IBM has signed a business process outsourcing (BPO) contract with Convergys to provide customer service and data accuracy services for the upcoming 2010 US census, in a project that will need more than 1,500 agents.

As part of the outsourcing deal, Convergys’ contact centre agents will call citizens who have submitted incomplete or inaccurate census questionnaires to improve data accuracy.

“For government funding to be done fairly, the Bureau of the Census needs to count everyone, count them once, and count them in the right location,” said Jim Boyce, Convergys President, Global Sales and Services.

The Bureau of the Census counts all United States residents every 10 years and will mail or deliver census questionnaires to each household in March 2010.