Contracts and Partnerships in the Outsourcing of IT

iBM signs usD 15 million outsourcing agreement with eureka Forbes IBM has signed a five-year IT outsourcing agreement worth USD 15 million with Eureka Forbes. As a part of the deal, IBM will provide business consulting, package implementation, infrastructure and application management services to Eureka Forbes. IBM will also leverage its research capabilities to help Eureka Forbes improve its productivity. The US-based firm will help Eureka Forbes increase revenues from products as well as annual maintenance contracts, optimise inventory holding and reduce selling, general and administrative expenses. wal-Mart shortlists TCs, infosys and wipro to outsource contracts worth usD 500 million Wal-Mart Stores has shortlisted India-based IT services firms — Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Wipro Technologies and Infosys to award outsourcing contracts worth USD 500 million over the next few years. Wal-Mart will sign multiple contracts for outsourcing business applications management and back-office functions. The company is expected to commence outsourcing operations to India in the next six months. This move is in line with Wal-Mart's strategy of expanding business to emerging markets such as India and globalise IT operations. The retail firm also plans to establish a captive technology centre in India. Aegis BPO, a subsidiary of the Essar Group, is finalising an outsourcing contract with Sistema Shyam Teleservices Limited (SSTL), a JV between Russia's Sistema and India's Shyam Group, for the latter's mobile services brand, MTS. The duration and financial terms of the contract were not disclosed. SSTL will leverage this contract to provide consistent and high-quality services to its MTS subscribers. According to the contract, Aegis will serve SSTL's outsourcing customer service operations, including inbound customer service, inbound retailer helpdesk, outbound and inbound complaints, handset support, and technical helpdesk. Initially, Aegis will offer services to the telecom operator's eastern circle that includes West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand. In the first phase, Aegis will provide a 35-seat contact centre, which can be expanded to 150 over the next three months, with the increase in subscriber base and call transactions.