Firms cash in on Inland Revenue and NHS deals

IT project lawyers at Bird & Bird, CMS Cameron McKenna and Wragge & Co had a momentous week celebrating with their respective clients BT, Accenture and Cap Gemini Ernst & Young.

Shaw Pittman’s Alistair Maughan advised the Inland Revenue as it concluded the tendering process for the year’s biggest IT services contract by ousting incumbents EDS and Accenture and replacing them with a consortium headed by Cap Gemini, advised by Wragges.

The announcement of the £3bn Inland Revenue deal came just days after BT secured two contracts worth a total of £1.6bn and Accenture won a £1bn contract to provide IT systems to the NHS.

The contracts are the biggest that Cap Gemini and BT have won. Bird & Bird partner Dominic Cook, who is leading the team advising BT on the NHS deals, said: “The sheer enormity of the documentation and the tight time-scales made this the most challenging thing I have ever done.”

BT won the race to provide a national patients’ records database and to provide IT systems for London. In combination, these deals represent BT’s largest transaction and the firm is bidding for two more contracts.

BT Global Services general counsel Tim Cowen chose Bird & Bird ahead of other panel firms Wragges and Linklaters. Neither Accenture nor BT could use their other outsourcing adviser Allen & Overy, which is advising the Department of Health with DLA. IT partner Dominic Cook led the Bird & Bird team.

BT Global Services is building its reputation as a systems integrator. On this project it is working with sub-contractors LogicaCMG and Sun Microsystems.
Reading firm Clarks scored a significant coup advising Sun. LogicaCMG was advised by its in-house team and consultant Bob Wilkin.

Joanna Gardiner, who is leading the Accenture team on the NHS project, app-ointed CMS Cameron Mc-Kenna ahead of panel firms Clifford Chance and Field Fisher Waterhouse. Accenture leads a consortium, including BT, Microsoft and iSOFT, that will provide IT systems to the North East region.

Alex Mason led the Accenture team advising on the unsuccessful Inland Revenue bid. He chose not to appoint outside counsel. Nabarro Nathanson partner Andrew Smith advised EDS on its failed Inland Revenue bid.

Cap Gemini’s legal effort was led by general counsel Gavin Wakefield, who recently resigned to join niche IT firm Technology Law Alliance. Wakefield is staying on as a consultant to conclude the negotiations with outside adviser Wragges. Masons partner Ian Monaghan advised principal sub-contractor Fujitsu.