Indian technology giants Tech Mahindra and Wipro are bidding for a huge information technology outsourcing contract at Telecom in competition with IBM and Hewlett-Packard, according to a report from Mumbai.
Telecom confirmed this month that it had shortlisted three companies to take over a $1.5 billion contract it awarded to EDS in 1999.
They were believed to be IBM, Hewlett-Packard, which has since taken over EDS, and an Indian outsourcer.
India’s Economic Times identified Tech Mahindra and Wipro as bidders. It did not identify which company was leading the bid, or whether they might have submitted competing proposals.
Sources said a bid led by Tech Mahindra – one of seven companies to have originally submitted proposals to Telecom – would come as no surprise.
Last year Telecom awarded Tech Mahindra a contract worth more than $20 million to overhaul its retail technology systems and provide customers with more self-service options.
Up to 300 people were expected to work on that project, in New Zealand and in India.
Telecom spokesman Ian Bonnar said no announcement was imminent on the project, dubbed Technology Future Mode of Operation (Tech FMO).
Telecom is debating whether to split into two separate companies and sources speculated that could affect its ability to negotiate a contract this year.
Labour communications spokeswoman Clare Curran fears as many as 2000 jobs could be sent overseas as a result of any new outsourcing arrangement. Telecom has dismissed that as “wildly speculative”.
Source:http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/3635467/Indian-companies-interested-in-Telecom-contract
