Building operational resilience against fraud: CGI's 9-pillar approach

Safeguarding grant programs against fraud is paramount, especially as improper payments continue to drain billions of dollars from federal programs each year.  

A September 2023 report by the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimates that between $100 billion and $135 billion in pandemic-era unemployment benefits were fraudulently obtained. As the five-year statute of limitations approaches, agencies are under increasing pressure to recover these funds.

CGI has developed a comprehensive solution to build operational resilience and address these challenges through nine strategic pillars, each designed to enhance fraud prevention, detection and mitigation. Supported by robust metrics, these pillars demonstrate significant impact and return on investment (ROI), underscoring the urgent need for modernization and transformation to tackle this pervasive issue effectively.

Which industries benefit most from operational resilience?

While operational resilience has become increasingly vital for all highly regulated industries, sectors that can afford downtime benefit the most. Between financial systems managing the continuous, daily movement of money, healthcare organizations providing life-critical services during crises and government grants ensuring that funded projects can continue to operate in spite of disaster, each industry has its own unique need for enhanced resilience. 

Threats operational resilience targets in government grant programs:

• Cybersecurity attacks: data breaches, attacks, and ransomware can disrupt grant management systems
• Technology failures: unplanned outages can halt operations in critical infrastructure, software, and cloud providers 
• Natural disasters: floods, pandemics, or extreme weather can disrupt staff availability and operational capacity
• Fiscal uncertainty: sudden eliminations or reductions of funding require rapid pivoting and contingency planning
• Operational failures: internal breakdowns (either human- or technology-caused) can cause long-term and short-term damage

What do you risk if you’re not guarding your program from fraud?

Without operational resilience, your grant program risks catastrophic financial losses and potential reputational damage. Unprotected organizations are more likely to face regulatory penalties, theft and liability issues. Without robust recovery plans and active steps towards managing fraud prevention, your grant program may suffer.  

How can I assess the state of fraud in my agency?

Before you launch into fraud prevention methods, you’ll need to identify, prioritize and quantify risk factors within your organization. After conducting a comprehensive risk assessment, focus on enhancing internal controls, ensuring no single person controls an entire grant approval, conducting surprise audits and looking for missing or backdated documents. Assessing these key areas will help you determine how to move forward. 

Tip: Offering an anonymous channel or tip line for employees, vendors and customers to report suspicious activities is proven to manage fraud prevention. Consider adding one to your workplace early on in your journey to operational resilience. 

What are the benefits of CGI’s approach to fraud prevention?

Where other consulting firms focus on reactive fixes, CGI approaches fraud prevention in a proactive, comprehensive, end-to-end strategy. With AI-powered technology and a deep understanding of what it takes to build operational resilience in a variety of industries, we’re able to help agencies transition from reactive audits to real-time risk management. 

What is CGI’s 9-pillar approach?

1. Utilize a risk and fraud analysis tool
2. Enable real-time visualization
3. Ensure document integrity
4. Monitor social media and the dark web
5. Automate repetitive tasks
6. Use advanced data analytics to manage fraud
7. Continuously assess risk
8. Utilize resilience consultants for technical assistance
9. Participate in training and education

1. Centralized risk and fraud analysis tool
CGI's integrated platform consolidates data across programs, facilitating thorough fraud risk assessments. By leveraging external databases such as the Department of the Treasury's "Do Not Pay" list, the tool streamlines data consolidation, reduces manual errors and enhances decision-making.

2. Dynamic dashboards and real-time visualization
Customizable dashboards and heat maps provide real-time data visualization, enabling stakeholders to track program activity and detect anomalies. This enhances transparency, real-time monitoring and stakeholder engagement while protecting Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

3. Comprehensive document verification
Utilizing Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and forensic imaging tools, CGI ensures document integrity, minimizes fraudulent claims and builds trust in the application process. The Document Verification & Validation tool has identified over 60 altered grant application documents, improving data accessibility and scalability.

4. Social media and dark web monitoring
By actively monitoring social media and dark web activities, CGI identifies fraudulent schemes and traces organized fraud attempts, increasing awareness of external threats and improving program integrity. This approach has led to over 75 cases being supplied to the Office of Inspector General (OIG).

5. Intelligent automation and workflow optimization 
CGI employs Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to automate repetitive tasks, reducing manual workload and accelerating application processing, thereby increasing operational efficiency and reducing costs. Automated data collection and consolidation have significantly improved data quality.

6. Advanced data analytics and fraud detection
Advanced data analytics models, including machine learning predictive analytics, provide real-time insights and increased accuracy in fraud detection, minimizing financial losses. As of 3/31/2025, the Fraud Detection/Payment Integrity tool flagged 52,656 applications, identifying $31.6 million in suspected duplication, while ensuring payment for 729,480 beneficiaries worth $415.6 million. Because the nine-pillar process is so proactive,16% of the grants were identified as fraudulent before they were ever processed, saving the government $63M.

7. Continuous risk and internal control assessments
Regular assessments of internal controls ensure robust processes, prioritizing high-risk areas for immediate action and strengthening compliance with federal guidelines. Forensic account support has reduced overall risk by 25.4% since August 2023.

8. Comprehensive technical assistance
CGI's dedicated helpdesk offers technical support for fraud prevention tools, improving issue resolution and user satisfaction.

9. Training and education
Through webinars, one-pagers and workshops, CGI enhances stakeholder understanding of anti-fraud measures, increasing fraud awareness and compliance with protocols. Predictive analytics have facilitated 658 stakeholder engagements, identifying potential fraud patterns.

Why partner with CGI’s resilience consultants for fraud management?

CGI's multi-faceted approach to federal operational resilience not only protects grant programs but also empowers organizations with the tools and knowledge needed to combat fraud effectively. The metrics underscore the tangible benefits and ROI achieved through these strategic pillars, reinforcing CGI's commitment to fraud prevention excellence.

Contact CGI to build operational resilience

Operational resilience is a crucial component of success in any industry. If your agency is in need of a leg-up, don’t wait: connect with a CGI resilience consultant to get started ASAP.