ACCENTURE ACQUIRES FREIGHT-MANAGEMENT COMPANY...Accenture will acquire the business of AddVal Technology Inc. (AddVal), a privately owned provider of end-to-end shipment-management products and services to global freight-management and airline-cargo companies. Based in Cupertino, Calif., AddVal has a software development center in Chennai, India. The acquisition would provide Accenture with AddVal’s industry-leading technology platform for freight order management and strengthen Accenture’s Freight and Logistics practice, which provides a wide variety of services to the global freight-management industry.

DARWINSUZSOFT REBRANDS AS DEXTRYS...Dextrys, a US-based China outsourcing firm delivering Product Engineering and Application Services, formally unveiled its new corporate identity. The rebranding evolution from DarwinSuzsoft to Dextrys is a reflection of the company's new ownership, new management, and refined business strategy.

Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. announced a renewed contract with Weld County, Colo., to provide information technology (IT) services. The contract has a length of up to 15 years and a total value of $60 million if all options are exercised. The contract provides technology services including application support, help desk, personal computers, Geographic Information Systems, web development and network support. This contract renewal was reflected in ACS' third quarter fiscal year 2008 results.

Unisys Corporation announced that its Hong Kong subsidiary has signed an IT outsourcing services contract with Hong Kong Judiciary, the institution responsible for the administration of justice in Hong Kong. Unisys was awarded the five-year contract, with an additional two-year option. The new contract, signed during end of 2007, replaces an earlier contract between Unisys and the Judiciary, which had been in place since 2001. Under this new contract, Unisys will deliver IT outsourcing services, including ongoing application support and maintenance, network infrastructure, office automation and other IT services.

WNS and Advanced Contact Solutions, (ACS) Inc. have formed a joint venture company - WNS Philippines, Inc. offering contact center services to global clients across industries. The Philippines is the third largest English-speaking nation in the world and produces 350,000 college graduates each year, thereby providing a highly-educated talent pool for the delivery of BPO services. The country's business-friendly environment and its time zone advantages make the Philippines a natural choice for providing 24x7 service to global companies, particularly those based in United States. The WNS delivery center is located in the capital city of Manila and intends to initially scale to 200 seats.

CONVERGYS REPORTS FIRST QUARTER...Convergys Corporation reported revenues of $716.4 million in the first quarter of 2008 compared with $719.9 million in the same period last year. EPS were $0.28. Operating income in the first quarter was $38.9 million compared to $65.2 million in the same period a year ago. The company confirmed its 2008 guidance of revenues of $2.85 to $3.0 billion and GAAP earnings of $1.31 to $1.36, per diluted share.

UNISYS REPORTS FIRST QUARTER LOSS...Unisys Corporation reported a loss of $23.4 million, or 7 cents per share, compared with a profit of $3.6 million, or a penny per share, in the year-ago period. The company's revenue dropped to $1.3 billion from $1.35 billion. Foreign currency exchange rates had an approximately 5 percentage-point positive impact on revenue in the quarter.

HEWITT ASSOCIATES ACQUIRES LCG...Hewitt Associates is expanding its suite of HR outsourcing solutions through the acquisition of LCG and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Disability Management Alternatives, LLC, an expert in employee absence management. Under the terms of the agreement, Hewitt will acquire LCG, which provides an array of integrated disability, leave and absence management solutions for mid- to large-sized employers.

CAPGEMINI NAMES NEW CMO... Christopher K. Williams has been appointed vice president and North America chief marketing officer (CMO) of Capgemini. Williams is responsible for leading the strategic positioning of the company, driving marketing and communication strategy and leveraging the company’s strong focus on innovation across the company’s consulting, technology and outsourcing services in North America.

EDS has been awarded a seven-year, $391 million contract by the state of Georgia to design, develop and implement a new-generation Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS). The new system will provide fiscal agent and enrollment broker services and establish electronic health records (EHRs) for Medicaid recipients. The contract was awarded in the first quarter of 2008.

The Hertz Corporation has signed a five-year contract with ICG Commerce, a leading procurement services provider, for procurement outsourcing services to support Hertz’s broader efficiency improvement and reengineering efforts. Under the contract, ICG Commerce will provide comprehensive procurement outsourcing services for Hertz’s North American and European operations. These services will help Hertz drive greater control over expenditures in buying categories including professional services, equipment and automotive, facilities, transportation, IT, benefits and marketing.

Country Energy, manager of Australia’s largest power network, and IBM will work together to develop an intelligent utility network in Australia. Based on open standards, this digital system provides near real-time data and information that a utility can use to manage its grid, minimize outages, improve customer service, and source and deliver power more efficiently. It also allows customers to exert greater control over their power use.

CSC LAUNCHES NEW HEALTHCARE SECTOR...Computer Sciences Corporation announced the launch of the company's new Healthcare Sector, a dedicated vertical business unit serving healthcare providers, health plans, pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers and allied industries globally. Healthcare Sector offers clients onshore and offshore expertise with the major clinical information systems, claims processing systems and enterprise content management systems used by the healthcare industry. In addition, application management services and business process outsourcing
(BPO) offerings are supported from CSC's healthcare centers in Bangalore and Chennai, India.

TRINET ACQUIRES LMC RESOURCES...TriNet, a nationwide provider of human resources outsourcing services for small and medium-sized companies, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the customer and other assets from LMC Resources, Inc., a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) based in Denver, Colorado. With this transaction, TriNet continues its strategy to augment the substantial organic growth it has experienced with acquisitions that strategically expand its customer base.

SAAS.COM ENTERS HRO SPACE...WebApps, Inc. a.k.a. SaaS.com, a leading provider of Software as a Service (SaaS) with a major push in Workforce Management Solutions, exhibited at the 2008 HRO World Conference, a human resources outsourcing (HRO) industry event. As a new member of the Human Resources Outsourcing Association (HROA), the primary association linked to the event, HRO World acted as SaaS.com’s debut into the HRO space.

Convergys Corporation has signed contract renewals and expansions with two leading financial services companies. Under terms of these renewed and expanded contracts, Convergys will provide additional live-agent support for on-going customer service, retention programs, and back office solutions, including multi-language customer care for client customers speaking Spanish, Cantonese, Korean, Japanese, Mandarin, and English. Cumulatively, the contracts are valued at more than $85 million over the next three years.

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has signed a multi-year licensing, support, and maintenance contract for Convergys’ Infinys rating and billing solution. BSNL will replace its legacy billing systems with the Convergys solution to reduce IT costs and to facilitate the introduction and deployment of new convergent services. BSNL is India’s largest and the world’s seventh largest telecommunications company providing a comprehensive range of telecom services.

Luxoft, a global provider of high-end software application and product development services to clients such as Deutsche Bank, Boeing, IBM, UBS and others, today announced it has opened a new delivery center in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The opening marks the first time an Eastern European software service provider has established a presence in Vietnam. It also makes Luxoft the first outsourcing provider in its region to offer a truly global delivery model.

Croydon Council has signed an extension to its IT outsourcing deal with Capgemini, worth an estimated £83m over five years. The new deal runs until 2013 and covers all the council's IT and telecoms infrastructure and networks, 4,000 desktop PCs and key business applications, including finance, procurement and customer service.

To read more about the findings of the IT Infrastructure Outsourcing (ITO) Annual Report, an extract of the report is available at www.everestresearchinstitute.com. To purchase the report or receive more information about other research services, please e-mail info@everestresearchinstitute.com or call +1-214-451-3110.

PROCUREMENT OUTSOURCING ON A 'SEE-SAW," EVEREST STUDY FINDS...Outsourcing of procurement functions is on a “see-saw” growth path fueled by an enhanced value proposition and strong movement towards global sourcing and offshoring, according to an Everest Research Institute study of the procurement outsourcing (PO) market. Companies signed fewer procurement outsourcing deals in 2007, a number slightly below the landmark 2006 figures; however, market growth was evident as managed, non-core PO spend crossed $50 billion (US) last year, according to the Institute’s study, Procurement Outsourcing (PO) Annual Report.

SCRIPPS TAPS ADP FOR HR SERVICES...The E. W. Scripps Company (Scripps) has selected ADP to provide comprehensive HR, payroll, benefits, pre-employment and related services to support its more than 9,000 employees. Scripps is a diverse media corporation with interests in national lifestyle cable networks, newspaper publishing, broadcast television stations, electronic commerce, interactive media, and licensing and syndication.

WNS ACQUIRES UK AUTO-INSURANCE PROCESSING FIRM... WNS(Holdings) Limited has acquired Call 24/7 Ltd., an auto insurance-claims-processing services provider in the United Kingdom. WNS will integrate Call 24/7 into WNS Assistance, a division of WNS Global Services Ltd. UK, and a subsidiary of WNS. The deal will enable WNS to extend its market leadership position in accident claims management in the UK.

TRIZETTO GROUP ACQUIRED; WILL GO PRIVATE...The TriZetto Group, Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired and taken private by funds advised by Apax Partners, a growth-focused, global private equity firm with $35 billion in funds under advice and significant expertise in healthcare and technology. Under the terms of the agreement and plan of merger, TriZetto shareholders will receive $22.00 per share in cash, representing a 29% premium over the 30 calendar-day average closing price of the company’s stock. The transaction is valued at approximately $1.4 billion, including consideration for stock options and shares related to TriZetto's outstanding convertible notes. BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee and The Regence Group, both customers of TriZetto, are providing a portion of the funding for the transaction and will be equity investors in the newly private company.

EQUIFAX BUYS RUSSIAN FOOTPRINT...Equifax Inc. has agreed to acquire a 28 percent equity stake in Global Payments Credit Services LLC (GPCS), a leading credit information company in Russia, from Global Payments Europe, s.r.o., a subsidiary of Global Payments Inc. (NYSE: GPN),and Home Credit and Finance Bank of Russia (Home Credit).

SATYAM WINS GLOBAL AWARDS...Satyam BPO, the business process outsourcing arm of Satyam's global business and IT services company, has won two prestigious Shared Services Excellence awards from the International Quality and Productivity Council. The company was honored in Orlando, Fla, during Shared Services Week, a conference organized by IQPC. Satyam BPO was a winner in the 'Best Business Process Outsource Provider' and the first runner-up in the 'Best Customer Service Delivery Framework' categories.

Xerox Corporation has won a five-year blanket purchase agreement on an estimated $400 million U.S. Air Force contract for the placement of Xerox multifunction printers, network copiers and supplies. Xerox will provide technology and services to help the Air Force reduce expenses, consolidate equipment and achieve global standards in its document management operations.