Cap scoops £20m British Energy contract

British Energy has selected Capgemini for a £20m, five-year outsourcing deal covering 6,500 users and over 300 servers.

The electricity producer will also tap up Capgemini expertise for applications management services, covering software in areas such as finance and HR, in both cases from Oracle.

Capgemini was chosen from a shortlist of four of the big services companies - after a pre-qualifying period involving nine - which also included Computacenter, Fujitsu Services and LogicaCMG. Capgemini already had a relationship with the user, in areas of IT support such as helpdesk operation.

It has also helped British Energy ensure regulatory compliance in line with the Office of Civil Nuclear Sites and the National Nuclear Inspectorate.

Andrew Ralston, information management manager at British Energy, said his organisation is looking for innovation, for better quality of service and for costs to be driven down.

Twenty-eight staff and contractors will be transferred to Capgemini where there is also the promise of better career development opportunities.

They will only be moving 10 to 15 miles away from British Energy's main site in Scotland to Capgemini offices, something Ralston said was a factor which helped the company win the contract.