Industry news

  • 7 May 2015 12:00 AM | Anonymous

    Accenture has acquired the independent Salesforce implementation partner Tquila. The acquisition means significant growth for Accenture’s Emerging Platforms business, increasing Accenture’s presence as a Salesforce services provider.

    The merger will make Accenture one the UK’s biggest Salesforce providers, with a total of 185 consultants.

    Emma McGuigan, Accenture Technology’s managing director for the UK and Ireland, explained the thinking behind the merger: “We have seen significant growth in SaaS as more companies adopt the cloud and digital strategies to collaborate better, drive greater operational efficiencies and accelerate the development of new products and services.”

    The acquisition comes at a time when Salesforce itself may be up for sale. The CRM software market leader has recently been courted by the likes of IBM and Oracle; it is thought that only SAP, Apple, Microsoft, IBM and Oracle could actually afford the takeover.

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    Read this next: Accenture Wins £350m NHSmail Contract

  • 7 May 2015 12:00 AM | Anonymous

    Paul Boyle, CEO of Capita Travel and Events, has stepped down 15 months after taking up the role.

    So far, Capita has declined to give a reason for Boyle’s departure. He will be replaced by James Parkhouse, the former CEO of Capita Travel and Events, who has since been working for Capita as an Executive Director.

    A spokesperson from Capita commented: “Paul Boyle, chief executive of Capita Travel and Events, has left the company. Paul has helped lead the business through significant transformation, and we thank him for his service over the past two years and wish him every success in the future.

    “We are pleased to announce James Parkhouse, who previously led the business, will assume the role of chief executive of Capita Travel and Events, bringing with him a wealth of experience of the business.”

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    Related content: Capita Wins Contract to Build Cardiff’s £27m Eastern Bay Link Road

  • 6 May 2015 12:00 AM | Anonymous

    Research conducted by MooD International, the research-from-technology company, has found that 52 per cent of buy-side IT directors focus on reducing the cost of IT, rather than on service improvement or business growth, when budgeting their spend on service providers.

    This is despite the fact that only 21 per cent of those IT directors cited cost reduction as the most beneficial aspect of outsourcing. Reducing cost isn’t the top priority, yet that’s still where the majority of the money is going.

    This could be due to pressure from the top – 58 per cent of the IT managers surveyed believed that, over the past year, it’s become more difficult for suppliers to deliver within the agreed budget.

    George Davies, CEO of MooD International, commented: “IT directors and managers are getting pressure from multiple directions when it comes to outsourcing. On one side they’re facing pressure from their internal clients to show clear business value, whilst driving out costs and demonstrating innovation. On the other side they have suppliers who are trying to make a fair profit in an increasingly complex role.

    “Outsourcing can bring benefits that are felt at all levels of a business, from the data centre right up to the CIO, but if these benefits are not communicated properly then the improvements being made can be missed. There needs to be a common view which joins up all the parts of the supply chain and can identify gaps – and resource-wasting overlaps – ensuring there is transparency across the business and not inefficient silos.”

    MooD’s research included over 160 IT managers and directors responsible for managing one or more IT or BPO project, along with overseeing the budget for the project(s).

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    Read this next: ISG Finds Global Outsourcing Market in Decline

  • 6 May 2015 12:00 AM | Anonymous

    arvato has prolonged its relationship with Valero Energy to manage the company’s Texaco Star Rewards loyalty programme, signing a three-year extension on a deal which began in 2012.

    arvato will continue to manage the loyalty-scheme, which is used by over 600,000 members across 850 UK service stations. The firm has overseen a significant upturn in customer engagement through the scheme, with the average number of people registering for promotions and company communications after enrolment increasing by 11 per cent.

    Debra Maxwell, managing director at arvato UK, said: “We’re excited to extend our successful relationship with Valero, which demonstrates arvato’s ability to implement innovative loyalty solutions on a large scale.

    “The strong reputation of the Texaco brand means it’s critical the Star Rewards programme delivers a great customer experience, is managed effectively and helps Valero leverage additional commercial opportunities”.

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    Read this next: Accenture Lands $966m US Education Contract

  • 6 May 2015 12:00 AM | Anonymous

    Leicester City Council is going to tender for a single supplier to provide a new CRM system, as well as support, maintenance and development of the system.

    The council’s current system is out of date and is not assisting with the reduction of costs and improvement of customer experience. They are also looking to have the new system integrate with back office systems and to allow customers to log in and view their own enquiries.

    The contract is for four years, with an option to extend for a further six years, and is due to go live in October.

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    Read this next: Leicestershire Councils Tender for a New ICT Supplier

  • 5 May 2015 12:00 AM | Anonymous

    Tata Group has confirmed that Tata Business Support Services (TBSS) has almost completed a merger with e-nxt Financials Limited, the Indian Enterprise Solutions company, with all loose ends expected to be tied up by mid-May.

    TBSS has roughly 13,000 employees, while e-nxt Financials sports 7,000. The combined workforce of the two companies is expected to help Tata compete with Genpact, India’s top provider of BPO.

    Find out who the top three Indian BPOs are here.

    Srini Koppolu, currently the CEO of TBSS, will oversee the combined entity. He commented: “The merger is a unique one. TBSS is a large corporate organisation and a BPO, while e-nxt is a feet-on-the-street collection business major. It is a good extension of our own business.

    “The strengths of e-nxt are that it is strong in the BFSI [banking, financial services and insurance] segment, has big presence in Mumbai and globally in Europe, which TBSS does not have.”

    It’s also been a busy time for Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), who has hired a new global head of BFSI – Arun Batra – as part of a reorganisation following the exit of their ex-global head of business process services.

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    Read this next: Apple’s Indian Outsourcing Activities Uncovered

  • 5 May 2015 12:00 AM | Anonymous

    March 2013 saw Cornwall County Council sign a 10-year outsourcing deal with BT, which involved the running of IT, HR and document management, along with other services. Now, just two years into the contract, Cornwall councillors are threatening to sack BT if it doesn’t improves its performance over the next few months.

    A strategic partnership review carried out by the Council in April found that BT are only achieving 64 per cent of the mutually agreed KPIs (well below what is expected), while “service transformation” guarantees were only measured at 38 per cent.

    Andrew Wallis, an independent Cornwall councillor, made his feelings known on his personal blog: "BTC [BT Cornwall] has had two years to deliver this contract and have failed. There are only so many second-chances you can give. For me if, by summer, BTC does not deliver its commitments, than [sic] I am afraid we must be in the area of looking to terminate the contract. I feel if this was a full private sector deal, the contract most likely have already been torn-up [sic]."

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    Read this next: Sopra Steria Signs £37m Contract with Harrow Council

  • 5 May 2015 12:00 AM | Anonymous

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is requesting proposals from external suppliers for professional, management and support services for up to $100 million.

    The provider will be expected to offer a wide range of support services, including “providing consultation, data collection and analysis, intelligence interviewing, training, and assisting with project implementation and management, and policy and program development”.

    The request for proposals is expected to be released by 6th May, with the contract to be awarded by September.

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    Read this next: Metropolitan Police Outsources 700 IT Roles to Save $800m

  • 1 May 2015 12:00 AM | Anonymous

    T K Kurien, CEO of Wipro, has announced that he expects his company’s recent investments in automation and artificial intelligence to bring about a 30 per cent reduction in headcount over the next three years.

    He added that this will not lead to employees being laid off; rather attrition will be balanced with redeployment to new, high growth revenue streams.

    Kurien believes that Wipro’s main future focus will be digital technology. “We expect digital to be among the top three service lines in the next three years,” Kurien revealed, speaking at Wipro’s analyst day.

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    Read this next: Wipro Healthcare Expects $2 Billion in Revenue By 2018

  • 1 May 2015 12:00 AM | Anonymous

    Capita Property and Infrastructure has been chosen by the Welsh Government to design a road linking Cardiff Bay to the M4, the building of which will cost £27.3 million.

    Capita will be cooperating with Dawnus Construction Holdings and Ferrovial Agroman UK, both of whom have been chosen to build the road, which is expected to open in December 2016.

    Capita Property and Infrastructure’s business director, James Allard, expressed enthusiasm over what the road will do to help residents of Cardiff Bay: “This project will create a seamless route from the M4 to the eastern end of Cardiff Bay, which will improve journey times and help ease congestion in the city centre.

    "By improving infrastructure in the area, the scheme will also bring real business and development opportunities to this thriving city, and it is exciting that Capita is at the heart of this project.”

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    Read this next: Capita Unworried by Halved Dividends in First Quarter

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