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.”