MCN Direct Newswire

Vol. 7 No. 10, 23 June 2008

This issue is sponsored by:

CODA and The UK Consulting Industry Report 2008

This issue news

1. Atos Origin takes on carbon footprint project
2. Martin Read given top government role
3. Capgemini delivers £35m savings to MoD
4. Logica lures Unisys executive to lead outsourcing
5. Accenture wins key financial outsourcing deal
6. Further information - feedback/pass on to a colleague/remove from mailing list

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1. ATOS ORIGIN TAKES ON CARBON FOOTPRINT PROJECT

Atos Origin is providing technology support to a pilot scheme that will make real-time calculations of personal carbon emissions.

The trial is part of the CarbonLimited project - run by Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacture and Commerce (RSA) - to investigate how a future personal carbon trading scheme could work. The pilot will cover personal vehicle use and will give participants an accurate picture of their own carbon footprint.

Up to 1,000 volunteers can join the scheme - www.thersa.org/carbondaq - which will run across the UK for five months. On registering, each volunteer will be given carbon credits to cover their carbon emissions. First results from the project will be available in the autumn.

Atos Origin is using the existing IT infrastructure of its Atos Worldline electronic transactions business to design and run a card transaction processing system that will collect data from volunteers buying fuel at BP petrol stations and using their Nectar loyalty cards.

The loyalty cards will carry volunteers' carbon accounts, with purchase details being transferred to the RSA's CarbonDaq, a personal carbon trading platform that will calculate carbon credits based on fuel grade and volume purchased. Volunteers using fewer carbon credits than they are allocated will be able to trade the surplus with people using more.

Matt Prescott, director of the CarbonLimited project, explained: "With almost half of all UK carbon emissions relating to behavioural decisions made by individuals, the role of citizens in moving to a low-carbon future is vital. Thanks to the technology provided by Atos Origin, we are able to undertake this innovative trial to understand how a personal carbon trading scheme could operate in practice."

2. MARTIN READ GIVEN TOP GOVERNMENT ROLE

Former Logica chief executive Martin Read has been hired by the chief secretary to the Treasury, Yvette Cooper, to review the Government's £13 billion annual spend on IT projects.

According to reports, Read will work as part of a government-wide efficiency programme that will include three further business leaders who will review the potential for improved efficiency in buying power, property and managing the public sector's asset base. The programme will produce an interim report for this autumn's pre-Budget statement and a final report before next year's Budget.

Read is not the first IT guru to be hired by the Government to review and improve failing projects, as the public sector struggles to deliver electronic services and gain efficiencies from large IT programmes while staying in budget and on time.

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3. CAPGEMINI DELIVERS £35m SAVINGS TO MoD

The Ministry of Defence has launched an online travel service based on Capgemini systems that is expected to save £35 million a year on its £300 million travel spend.

Called Defence Travel, the service covers 300,000 armed forces personnel in the UK and overseas, and has been designed and implemented in 10 months by the MoD, working in collaboration with an IT team led by Capgemini and corporate travel services company Hogg Robinson. The two companies will run the service on behalf of the MoD.

Defence Travel replaces a diverse range of systems, including paper-based processes, and will allow MoD staff to compare budget airlines with scheduled carriers or rail and choose the best options available. It will also generate management information to help the MoD negotiate better deals with travel providers and reduce administrative costs.

Ian Andrews, second permanent under secretary at the MoD, said: "We are confident that the new service will provide a better service to users and save significant sums of money, helping to ensure that as much as possible of every pound we spend is directed to the front line where it can really make an impact on achieving our objectives."

4. LOGICA LURES UNISYS EXECUTIVE TO LEAD OUTSOURCING

Logica has named Jean-Marc Lazzari, ex-vice president and general manager of Unisys' business in continental Europe, as chief executive of outsourcing services.

Logica's outsourcing operations were consolidated into one organisation early this year, a strategic move made by incoming CEO Andy Green and led by COO Jim McKenna. But McKenna is set to leave Logica in the second half of the year - and Lazzari will take up his post in late August, working out of Paris.

Green said: "Jean-Marc Lazzari's personal drive and deep experience of the European outsourcing services market will be invaluable to us as we grow the newly established outsourcing services division, an important component of our strategy."

At Unisys, Lazzari was responsible for the transformation of the company's European portfolio and its return to profitable growth. Previously, he led IBM's global HR solutions practice and was vice president of IBM's business consulting services for the EMEA west region.

5. ACCENTURE WINS KEY FINANCIAL OUTSOURCING DEAL

Accenture has been selected by ICAP, a major financial broker, to develop and maintain its European credit trading platform under a five-year application outsourcing agreement.

In a market driven mainly by specialist vendors, this is a notable win for Accenture. It will provide technology development and outsourcing services to ICAP through its global delivery network.

James Dawson, business manager of credit products at ICAP, which has an average daily transaction volume in excess of $1.5 trillion (£750 billion), said: "This initiative is designed to increase the capabilities and cost efficiencies of our credit trading platform in order to continue to drive growth in an increasingly dynamic and evolving global market."

Lloyd Altman, a senior executive in Accenture's capital markets practice, said: "This strategic outsourcing agreement reflects ICAP's sharp global vision for growth and deep commitment to service excellence and shareholder value."

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Written by Sarah Underwood. Copyright 2008 NCC (UK) Ltd.

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