MCN Direct Newswire

Vol. 7 No. 4, 31 March 2008

This issue is sponsored by:

CODA and NCC

This issue news

1. IBM wins £185m UK police deal
2. MCA names new president
3. Capgemini wins Connecting for Health contract
4. Accenture forecasts robust consulting revenue
5. Deloitte sponsors Royal Opera House
6. Further information - feedback/pass on to a colleague/remove from mailing list

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1. IBM WINS £185m UK POLICE DEAL

IBM has won a £185 million, 10-year shared services contract from Avon and Somerset Police, building its credentials in a market dominated by competitors such as Atos Origin.

In one of the first agreements to include a police force in a shared services operation, Avon and Somerset Police Authority has joined Southwest One, a joint venture initially set up between IBM, Somerset County Council and Taunton Deane Borough Council last October. The venture aims to establish a shared services approach to providing services to about 1.5 million residents.

By joining Southwest One, Avon and Somerset Police aims to cut service costs, while expanding service provision. Reducing service costs will also secure police staff jobs as budgets tighten.

• Fujitsu Services has won a £25 million, seven-year contract with the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) via the Flex framework which allows Fujitsu to work with the Cabinet Office to provide IT as a shared service across the public sector.

2. MCA NAMES NEW PRESIDENT

Accenture senior executive Hugo Were has been elected president of the Management Consultancies Association. He takes over the annual role from Andrew Crowley, head of EMEA financial services at CSC.

Were has over 20 years' consultancy experience and during the early 1990s set up the first overseas consulting firm in Poland on behalf of Accenture. He returned to London in 1992 and has since led large IT consulting projects for financial institutions, utilities and public sector organisations in the UK and Ireland.

Commenting on his election, Were said: "I plan to focus on ensuring that the consulting industry continues to stay relevant to the ever-changing demands of the UK market. The consulting industry represents a major British success story in its own right and is now an integral part of modern-day business. I intend to communicate this to help ensure the industry is rightfully recognised."

Were will be supported in his role at the MCA by three vice presidents: Nick Owen, partner in consulting at Deloitte; Paul Winter, chief executive of Corpra; and David Cox, managing director of the business and technology consulting division of Mott MacDonald. Were has been involved in MCA activity for six years as a vice president and chair of the association's value group.

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3. CAPGEMINI WINS CONNECTING FOR HEALTH CONTRACT

Capgemini has secured a four-year framework contract to provide extra capacity and capability in the supply of IT products and services to the NHS.

Under the NHS Connecting for Health Additional Supply Capability and Capacity framework, Capgemini bid successfully to supply IT services and hardware & infrastructure services.

This is a positive move into the UK NHS market for Capgemini - though the company is among 38 suppliers to have been awarded framework contracts so far and competition for further work will be tough.

Other suppliers winning work under the framework include existing NHS local service providers CSC, BT and Fujitsu Services, but not IBM or Accenture, which were on the long list for contracts but failed to gain any at this stage.

Andrew Jaminson, head of health and local government at Capgemini, said: "Following our award-winning work for the NHS in Wales, we are looking forward to further developing our work with NHS Connecting for Health and to applying our capabilities to the challenges and opportunities in the NHS on a broader front."

4. ACCENTURE FORECASTS ROBUST CONSULTING REVENUE

Accenture has reported strong second-quarter financial results, including record consultancy bookings of $3.8 billion (£1.9 billion).

The company's net profit rose 37% to $406.6 million in the three months to 29 February, on revenue climbing 18% to $5.6 billion. Consulting brought in revenue of $3.4 billion, while outsourcing revenue hit a record $2.3 billion.

Accenture's five operating groups all showed revenue growth with regional growth with regional growth led by Asia-Pacific, ahead of EMEA and the Americas. Accenture chairman and CEO William Green commented: "Our strong performance in the second quarter reflects the momentum we have seen in the marketplace and the essential nature of our services."

Looking ahead, Accenture increased its outlook on earnings per share for 2008 and said it continued to target new bookings of $24-26 billion for the year. Its net profit at the halfway mark was up 36% at $581 million, on revenue up 19% at $11.3 billion.

5. DELOITTE SPONSORS ROYAL OPERA HOUSE

Deloitte has embarked on a £1.75 million, five-year sponsorship programme of the Royal Opera House that will create an annual cultural festival targeted at young professionals and widen access to the opera house.

The first three-day festival, called Deloitte Ignite, will run from 12-14 September and will be guided by Wayne McGregor, resident choreographer of The Royal Ballet and founder of Random Dance. The festival is inspired by the human senses and will include work by Blast Theory and Julian Opie, with a club night by DJ Scanner.

Deloitte chief executive John Connolly explained: "The Royal Opera House partnership particularly appealed because it brings together our appetite for innovation and focus on young people with a commitment to widening access to the arts. The relationship will allow the staging of new and innovative performances that will reach a more diverse audience."

Tony Hall, chief executive of the Royal Opera House, added: "Deloitte has come on board as one of our major sponsors for an exciting initiative. Deloitte Ignite is about bringing a new audience into the opera house - young professionals who are under-represented - and offering something contemporary and different to inspire these people to become excited about opera and ballet."

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Written by Sarah Underwood. Copyright 2010 PMP (UK) Ltd.

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