BTS

[Doom]

Mar 20, 2010 15:27:37 GMT @guest said:

Does anybody know /can anybody reveal how the TCS deal is going? any savings for L&G? ..is it a total success ?? ;D

RG said TCS were excellent in handling the massively reduced demand last year.

Err, so they're really good at not doing work!

Sounds like a sketch from 'Yes Prime Minister'

You couldn't make it up!

[Theres The Door]

Mar 20, 2010 16:31:47 GMT @Doom said:

Mar 20, 2010 15:27:37 GMT @guest said:

Does anybody know /can anybody reveal how the TCS deal is going? any savings for L&G? ..is it a total success ?? ;D

RG said TCS were excellent in handling the massively reduced demand last year.

Err, so they're really good at not doing work!

Sounds like a sketch from 'Yes Prime Minister'

You couldn't make it up!

They 'handled' massively reduced demand with large scale redundacies from the experienced staff TUPEd across 12 months earlier. Something I suspect L&G were happy not to have to handle themselves.

[Doom]

Good point. Getting somebody else to do your dirty work.

How L&G has changed in just a few years...

[54321]

Mar 20, 2010 16:27:37 GMT @Doom said:

Mar 20, 2010 10:36:22 GMT @54321 said:

It's not (all) about risk, it's about money. Why would L&G spend £15,000,000 on building an on site data centre in a building whose lease they might not renew, when they can outsource the whole lot and it becomes someone elses problem.

RG specifically said it's not about money, it's about risk.

He also said L&G recently signed a 25-year lease so I'm afraid you're misinformed on both counts.

It's still L&G's problem if the outsourcing doesn't deliver the goods.

So you believe everything management tell you then...?

Regardless of the term of the lease, it's still a sizeable investment up front.

And no, it's Fujitsu/IBM/Joe Bloggs problem if they don't deliver the goods. IF there's a decent contract in place of course...

[Henry Crun]

Mar 20, 2010 21:26:11 GMT @54321 said:

And no, it's Fujitsu/IBM/Joe Bloggs problem if they don't deliver the goods. IF there's a decent contract in place of course...

I am of the opinion the contract doesn't matter squat when L&G are the ones who have to turn round to the FSA and say they can't deliver the figures on time because the outsourced infrastructure has gone belly up. No good waving SLAs or contractual terms around when information needs producing and it isn't available. No amount of compensation written into a contract will help if we look like complete idiots in front of the regulators and investors.

Now I'm not saying the way L&G runs at the moment is perfect and has much less risk, but we do have two things going for us. Firstly we have people whose expertise has been built up over many years to understand the complex set up that is our IT infrastructure. I'm not sure many will stick around if they get the shaft. Secondly, I always believe it is better to have people involved in really sensitive parts of a company to have a vested interest in that company rather than people who are once or twice removed from the impact of the risk.

Oh and for those wondering about the M & P grade bonus/pay rise, it happened this week just gone. I can't say what the bonus pot and average pay rise were for obvious reasons on a public message board. What I can say is depending on how your manager and HR interpreted how the review sat in the new 'high performance' culture you either got the same old easy ride or you were mightily upset and spent the evening surfing Jobserve etc. I know of several challenges on bonus that have gone in at the moment. People were told what the average pot was and where they sat in the new performance bands, and then found the contents of their letter to be a good few percentage points lower than they had a right to expect. And from what it sounds like this came as a surprise to the managers involved as well. Another successful new initiative brought to you by the letters H and R.

[Gazza]

Mar 20, 2010 16:31:47 GMT @Doom said:

Mar 20, 2010 15:27:37 GMT @guest said:

Does anybody know /can anybody reveal how the TCS deal is going? any savings for L&G? ..is it a total success ?? ;D

RG said TCS were excellent in handling the massively reduced demand last year.

Err, so they're really good at not doing work!

Sounds like a sketch from 'Yes Prime Minister'

You couldn't make it up!

[Gazza]

TCS don't have to worry about the lack of demand from L&G. They have bigger fish to fry.

TCS are the successful bidder for the new national, trust-based pension scheme (NEST) scheme admiinistration services and this is just getting underway.

[Sir Humpfree]

Mar 21, 2010 14:09:34 GMT @Gazza said:

RG said TCS were excellent in handling the massively reduced demand last year.

Err, so they're really good at not doing work!

Sounds like a sketch from 'Yes Prime Minister'

You couldn't make it up!

"handling the massively reduced demand" - that would be the 150 L&G staffers who they got rid of in the middle of the worst recession in 60 years. The ones that they now wish they hadn't got rid of BUT can't take back for legal and cost reasons. Now all they can do is squeeze the staff they have left even harder.

[Lost Soul]

Mar 20, 2010 15:27:37 GMT @guest said:

Does anybody know /can anybody reveal how the TCS deal is going? any savings for L&G? ..is it a total success ?? ;D

Lets just say that its not going well! The wool is being pulled over some very senior management eyes - they are being told that it has been great success.

I do know, however, that a director in one of the business areas (no names no pack drill) is now asking questions as they are not happy with the end TCS product. Too little to late though.

[Back from Brussels]

Things ARNT going well.... and this is now being appreciated at the top

A 'healthcheck' on the L&G TCS relationship was produced last October.

This was damning with faint praise

main points were


Costs Cut - hurrah but....

No evidence of a transformation to a true managed service
Very poor perception of TCS by L&G business community especially with regard to estimates
poor communication

The company that carried out the 'healthcheck' went on to make recomendations that TCS are going to be hard pressed to follow since they no longer have the quality of people available to make it happen.

Last year was about cost cutting and if you close your eyes and pretend to be Dim Tim you can just about see why this should count as a success but in 2010 you have the following irreconciliable positions

L&G want more work from TCS
TCS charge for this work far above the in-house rate for the job


Last year this didnt matter as L&G didnt spend up to its minimum guaranteed amount but as demand hots up.....

That will be the point at which both sides are likely to want out of this. As was mentioned before in this thread TCS are big players and anything like the bare minimum amount of work that L&G gave them last year isnt going to be worth their while ...... on the L&G side a few brave managers might start looking at alternatives (some (especially with contacts to other suppliers) already are).

On top of that.... and I'm afraid I really cant say any more about this at the moment there is an 'event' about to kick off which is likely to generate alot of very unpleasant publicity for the sub-continentals....

sit back and enjoy the show!

[Dim Sums]

Mar 24, 2010 16:53:58 GMT @Back from Brussels said:

Things ARNT going well.... and this is now being appreciated at the top

A 'healthcheck' on the L&G TCS relationship was produced last October.

This was damning with faint praise

main points were


Costs Cut - hurrah but....

No evidence of a transformation to a true managed service
Very poor perception of TCS by L&G business community especially with regard to estimates
poor communication

The company that carried out the 'healthcheck' went on to make recomendations that TCS are going to be hard pressed to follow since they no longer have the quality of people available to make it happen.

Last year was about cost cutting and if you close your eyes and pretend to be Dim Tim you can just about see why this should count as a success but in 2010 you have the following irreconciliable positions

L&G want more work from TCS
TCS charge for this work far above the in-house rate for the job


Last year this didnt matter as L&G didnt spend up to its minimum guaranteed amount but as demand hots up.....

That will be the point at which both sides are likely to want out of this. As was mentioned before in this thread TCS are big players and anything like the bare minimum amount of work that L&G gave them last year isnt going to be worth their while ...... on the L&G side a few brave managers might start looking at alternatives (some (especially with contacts to other suppliers) already are).

On top of that.... and I'm afraid I really cant say any more about this at the moment there is an 'event' about to kick off which is likely to generate alot of very unpleasant publicity for the sub-continentals....

sit back and enjoy the show!

I have been seeing a lot of this in Kingswood...

But I'm really intrigued to know what 'event' is coming?

I have heard there is discontent at tata and l&g, but you can usually count on both sides on keeping matters hushed up.

[untermenshen]

Mar 24, 2010 16:53:58 GMT @Back from Brussels said:

On top of that.... and I'm afraid I really cant say any more about this at the moment there is an 'event' about to kick off which is likely to generate alot of very unpleasant publicity for the sub-continentals....

Ooooooh what could this be
The Tata project billing is the same fraud BIS practiced but thats only an internal matter
Is it the abuse of work permits for xpats stealing those british jobs for from british people

[Dim Sums]

Mar 27, 2010 17:13:17 GMT @untermenshen said:

Mar 24, 2010 16:53:58 GMT @Back from Brussels said:

On top of that.... and I'm afraid I really cant say any more about this at the moment there is an 'event' about to kick off which is likely to generate alot of very unpleasant publicity for the sub-continentals....

Ooooooh what could this be
The Tata project billing is the same fraud BIS practiced but thats only an internal matter
Is it the abuse of work permits for xpats stealing those british jobs for from british people

That's a serious thing to say untermenshen. ;D

Is this what the event is then? when are our glorious board of directors going to raise it then? I suspect they won't.

l&g's rich board room British directors hired the xpats you seem to accuse of stealing British jobs. Truth is, Rich Brits sold out their poor British relations and not the xpats selling the British people.

the rich xpats have been selling the poor xpats down the river for years too and that is something they have in common with the rich Brits.

I am sounding awfully left wing in my old age - must be the drink

[Gazza]

Has it been mentioned at briefings where BTS outsourcing will be re-located to. Could it be going offshore to India?

www.ibm.com/ibm/in/en/

[sammy]

We wont know until end of July but the data centre is supposed to be UK based .

There has also been a series of 'Townhall' meetings between most of L&G and TCS IT managers so that everyone can see how well everything is going .