EDS Signs More Than $270 Million in Business Process Outsourcing Contracts

The contracts cross four industries -- manufacturing, media and entertainment, financial services, and consumer and retail. Services are concentrated in the financial transaction processing and customer relationship management (CRM) segments. According to the EDS/IDC Custom Market Size and Growth Forecast, the market for BPO services is estimated to be $241 billion in 2004, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 9 percent through 2006. EDS global presence, scalable and agile infrastructure, and broad portfolio of business process outsourcing and other solutions help clients worldwide streamline operations, improve customer service and manage costs related to these non-core business processes. Financial Transaction Processing and CRM Contract Highlights New contract signings, not previously announced, include: - A three-year contract renewal with Greenwich, Conn.-based Boardroom, publisher of the BottomLine series of newsletters, and BottomLine Personal, one of the largest circulation newsletters published. EDS will continue to provide product fulfillment services in support of the companys marketing efforts for their consumer books and products. Services include order and payment processing, warehousing and distribution, along with call center and Internet service support. - A three-year renewal with home and family media and marketing company, Meredith Corporation, to provide product fulfillment and customer support services. EDS will continue to take customer orders via the Web, phone and fax, process and fulfill the orders, handle returns, and respond to inquiries. - An eight-year add-on agreement for payment services with one of the United Kingdoms largest financial institutions. Other previously announced BPO contracts in the quarter include Infineon and National Credit Card Center of Taiwan. As a significant part of EDS Business Process Outsourcing offerings, financial services transaction processing provides solutions that include integrated payment and clearing, card processing, content management, loan origination and servicing, interactive billing and credit services, insurance administration and services. EDS CRM Services include consulting, business intelligence, contact center, demand management and distribution and warranty services to help clients grow revenue and reduce costs. EDS Business Process Services includes customer relationship management (CRM), financial process management (FPM) and administrative and enterprise shared services, which includes human resources, finance and accounting and procurement services.