FI Partners, the newly formed division of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire-based consultancy Flexible Information Group Plc has got off to something of a flying start. The new arm, which is dedicated to forming strategic service partnerships rather than chasing wholesale maintenance agreements has been awarded UKP12.65m contract – FI Group’s largest ever – to supply system development and training for brewers Whitbread Plc. FI Partners will take on a hundred Whitbread computer systems staff under the five year agreement, leaving the brewers with a small computer system core for business analysis, project management and personal computer analysis. Whitbread is also retaining responsibility for its hardware operations. The terms and conditions of those staff transferred from Whitbread to FI Partners remain unchanged and they will be offered posts elsewhere within FI Group if and when the contract between the two companies expires. The group comprises FI Kernal, which develops open systems; FI Training which specialises in Unix, networking and office systems; FI Systems, which provides mainframe application and development, including the Mainstay support service; FI Scotland markets the entire portfolio of services; and the AMP Computer Recruitment an agency for staff.
