The CHOTS Corporate Headquarters Office Technology System project of the UK Ministry of Defence, potentially worth around UKP300m, has slipped by about three months and following DEC’s withdrawal from the consortium led by GEC Telecommunications, now merged with Plessey Telecommunications, and rumours abound suggesting that Unisys will be filling the gap left by DEC. Last year the four consortia led by British Telecom, GEC Telecommunications, ICL and Software Sciences were expecting to have the precise functionality and product to be delivered specified by March this year. The Ministry acknowledges that that its schedule was rather optimistic and now expects the formal tendering process for the prototypes to begin during September. Two of the four consortia will be chosen at that time to supply the Ministry with prototypes of a Unix-based office automation system which would eventually serve 24,000 users spread over 40 sites: but the sting in the tail is that even after prototypes are chosen and delivered the Ministry may even then decide not to go through with implementation.
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