Heathrow’s owner BAA outsources IT to Capgemini

Leading airport company BAA is outsourcing the delivery of its IT services to a consortium led by Capgemini UK plc in a five-year contract valued at approximately £100 million (approx €120 million). BAA says that the move will be key to improving the airport experience for all its stakeholders, including passengers, staff, airlines and retailers, at Heathrow and the company’s other five UK airports. The consortium, assembled and led by Capgemini as prime contractor, includes SITA, Atkins, Computacenter and Amor Group. Capgemini UK plc is part of the Capgemini Group, one of the world’s foremost providers of consulting, technology and outsourcing services.

Capgemini will be responsible for the delivery of BAA’s core IT services on a day-to-day basis, including applications, infrastructure and projects, for some 10,000 users. The service will cover BAA’s six UK airports and will start in May after a two-month transition. BAA will retain responsibility for IT strategy, stakeholder management and ensuring the quality of IT services in collaboration with Capgemini. Some 200 staff will be eligible to transfer to Capgemini and its partners under TUPE conditions.

Capgemini intends to simplify BAA’s IT portfolio and drive down IT costs while improving service levels. Working closely with BAA’s IT and commercial teams, Capgemini also plans to improve IT services and deliver new solutions to stakeholders including airlines and retailers to help transform the passenger experience. Improved real-time information will help BAA keep passengers and airlines better informed about their flights, allowing for quicker turnaround of planes and better recovery from problems as they arise. As well as real-time tracking of aircraft and passengers, it will also allow for better future planning and more detailed information of flights and passengers on them.

Philip Langsdale, chief information officer at BAA, said: “Because our focus is on running airports, it makes sense for specialist IT functions to be outsourced, which is also much more cost effective. We want to improve our resilience and ensure that we have the right systems in place to share the right information at the right time. Capgemini will have a key role in supporting this.”

BAA added that other factors in the selection of the IT partner following competitive bids included Capgemini’s expertise in safety, security and regulatory compliance within the defence, utilities, retail and public sectors and its recent successful completion of a major IT project at BAA.

Capgemini will be consortium leader, prime contractor and systems integrator. Air transport communications specialist SITA will deliver network, telecoms and radio services, Atkins will bring multidisciplinary project service capability, Computacenter will deliver elements of desktop and server support, and Amor Group will support niche applications.

Greg Hyttenrauch, Head of Business Development at Capgemini Global Infrastructure Services, said: “We are excited by the prospect of supporting BAA’s vision to make every journey better through streamlined IT services and information flows, to the benefit of all stakeholders including airlines and passengers. BAA is a landmark client for Capgemini and we are committed to a long-term relationship and the transformation of their business.”

The six UK airports owned and operated by BAA are Heathrow, Stansted, Southampton, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh.