http://www.sourcingfocus.com/index.php/site/news en joanna.quayle@outgroup.co.uk Copyright 2008 2008-12-05T10:15:00+00:00 http://www.sourcingfocus.com/index.php/site/newsitem/bt_selects_convergys_for_five_year_contract/ http://www.sourcingfocus.com/index.php/site/newsitem/bt_selects_convergys_for_five_year_contract/#When:09:15:00Z Convergys Corporation, a global leader in relationship management, announced today that it has signed a new five-year license agreement and support and maintenance contract with BT for Infinys’ Rating and Billing Manager.  Convergys will support BT’s major business divisions including BT Retail, BT Wholesale, and BT Global Services. A team of Convergys’ expert technical consultants will work alongside BT staff to assist with and consult on an array of activities including hardware configuration and performance, software architecture, and day-to-day change requests. “Convergys’ flexible partnership approach enabled us to find the billing solution that will help BT drive cost efficiencies for the benefit of our customers,” said Clive Selley, MD, Global Platforms, BT Design.  “Infinys provides BT with billing accuracy which directly supports BT’s company-wide ‘right first time’ approach to delivering customer service.  Infinys also provides us with the ability to take a holistic view of customer billing activity so we can better understand our customers’ needs and exceed their expectations.” “Infinys Rating and Billing’s unsurpassed, customer-centric capabilities strongly support BT’s business requirements from both a financial and technological point of view,” said Riki Allon, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Convergys in EMEA.  “In a very competitive market, Infinys gives BT the tools it needs to positively drive and enhance the customer experience across all of its business divisions.” 2008-12-05T09:15:00+00:00 http://www.sourcingfocus.com/index.php/site/newsitem/capgemini_acquires_getronics_pinkroccade_business_application_services/ http://www.sourcingfocus.com/index.php/site/newsitem/capgemini_acquires_getronics_pinkroccade_business_application_services/#When:08:35:00Z Capgemini, provider of consulting, technology and outsourcing services, has now acquired Getronics PinkRoccade Business Application Services BV (BAS B.V.) from Getronics Nederland N.V. The acquisition, announced in July 2008, was closed yesterday. Peter Barbier, Director of Capgemini Nederland N.V. has been appointed to lead the integration of BAS B.V. into the Dutch Capgemini organisation. Henk Broeders, member of the executive committee of Capgemini, commented, “This acquisition is an ideal strategic fit with our activities in the Netherlands. Engbert Verkoren, CEO of BAS B.V., who will now lead Capgemini BAS, commented, “By joining Capgemini, we benefit from the unparalleled experience of a European global IT company that is already successful in the Dutch market.” topics, BPO 2008-12-04T08:35:00+00:00 http://www.sourcingfocus.com/index.php/site/newsitem/atoc_awards_fujitsu_13m_contract/ http://www.sourcingfocus.com/index.php/site/newsitem/atoc_awards_fujitsu_13m_contract/#When:08:34:00Z Fujitsu Services, one of Europe’s biggest IT services companies, has secured a contract renewal with ATOC, the Association of Train Operating Companies, to continue running and maintaining RJIS – the Rail Journey Information Service. RJIS provides the timetables, fares, route planning, ticketing and transaction services needed to buy rail tickets and complete travel enquiry requests. This five year, £13 million deal, will see Fujitsu refresh and update the hardware and applications technology used by RJIS. Steve Howes, managing director of Rail Settlement Plan (RSP) for ATOC, commented, “This renewal reflects the ongoing commitment from both parties to this long–running and successful project.” Nick Chisnall, head of rail business Fujitsu Services, said, “We are pleased to see this partnership continue to 2013.” 2008-12-04T08:34:00+00:00 http://www.sourcingfocus.com/index.php/site/newsitem/e_plus_group_and_atos_origin_extend_it_outsourcing_contract/ http://www.sourcingfocus.com/index.php/site/newsitem/e_plus_group_and_atos_origin_extend_it_outsourcing_contract/#When:08:28:00Z E-Plus Group, Germany’s third-largest mobile telecommunications provider, has extended its IT outsourcing agreement with Atos Origin for a further five years. According to an Atos Origin statement, the companies ‘decided together to move from a ‘classic’ IT-Outsourcing to a ‘Flexible IT’ contract to further strengthen the customer-supplier relationship and to enable the E-Plus Group to respond faster to changing business needs.’ The new ‘Flexible IT’ contract will see Atos Origin take over the end-to-end responsibility for 21 business processes from Retail Postpaid Order Management through to Retail Postpaid Billing and Interconnect Billing. Atos will be paid for the services that it delivers rather than a cost agreed upfront. For example, in the case of retail postpaid order management, Atos Origin’s fees are based on the number of new E-Plus postpaid contracts. “Many companies talk about flexible IT; we are implementing it“, says Thomas Weber, IT Director of E-Plus. “Under the new contract, IT will provide a real contribution to business results and the E-Plus Group can continue to concentrate on its core competence, for example its successful brands and the individual customer support”. sectors, telcos & utilities, topics, ITO 2008-12-03T08:28:00+00:00 http://www.sourcingfocus.com/index.php/site/newsitem/private_equity_buys_majority_stake_in_ito_arm_of_indias_cms/ http://www.sourcingfocus.com/index.php/site/newsitem/private_equity_buys_majority_stake_in_ito_arm_of_indias_cms/#When:08:27:00Z Blackstone, a large US private equity firm has acquired a majority stake in the IT outsourcing arm of India’s CMS Computers. According to a statement, the new division offers ‘IT infrastructure management and outsourced business services’. The division will serve various industry verticals, including card processing, transaction printing and ATM management for the domestic Indian banking sector. Rajiv Kaul, ex-CEO of Microsoft India has been appointed as executive vice chairman and CEO of the new company. sectors, financial services & insurance, topics, ITO 2008-12-03T08:27:00+00:00 http://www.sourcingfocus.com/index.php/site/newsitem/virgin_atlantic_selects_eds_for_airline_reservation_system/ http://www.sourcingfocus.com/index.php/site/newsitem/virgin_atlantic_selects_eds_for_airline_reservation_system/#When:09:05:00Z Virgin Atlantic Airways has signed a new IT services agreement with EDS, extending an existing 25-year relationship between the companies. The new agreement will last an initial five years during which EDS will provide Virgin with the next generation of its airline reservations solution, EDS Reservation Services. The system will be hosted and maintained on behalf of the airline. New features to be included are Electronic Miscellaneous Documents (EMD), which allow Virgin Atlantic employees to electronically capture and account for ancillary sales, and Ticket Re-issue and Refund (TRR) software that automates a formerly labor-intensive function and improves customer service. “We are impressed with EDS’ vision for their new reservations platform and how this will enable Virgin Atlantic to exploit a service-oriented architecture (SOA) to provide improved customer services, greater agility and lower costs,” said Mike Cope, IT director at Virgin Atlantic. “This builds on our long-standing partnership with EDS during which time Virgin Atlantic has grown to become Britain’s second-largest airline serving the world’s major cities.” Also new to the agreement, EDS will use its airline service-oriented architecture (AirlineSOA) that connects software and systems to better integrate Virgin Atlantic’s operations and help meet the airline’s unique market needs. Each of these new functionalities helps Virgin Atlantic lower core reservations services costs and add new revenue opportunities. sectors, aerospace, topics, ITO, BPO 2008-12-02T09:05:00+00:00 http://www.sourcingfocus.com/index.php/site/newsitem/hsbc_to_cut_500_uk_roles/ http://www.sourcingfocus.com/index.php/site/newsitem/hsbc_to_cut_500_uk_roles/#When:06:09:00Z Banking giant HSBC is axing around 500 UK jobs - including IT positions - following a review of the “current economic conditions”. The bank plans to cut jobs from managerial positions, through to IT, support services, administration, and sales and service staff. The cuts represent less than one per cent of HSBC’s 58,000 UK staff. Paul Thurston, managing director, HSBC UK, eplained: “In the past two months we have looked hard at our business, focussing on removing duplication, managing costs and devoting resources to areas that offer the most potential for growth.” “We deeply regret taking this step, but we consider it essential to ensure our business is operating as efficiently as possible and that we are best placed to deal with the economic downturn and maintain our levels of customer service,” he adds. 2008-12-02T06:09:00+00:00 http://www.sourcingfocus.com/index.php/site/newsitem/zuger_kantonalbank_renews_it_services_contract_with_csc_for_33m/ http://www.sourcingfocus.com/index.php/site/newsitem/zuger_kantonalbank_renews_it_services_contract_with_csc_for_33m/#When:10:27:00Z Swiss bank, Zuger Kantonalbank, has extended its IT services contract with CSC for another seven years. The extended deal is valued at US $33 million Under the agreement, CSC will continue to provide SAP-based applications services, including development, maintenance and support. Specifically, CSC will continue its 24x7 operation and management of Zuger’s SAP banking platform and add new functionality that enhances system efficiency and increases ease of use. “With CSC’s support, we can continue to lower operating costs while increasing customer service,” commented Beat Mathys, a Zuger Kantonalbank Management Executive. “This will enable us to further increase efficiency and improve our cost-income-ratio in the highly competitive retail banking market.” sectors, financial services & insurance, topics, ITO, BPO 2008-12-01T10:27:00+00:00 http://www.sourcingfocus.com/index.php/site/newsitem/marconi_signs_450m_ito_deal_with_csc/ http://www.sourcingfocus.com/index.php/site/newsitem/marconi_signs_450m_ito_deal_with_csc/#When:13:13:00Z Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) has signed an ITO agreement with Marconi Corporation plc, a global telecommunications equipment, services and solutions company. The contract is valued at £450 million over 10 years. Under the terms of the agreement, CSC will support and manage Marconi’s IT help desk, desktop computing, networking and midrange operations; develop and maintain software applications; and provide telecommunications services. The agreement encompasses Marconi IT operations worldwide, with the exception of its Asia Pacific and Middle East regions and the company’s UK-based Interactive Systems business. Upon compliance with local legislative and consultative requirements, approximately 360 Marconi IT employees across Europe, Africa and the Americas will transfer to CSC in June 2003. British Telecommunications (BT), a subcontractor to CSC through this agreement, will provide networking services, including local and wide area networking, voice and conferencing services, and global remote access facilities. An additional 40 Marconi IT employees, principally from North America and the United Kingdom, will transition to BT in June 2003. “This agreement will contribute significantly to our committed cost reduction and efficiency program and allows us to focus on our core business, which is building, maintaining and supporting the networks of the world’s leading telecommunications companies,” said Mike Donovan, Marconi’s chief operating officer. “The Marconi employees transferring to CSC or BT are moving to organizations where IT and telecoms services are their core business. This will give them new and extensive career opportunities and increased exposure to leading-edge practices in IT systems deployment and support.” sectors, telcos & utilities, topics, ITO 2008-11-28T13:13:00+00:00 http://www.sourcingfocus.com/index.php/site/newsitem/financial_services_outsourcing_slowdown_will_regain_momentum_in_early_2009/ http://www.sourcingfocus.com/index.php/site/newsitem/financial_services_outsourcing_slowdown_will_regain_momentum_in_early_2009/#When:06:00:00Z Outsourcing in the banking and financial services sector is showing short-term signs of a slowdown for the remainder of the year due to the economic crisis, but the market will likely regain momentum in early 2009, according to the Market Vista: Q3 2008 report on global outsourcing and offshoring activity by the Everest Research Institute. “Despite a 40 percent increase in transactions by financial services firms during the third quarter, a slowdown is emerging due to delays in initiatives and managements’ keen focus on the economic crisis,” said Eric Simonson, Managing Principal, Everest Research Institute. “In the medium-term, restructuring, integration, and redefinition of sourcing strategies by large financial firms will lead to an increase in project-based work for suppliers and increased pressures on captives.” The Institute’s quarterly Market Vista reports provide data and analysis of deal trends in the outsourcing and offshoring market, captive model landscape, current and emerging locations, key supplier developments, and key developments across the top 20 financial services companies globally. The report also includes a special section on the Asian market. Other insights for the third quarter activity include: • Overall outsourcing transactions increased 15 percent over the previous quarter, valued at about US $3.2 billion in ACV. • Banking, financial services and insurance firms signed 81 transactions, up from 54 in Q2. • Momentum from Europe continued to grow with a 10 percent increase in transaction activity. • Captives saw significant momentum - 24 new announcements, compared to 18 in Q2 and 16 in Q1. • Indian suppliers are experiencing slowdown pressures; hiring by the leading Indian suppliers dropped 22 percent quarter-on-quarter and 49 percent compared to 2007. • Central American countries (especially Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama and Costa Rica) are taking active measures to improve their near-shore proposition. A key development was the inclusion of Unisys Corporation to the list of key suppliers tracked. Overall, supplier investment led to 100 percent increase in new center setup, while M&A activity was 68 percent lower than Q2. sectors, financial services & insurance, topics, ITO, BPO, call centres 2008-11-27T06:00:00+00:00