WASHINGTON (Bloomberg) — The US agency responsible for collecting royalties from oil and natural-gas drilling extended a contract with Accenture Inc. to manage its data system.

The contract, including one base year with nine option years, becomes effective December 1, 2007, the Interior Department's Minerals Management Service said today in a statement. Its total value could reach $90 to $100 million over the ten-year life of the contract.

Accenture, based in Hamilton, Bermuda, has managed the Interior Department's Minerals Management Service computer system since 1999.

The system has been blamed by federal officials for contributing to problems associated with tracking and collecting federal royalty payments.