TACOMA POWER SELECTS CGI TO AUTOMATE ELECTRIC NETWORK OPERATIONS
Tacoma, Washington, February 4, 2009 -CGI Group Inc. (TSX: GIB.A; NYSE: GIB), a leading provider of
information technology and business process services, will partner with
Tacoma Power, a division of Tacoma Public Utilities, to automate outage
and network operations utilizing CGI’s PragmaLINE Distribution/Outage
Management solution (D/OMS).
CGI will manage the integration of JCMB’s Fusion solution suite, which
will extract and generate connectivity for the PragmaLINE D/OMS, as
well as LiveData’s RTI architecture, in order to establish a real-time
ICCP interface between the supervisory control and data
acquisition/energy management (SCADA/EMS) system and D/OMS solution.
As part of system implementation, interfaces will be developed to
Tacoma Power’s current customer information (CIS), work management
(WMS), and geographic information (GIS) systems, as well as to its
SCADA/EMS solution. An interface to Tacoma Power’s new interactive
voice response (IVR) application is also critical to support customer
service and will be completed as part of this project.
CGI’s PragmaLINE D/OMS will provide state-of-the-art tools for managing
all trouble dispatch for Tacoma Power’s electric distribution networks.
PragmaLINE will analyze operating data to help predict and monitor
potential distribution network failures, allowing Tacoma Power to
handle day-to-day network operations more efficiently. Under outage
conditions, the system will accept customer outage calls from the IVR
and a manual call taking application and indicate the probable source
of failure, reducing restoration time and improving customer service
levels. Integration with Tacoma Power’s work management system will
also allow the automated transfer of outage jobs to field personnel who
currently receive their work wirelessly through a mobile dispatch
application, as well as the accurate recording and reporting of the
steps taken to restore service.
Gary Armfield, Tacoma Power superintendent, remarked, "Integrating the
advanced capabilities of CGI’s D/OMS with Tacoma Power’s existing
systems will contribute to faster outage prediction and restoration,
streamlined switching operations and improved safety of our field crews
and customers.”
“CGI is committed to providing Tacoma and its customers with critical
solutions in the key areas of customer service and delivery reliability
through its end-to-end distribution/outage management solution”
concluded Andre Bouchard, Sector Vice-President of CGI’s Utility
Solutions and Services.
CGI's utility solutions and expertise span the horizontal workflow
between customers, control rooms and crews, bringing benefits to a
global customer base rooted in the electric, gas and water utility
markets. CGI enables the real-time management of business-critical
processes by offering a modular and highly configurable solutions
portfolio that includes outage, network and mobile workforce management
as well as power engineering analysis tools. Utility clients include
Exelon Energy Delivery, Baltimore Gas & Electric, Hydro-Quebec,
Hydro One, Idaho Power, Oklahoma Gas and Electric, Public Service
Electric and Gas and Southern California Edison.
About CGI
Founded in 1976, CGI Group Inc. is one of the largest independent
information technology and business process services firms in the
world. CGI and its affiliated companies employ approximately 25,000
professionals. CGI provides end-to-end IT and business process services
to clients worldwide from offices in Canada, the United States, Europe,
Asia Pacific as well as from centers of excellence in North America,
Europe and India. CGI's annual revenue run rate stands at $4.0 billion
and at December 31, 2008, CGI's order backlog was $11.4 billion. CGI
shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB) and are
included in the S&P/TSX Composite Index as well as the S&P/TSX
Capped Information Technology and MidCap Indices. Website: www.cgi.com.
About Tacoma Power
Tacoma Power serves 165,000 customers in Pierce County, Washington
including the cities of Tacoma, University Place, Fircrest and portions
of Fife, Lakewood, Federal Way and Steilacoom, as well as Fort Lewis,
McChord Air Force Base and other portions of Pierce County. www.tacomapower.com.
About JCMB
JCMB Technology provides innovative software technologies and services
to the Electric, Gas and Water industries. Established in 1995, JCMB
has extensive experience in Distribution Network Modeling and Mobile
Computing Systems, focusing on Distribution Network data accuracy and
connectivity. The company's website: www.jcmb.com.
About LiveData
Specializing in real-time integration and display technology, LiveData
builds state-of-the-art systems for healthcare, utility, manufacturing,
and government organizations. LiveData software brings together data
from any number of sources and presents it as meaningful information on
easy-to-read graphic displays. Leading medical institutions, including
Massachusetts General Hospital, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center,
and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, have selected LiveData OR-Dashboard™
to enhance patient safety, improve team communication and streamline
perioperative workflow. Founded in 1991, LiveData is headquartered in
Cambridge, Massachusetts. The company's website is www.livedata.com.
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For more information:
Media
Lorne Gorber
Vice-President, Global Communications and
Investor Relations
lorne.gorber@cgi.com
514-841-3355
Business development
Barbara McCabe
Director, Consulting Services
619-223-7458








