform for managing programs, projects, resources and assets. The platform centralizes comprehensive management capabilities and makes them available to everyone who needs them through a standard Web browser. With robust cost management and project controls capabilities, Skire’s Unifier delivers the best combination of pre-defined workflows, best practices, ease-of-use, and adaptability.

About Skire

Skire, Inc. is the leading provider of capital program, integrated workplace, and project portfolio management software. The company's flagship Unifier platform leverages the company's deep industry experience, giving customers unprecedented visibility and control over major programs and projects. Skire's solutions are used by global Fortune 1000 companies, government agencies, and educational institutions for managing billions of dollars in capital programs, real estate, and IT portfolios. The company is privately held and headquartered in Menlo Park, California. For more information, visit http://www.skire.com

# # #

Unifier and uDesigner are trademarks of Skire, Inc. All other products and services mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective companies.