| 06/14/10Water Company Has Optimised Information Systems on TapThis water company had a long-standing relationship with its incumbent Information Services (IS) supplier. Operating under two separate contracts, the supplier provided IT infrastructure services and applications development and maintenance respectively. In recent years, service quality, service levels and overall user satisfaction had deteriorated. Furthermore, the company wanted to rebalance IS services to deliver best value IT provision. |
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| 03/11/09E.W. Scripps Blazes Path that Leads to Most Comprehensive Mid-Market HR Outsourcing Deal of Its KindIn an effort to improve its back office HR operations and gain access to new HR tools and capabilities, E.W. Scripps made a strong internal business case for outsourcing. To help it strategically navigate the outsourcing process, Scripps engaged EquaTerra to advise it throughout the entire sourcing process, from RFP and service provider selection to contract negotiations and governance. Scripps’ five-year outsourcing contract is considered the most comprehensive HRO deal for a mid-market company – and has helped to blaze a trail for other companies of this size to pursue outsourcing as a means to become more strategic though streamlined processes and broader access to new capabilities. |
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| 12/22/08EquaTerra Helps UK City Council to Improve Value for Money in Information Technology Services ContractThe City of Edinburgh Council was in the process of negotiating a contract extension with its information technology (IT) service provider regarding front-line service applications (public-facing applications such as desktop, networks and printing services) and wanted to undertake a final piece of due diligence before agreeing the contract extension. The proposed IT improvement project could not be offered to the market in a competitive process, as a single preferred provider was used to deliver all IT services to Edinburgh Council. The council therefore wanted their provider’s proposal to be assessed in terms of cost, approach and risk to ensure that it represented good value for money. EquaTerra was engaged to analyse key services and make recommendations, as well as assisting with managing the partnership more strategically. |
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12/22/08EquaTerra Helps Utility Company Mend Outsourcing RelationshipA U.S.-based utility company was dissatisfied with its IT outsourcing service povider. The company hired EquaTerra to help it assess the relationship and provide recommendations for improvement. EquaTerra found that while the contract had guidelines for a governance program, neither party followed or knew what those guidelines were. EquaTerra helped reconstitute its governance program, which involved two key action items:
1. Defining roles and responsibilities.
2. Helping the utility company understand the contract it inherited from previous leadership.
To date, the two companies are moving forward with a better understanding of their contact and with clearer expectations of one another. |
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| 12/22/08Global Communications Company Successfully Implements F&A OutsourcingEquaTerra initially started working with this global communications company with a brief to close a Finance and Accounting (F&A) outsourcing deal with an alreadyselected service provider. After an intense period of negotiations, an agreement was signed between the Service Provider and the client. |
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| 08/29/08Department of Work and Pensions/EDS Relationship Transformed From Crisis Point to Mutually Beneficial Five-Year AgreementThis case study shows how EquaTerra provided insight and clarity to two parties in a broken relationship, enabling them ultimately to move forward. Since its creation in 2002 – through a merger of formerly separate government departments – the U.K. Central Government’s Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) had outsourced much of its IT provision to EDS. The agreement was carried over from its original set up in 1995. By 2004, this deal had evolved into a comprehensive IT outsourcing contract worth between £600 million and £800 million a year. The contract – at this point under scrutiny of updated public sector guidelines – faced realignment. Furthermore, the DWP/EDS relationship was faltering. Disparaging headlines made matters even worse. EquaTerra specialists offered their insights into the public sector, IT outsourcing, and relationship and change management, and the two parties were able to repair the relationship and start anew. |
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| 07/31/08Global Healthcare Company Turns to EquaTerra to Improve Outsourcing Provider RelationshipUpon expansion of a small-scale Applications Maintenance and Support (AM&S) contract, where the provider served in a staff augmentation role, this global healthcare company now wanted its provider to be more proactive in the delivery of services. In other words, it wanted the provider to operate in a strategic managed services role rather than simply offering staff augmentation services. The healthcare company retained EquaTerra to review the current state of its operational governance structure, identify processes that were lacking, and assign roles and responsibilities to each of the processes. Overall, EquaTerra helped the company improve relations with its provider and gave the two parties the knowledge and tools they needed to create a more integrated and strategic working relationship. |
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| 07/29/08Global Energy Corporation Reevaluates HRO, Launches New TransformationAs this large energy company has grown, its HR function has changed significantly. In 2005, recognizing the criticality of HR’s ability to support and help drive the future, the organization decided to initiate another HR transformation that would include a competitive tender for redefi ned HR services. With the help of EquaTerra, this corporation successfully ran an innovative RFP process, split the scope of its HR services among two providers, and built and managed customized contracts for each of the two providers while integrating them to work together as needed – all on a very aggressive timeline. |
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| 05/30/08EquaTerra Helps the City of Minneapolis Undergo Successful Second Generation Outsourcing InitiativeThe City of Minneapolis retained EquaTerra to help it determine if it should renegotiate its current IT outsourcing deal or put the deal out for recompete. After a comprehensive assessment, EquaTerra recommended that the City enter into pre-negotiations with its current provider. In the end, the provider was able to come back with stronger service levels, better pricing structures and robust governance features, thus leading the City to enter into a second generation contract with the company. |
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| 11/30/07EquaTerra Advises Standard Chartered Bank on Scope ExpansionThis case study examines how Standard Chartered Bank enlisted EquaTerra to help it evaluate options for realising more business value for its IT spend and greater savings on its IT infrastructure cost base. With EquaTerra’s help the company was able to objectively re-evaluate its options with its expanded needs in mind. The bank extended its contract with a provider who would offer greater commercial flexibility and transparency, enhance the savings delivered to the business, and emphasise an increased focus on service quality and reliability. |
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| 11/30/07EquaTerra's Value Assessment Helps Whitbread Establish Firm Footing for the FutureThis case study examines how Whitbread PLC, the U.K's leading hospitality company, relied upon EquaTerra to help it evaluate its relationship with its IT provider - a relationship that was becoming more and more stressed. EquaTerra brought to bear its experience in addressing difficult - and sometimes sensitive - issues to help the company recognise the value it had in its partner. In the end, both companies benefited from EquaTerra's independent perspective. Establishing a central point of contact and embracing a balanced scorecard have resulted in a more open relationship and more value. |
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Case Studies 
