SchlumbergerSema beat off competition from major IT services companies including EDS Corp [EDS], which was reported to have pulled its bid last week. In August, US federal IT services provider Lockheed Martin Corp [LMT] pulled out of the bidding process due to what is believed to be a reluctance to accept the stringent performance targets and penalty terms demanded of suppliers.
SchlumbergerSema claimed that the electronic booking service it would provide would transform the way that the UK population interacts with the NHS, providing patients with choice, so they can decide where, when and by whom they are treated.
Effectively, the contract will be run by Paris-based Atos Origin SA [ATOS.PA], as it is in the process of buying the IT services divisions of SchlumbergerSema in a deal worth $1.47 billion (E1.28 billion).
The contract is the first to be awarded as part of an ambitious national IT program for the NHS. Other successful bidders for further contracts are expected to be announced in the coming weeks, and companies in the running include IBM Corp [IBM], Accenture Ltd [CAN], and Fujitsu Services [4706.F].
The projects are being overseen by NHS IT Tsar Richard Grainger who has been tasked with ensuring that they run more smoothly than other high-profile UK government IT initiatives such as the Passport Office’s processing system and the Inland Revenue’s tax credit system, which attracted heavy criticism.
This article was based on material originally published by ComputerWire.
