Consortium lands €50m European air safety deal

Getronics and Siemens Business Services have joined forces to win a €50m, three-year deal to manage the desktops of pan-European air safety organisation Eurocontrol.

The two will manage Eurocontrol's 1,430 desktops as well as networks and servers spread over three locations - two in Brussels and its experimental centre in Bretigny-sur-Orge in France. The contract allows for two one-year extensions.

Eurocontrol director-general Victor Aguado said in a statement: "Eurocontrol wants to transform its ICT. Optimising our operational service is vital for us. The contract with this consortium includes an incentive scheme to decrease ICT costs through efficiency improvements and projects such as server consolidation."

The air safety organisation was handed responsibility last March for the planning and development of the Single European Sky project by the EU. The aim of the project is to develop and roll out a unitary system to control all traffic in European air space. Eurocontrol was established in 1963 as a central authority for air safety in Europe and currently has 33 members.

Jean-Claude Vandenbosch, Getronics Belgium general manager, said in a statement: "The European Institutions have historically been valuable clients for Getronics. As such, we are pleased to help Eurocontrol introduce a stable and predictable cost model for their IT budget."