BT Wins $370 Million Department for Work and Pensions Contract Extension

LONDON, Feb. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- BT today announced it has been awarded a three-year contract extension with The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), worth a minimum of $370 million, to provide voice, data network and contact centre solutions to the UK government department.

The deal builds on the existing contract between the DWP and BT Global Services, which has seen the networked IT services company help transform the department's voice and data networks by installing an IP (Internet Protocol) network and telephony solution, which regularly handles in excess of two million calls a day and at peak times has managed three million.

The contract extension, which closely fits with the Government's Public Sector Network (PSN) program, will see BT continue to provide converged IP local and wide-area networks, IP telephony and a range of conferencing services including video conferencing to a broad range of units, including Jobcentre Plus, the Pensions, Disability and Carers Service, Northern Ireland Social Security Agency and the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission. In addition to providing contact center technologies that have delivered considerable savings to units, such as Jobcentre Plus, BT has already delivered 118,000 IP telephony ports, 203,000 local area network connections, and 1,140 wide area network circuits across 1,140 DWP locations.

BT Global Services will now continue to build and maintain the DWP's contact center infrastructure, one of the largest in the world. BT has already rolled out nearly 22,000 seats for the department's virtual contact center, which at its peak is already handling in excess of 400,000 calls a day. In 2010 BT will take the number of contact center seats close to 30,000.

Sir Leigh Lewis, Permanent Secretary for the DWP, said: "Our relationship with BT has already played a major role in modernizing the Department's operations, enabling us to become even more customer focused and meet our customers' ever more complex communications needs. The extension of our contract with BT will ensure that we are able to further improve our service to our customers, reduce costs and move closer to our objective of meeting Public Sector Network program requirements.

Ian Livingston, Chief Executive Officer of BT, said: "We are delighted to have been awarded this contract extension with the Department for Work and Pensions. In the current economic climate, it's vital that UK citizens receive access to the best help and advice on jobs and benefits. Our award winning contact centre solutions are helping the DWP provide this and we are delivering networked IT services for citizens that will make a positive difference to their lives."

BT is working with the DWP to ensure that the network integrated communications and network services program closely meets the UK government's Public Sector Network (PSN) vision. The PSN program aims to create the effect of a single network infrastructure across Her Majesty's Government, reducing costs and introducing utility-like network-orientated computing services.

Notes to editors

Key facts and figures about DWP account

DWP is the largest government department, comprising the following major business units:

• Jobcentre Plus
• Pensions, Disability & Carers Service

It also has responsibility for a large number of non-departmental agencies such as the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission and the Health & Safety Executive.

The DWP handles services for 20 million customers:

• Pays out 135 billion pounds Sterling a year
• 14 million payments a week
• c.113,000 staff , 1130+ sites

About BT

BT is one of the world's leading providers of communications solutions and services operating in 170 countries. Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services to our customers for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband and internet products and services and converged fixed/mobile products and services. BT consists principally of four lines of business: BT Global Services, Openreach, BT Retail and BT Wholesale.

In the year ended March 31, 2009, BT Group's revenue was 21,390 million pounds Sterling.

British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York. For more information, visit www.bt.com/aboutbt  

SOURCE BT

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