Air Canada (TSX: AC) and CGI Group Inc. (TSX: GIB.A; NYSE: GIB;) (CGI) today announced the signing of a CDN$11.5 million dollar, three-year extension for the support and maintenance of their existing five-year enterprise resource planning (ERP) contract which includes PeopleSoft Human Resources, Benefits, Payroll and Finance, as well as related mainframe applications and interfaces.
As part of the agreement, over 1000 Air Canada employees mainly in Montreal and Winnipeg are supported by CGI professionals through CGI's support center. Over the course of the agreement, via trend analysis, cross training and quality assurance, CGI has been successful in stabilizing and streamlining the complex system resulting in a robust and effective environment that meets the clients' need for flexibility and quality control.
"We found CGI to be an extremely flexible partner as they were able to readjust the initial contract to meet the business needs of our changing organization. It is important for us to know that we are not locked into an agreement that does not evolve with our organization," said Jean-Paul Bourgeois, senior director, enterprise systems, Air Canada.
Michael Roach president and chief operating officer for CGI added: "We are very pleased to be supporting Air Canada in this most important area of their business. Through our support center, a core team dedicated to Air Canada is able to quickly adjust the system, make modifications and respond to user queries. As Canada's global IT services firm, it is through understanding and evolving with our clients that we are able to maintain successful long-term partnerships."
CGI has been delivering services to Air Canada since 1998. In the last quarter of 1998, CGI took over the support of the Air Canada enterprise applications, namely of PeopleSoft finance, as well as mainframe applications in the areas of finance and human resources/payroll, and successively in 1999 was responsible for the support of PeopleSoft Human Resources, Benefits and Payroll. Client requests for changes and improvements are dealt with in an efficient manner and CGI offers ongoing system evolution thanks to its large pool of diversified expertise - unmatched in any single corporation. The quick and successful integration of Canadian Airlines' IT functions also demonstrates the benefits of dealing with CGI specialists capable of quickly providing competent resources when demand increases.
About CGI
Founded in 1976, CGI is the fourth largest independent information technology services firm in North America, based on its headcount of 13,700 professionals. CGI's annualized revenue run-rate totals CDN$2.1 billion (US$1.3 billion). CGI's order backlog currently totals CDN$10.7 billion (US$6.7 billion). CGI provides end-to-end IT services and business solutions to more than 3,000 clients worldwide from more than 60 offices. CGI's shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). They are included in the TSX 100 Composite Index as well as the S&P/TSX Canadian Information Technology and Canadian MidCap Indices. Website: www.cgi.ca.
Forward-Looking Statements
All statements in this press release that do not directly and exclusively relate to historical facts constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements represent CGI Group Inc.'s intentions, plans, expectations, and beliefs, and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors, of which many are beyond the control of the Company. These factors could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements.
These factors include and are not restricted to the timing and size of contracts, acquisitions and other corporate developments; the ability to attract and retain qualified employees; market competition in the rapidly-evolving information technology industry; general economic and business conditions, foreign exchange and other risks identified in the Management's Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) in CGI Group Inc.'s Annual Report or Form 40-F filed with the SEC, the Company's Annual Information Form filed with the Canadian securities commissions, on the Registration Statement on Form F-4 filed with the SEC in connection with the acquisition of IMRglobal and with the Forms 10-K and 10-Q of IMRglobal filed with the SEC for the periods ended December 31, 2000 and March 31, 2001 respectively. All of the risk factors included in these filed documents are included here by reference. CGI disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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For more information:
CGI:
Investor relations
Julie Creed
Vice-president, investor relations
(312) 201-4803
Ronald White
Director, investor relations
(514) 841-3230
Media relations
Eileen Murphy
Director, media relations
(514) 841-3430
