CC relieved to keep BT deal

Corporate VAR keeps hold of desktop deal and expands it globally

Computacenter (CC) heaved a sigh of relief last week after it secured the BTdesktop services contract for a further five years.

Under the terms of the new deal, CC will be responsible for fulfilment, support and related services for the telecoms behemoth across the globe – its previous contract just covered the UK.

Mike Norris, chief executive of CC, told CRN: “We are delighted about winning the contract again. Incumbency can be a great positive when it comes to renewing a contract, but it can also be a negative. However, our knowledge of the customer and how to deliver value through the bid was invaluable to our success.”

Norris added that the contract has two ‘fundamental’ differences – it covers the entire BT desktop stock across the globe and CC now owns the BT desktop/laptop estate.

“From Monday we will physically own BT’s PCs and laptops, which will make the charging mechanism easier for us,” he said. “Instead of just taking a margin, we can now spread the cost through the life of the contract.”

George O’Connor, research analyst at stockbroker Panmure Gordon, said: “The main issue for CC was not winning the contract but losing it – they can certainly sleep easy now.”

Campbell Williams, group marketing director at hybrid VAR/distributor ATC, said: “CC is one of only a few industry players that has the scale and skills to fulfil such a deal with a customer of the sheer scale of BT. It is not a deal that many in the channel would have attempted to bid for.”