CGI-AMS Inc., the wholly-owned U.S. operating subsidiary of CGI Group Inc., today announced seven-year contract signings totaling more than US$100 million by leading local governments for its AMS Advantage ERP Suite. The City of New York, the largest municipal government in the U.S., has committed to implementing the latest version of AMS Advantage to serve as the foundation for its enterprise-wide financial management and budgetary control systems.
In addition, Wake County, North Carolina, widely regarded as one of the fastest growing and best managed counties in the country, has chosen the AMS Advantage ERP Suite to support the county's human resources, finance, and budget systems.
"With government best practices embedded in the solution, the AMS Advantage suite is tailored to meet the unique administrative needs of state and local public sector entities," said Donna Morea, president of CGI-AMS. "Having the largest city as well as one of the best managed counties select our solution is testament of our ability to bring real incremental value to our clients. These contracts represent the commitment public sector entities are making to proactively find solutions to improve government efficiency and better serve citizens."
The City of New York is one of many jurisdictions that are currently using the AMS Advantage suite who have committed to upgrading their capabilities. The City and CGI-AMS are working together to incorporate several significant enhancements into future releases of the AMS Advantage solution to further improve the City's management systems with a reduced total cost of ownership. The recently signed seven-year contract is an innovative public/private partnership that enables the City to influence the solution's improvements, while customizing it to meet their specific needs by adding functionality that can then be shared with other jurisdictions. In addition to the customization, CGI-AMS will provide integration services to support dynamic interactions between these newer AMS Advantage capabilities and the legacy ERP systems of the City, including previously independent Department of Education systems that can now be consolidated into a single city-wide system.
As a key component of Wake County's enterprise-wide technology vision, CGI-AMS will provide software, implementation services and ongoing maintenance support to improve each system's research and reporting capabilities, reduce data redundancies and paper, and provide users with timely access to information. As the second most populous county in North Carolina, Wake consists of 12 municipalities and includes Raleigh, the county seat and state capital, and has received numerous national and state awards for its financial and budget management practices. They are one of only 22 counties in the nation with an AAA bond rating by all three major rating agencies.
AMS Advantage is a flexible, open architecture solution that automates document workflow, decreases paperwork, improves customer service and facilitates decision-making. It employs a government fund accounting model as its foundation, using open web technology standards to simplify system deployment and integration with external systems. The flexible design lowers risk, total cost of ownership, and other processes expressly designed for government. It is used by more than 190 public sector clients, 47 of which have already committed to implementing the new Web-based AMS Advantage 3+ solutions. CGI-AMS incorporates more than 35 years of government experience and knowledge in the public sector market.
About CGI-AMS
CGI-AMS Inc. is the wholly-owned U.S. operating subsidiary of CGI Group Inc. Founded in 1976, CGI Group Inc. is the 8th largest independent information technology and business process services firm 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 of America ("US"), Europe, Asia Pacific as well as from centers of excellence in Canada, the US, Europe and India. CGI's annualized revenue run rate is currently CDN$3.6 billion (US$3.1 billion) and at December 31, 2005, CGI's order backlog was CDN$12.9 billion (US$11.1 billion), or $14.0 billion (US$12 billion) including the BCE contract extensions signed in January 2006. CGI's shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.SV.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.
CGI 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 that term in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and may be "forward-looking information" within the meaning of sections 138.3 and following of the Ontario Securities Act. These statements represent CGI Group Inc.'s current 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 or forward looking information. Investors are cautioned against placing undue reliance on forward looking statements or forward looking information.
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 2005 Annual Report or 2005 Form 40-F filed with the SEC, the Company's 2005 Annual Information Form and in the Company's MD&A for the first quarter of fiscal 2006 filed with the Canadian securities authorities, as well as assumptions regarding the foregoing. The words "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "anticipate", "foresee", "plan", and similar expressions and variations thereof, identify certain of such forward-looking statements or forward looking information, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. In particular, statements relating to future performance are forward-looking statements and may be forward looking information. Except as required by law, 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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CGI:
Investor relations
Lorne Gorber
Vice-president, investor relations
Lorne.gorber@cgi.com
(514) 841-3355
Media relations
John Alejandro
Director, corporate communications
John.alejandro@cgi.com
(703) 267-5931
