Pinsents scoops first deal for Royal & SunAlliance

Pinsent Masons has won its first piece of IT outsourcing work from Royal & SunAlliance after joining its panel last year.

The firm fought off competition from the company's other panel firms, including Allen & Overy, Ashurst, Herbert Smith and Slaughter and May.

Pinsents partner Charles Park and his team negotiated two IT contracts with providers IBM and Cable & Wireless (C&W) alongside Royal & SunAlliance's legal team, headed by legal counsel Simon Logan.

Park said he hoped the deals would signal the start of a long-term relationship with the insurance company. "It depends on the client," he said. "One hopes to get more work, but one doesn't know."

Royal & SunAlliance signed a 10-year deal for IBM to operate the insurance firm's IT infrastructure. The contract also gives IBM responsibility for managing up to 40 third-party technology suppliers.

The second deal sees C&W charged with looking after all of Royal & SunAlliance's telecoms and IT network needs until 2012.

Outsourcing associates Sarah Williams and Sanjay Verma worked on the IBM project, while IT partner Iain Monaghan and associate Natalie Shingler handled the C&W contract.

Logan said: "I was impressed with the professionalism demonstrated across their team at all levels."

The IT companies used their in-house teams.