Industry news

According to MPs the level of carbon emissions from goods imported and consumed within the UK is rising, whilst domestic levels of emissions are declining.

MPs warn that outsourcing emissions will damage the UK’s reputation and carbon emissions record. Between 1990 and2008 domestic emissions fell by 19% as a result of switching from coal to gas for electricity; however the carbon emissions footprint based on UK consumption rose by 20% in the same period.

Energy and Climate Change Committee chairman Tim Yeo said: "Successive governments have claimed to be cutting climate change emissions, but in fact a lot of pollution has simply been outsourced. We get through more consumer goods than ever before in the UK and this is pushing up emissions in manufacturing countries like China."

MPs are now calling for a new deal on climate change.

In its largest ever acquisition, Toshiba is to buy IBM’s point-of-sale terminal business for an estimated $850m.

The deal between IBM and Toshiba Tec. is anticipated to close late in the second quarter, or early in the third. The point-of-sale systems used by retailers, which include both hardware and software, to process and record transactions, manage inventory and collect and analyse data, will be bought solely by Toshiba Tech.

According to Hideki Yasuda, analyst at Ace Securities Co. in Tokyo the deal “will have a major impact for Toshiba Tec, [it]will be able to expand its POS business with the acquisition, as IBM already has customers and can lure new ones with its brand.”

The environmentally friendly cosmetic firm Lush is switching its data management to cloud service, CloudApps Sustainability Suite.

The new system will track Lush’s complete environmental footprint, including measurements on water and energy use, travel, waste generation and packaging across all 102 stores, eight main offices and eight factory sites in the UK.

Ruth Andrade, Lush environmental officer said: "the system allows us to move towards the sustainability goals we have signed up to that will both benefit the environment and reduce our operational costs."

Report shows TCV has dropped by 32%, with contracts at an average of €6.9 billion.

Information Services Group (ISG) today released data showing the outsourcing market in Europe, the Middle East & Africa (EMEA) slowed significantly in the first quarter of the year following a record performance in the fourth quarter of 2011.

The TVC drop of 32% is year-on-year with the sequential drop standing at 53%. In the first quarter of 2012 a total of 79 contracts were awarded, a decline of 37% year-on-year and 23% sequentially.

Duncan Aitchison, Partner & President, ISG North Europe said “this first-quarter slowdown in EMEA follows the strongest half-year and full-year results we have seen in a decade, which made for very difficult comparisons. However, we expect outsourcing activity and TCV to pick up in the second half of 2012 and project full-year results to be in line with historical norms.”

For more information on ISG click here

The business process and technology management company Genpact has today signed an acquisition deal with Accounting Plaza, a provider of finance and accounting, human resources services and to the retail, wholesale, banking and healthcare industries.

The acquisition will enhance Genpact’s capabilities and expand their delivery to Europe, the Netherlands in particular due to their newly acquired language skills via Accounting Plaza.

Tiger Tyagarajan, president and CEO, Genpact said: “this deal gives Genpact domain expertise in the retail industry, an industry which is transforming globally. Along with finance and accounting, one of our core capabilities, we now gain tremendous traction in the retail industry. The addition of operating centres in The Netherlands will further expand and grow our business in Europe, especially with large European multinational corporations.”

The Ministry of Defence has awarded a £400 million contract to CSC. The deal will commence over seven years, as CSC will provide payroll, HR and pensions administration services to the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA).

The move comes as somewhat of a shock decision, as the MoD move away from previous suppliers, HP. The computing giant had previously held the SPVA contract for 15 years and was shortlisted in partnership Xafinity Paymaster. Capita also made the shortlist.

HP said in a statement: "HP will work to ensure a seamless transition of activities to the successful bidder, ensuring no loss of service to the thousands of people who depend on the service."

According to the original tender document, there is an option to extend the deal, rising to £750 million over 15 years.

Deutsche Telekom may sell its UK and Dutch units as early as next year. The Financial Times Deutschland reported on Tuesday that local management must improve results if they are to stay.

The newspaper said that the telecommunications firm had looked in to selling the units in the past, and would again consider in 2013, citing company sources.

Deutsche Telekom is seeking ways to preserve its market share, while re-investing in the United States after its £24 billion deal to sell its T-Mobile USA unit to AT&T fell through last year.

Deutsche Telekom is yet to comment.

The government has received its 200th Mystery Shopper complaint. The scheme was launched in February 2011 and allows SMEs to give anonymous feedback to the government about its procurement practises.

Stephen Allott, the Crown Commercial Representative for SMEs at the Cabinet Office, announced the news over Twitter.

All cases brought to light under the Mystery Shopper scheme are to be investigated by the cabinet. An additional 49 cases have been lodged since mid-February, taking the total to 200, according to Allott. The government stated in February that 75% of cases have resulted in a positive outcome.

The news follows previous moves by the government, such as the £100 million cap on pulic sector IT contracts, to encourage the growth of SMEs.

NHS24 has awarded a £100 million contract to Capgemini and BT. The health board is the Scottish equivalent of the national health helpline, NHS Direct. Capgemini and BT will be working to deliver a new customer relationship management (CRM system) as well as applications, infrastructure and managed services for voice and data.

The purpose of the new system will be to help staff provide better advice to patients, linking phone calls to online data. The CRM system will also include functionality such as previous contact with callers and campaign management.

Capgemini will receive £30 million while BT will receive £70 million. The contract is expected to last ten years, although NHS24 will have the option to break it after seven.

Hacking group Anonymous has today claimed responsibility for several cyber attacks. Speaking on their Twitter account, the group claim they ccarried out attacks on Mi6, as well as the CIA and US Department of Justice.

When asked why the group attacked the sites on Twitter, the group stated that the attacks were “for the lulz [laughs]”. Earlier this month the ‘hacktivists’ attacked the Downing Street and Home Office websites.

The news comes following the announcement that a new European cyber crime centre will be commissioned next year. The centre will help EU member states detect illegal online activities, starting with fraudulent banking transactions. The objective is to guarantee an open, free and safe internet in the European Union.