CGI's central market system will support the
introduction of non-household water
competition in England
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www.cgi.com/newsroom
LONDON, United Kingdom,
Oct. 6, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - CGI
(NYSE: GIB) (TSX: GIB.A) has been selected by Market Operator
Services Ltd (MOSL) to design, build and operate a central market
system to support the operation of the English water market when
competition is introduced to non-household customers in
April 2017. The five-year contract is
valued at approximately £15 million.
CGI's central market system will be adopted by MOSL as the
underpinning solution for its central market operating system
(CMOS). The CMOS will facilitate interaction among all participants
(retailers and wholesalers) in the competitive non-household water
market. CGI will also host and operate the CMOS system on its
secure commercial cloud.
MOSL is working with the UK Government's Department for the
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and regulator Ofwat as
part of the 'Open Water' programme to introduce competition in the
non-household market in England.
MOSL has been created to deliver the operational capabilities to
support the programme. CGI will contribute its knowledge and
experience in designing, building and operating central market
systems for utility markets across the globe, including the world's
first competitive water market in Scotland.
CGI's central market system is a proven solution that has been
implemented for the Danish and Dutch central energy markets. For
the English water market, it will be configured to meet specific
processes defined by the requirements set out in the Market
Architecture Plan (MAP). When the CMOS system is implemented, it
will be supported by CGI's SDI five star certified service desk,
which will provide 24x7 assistance to all market participants.
As part of the contract, CGI has partnered with Bridgeall. CGI
and Bridgeall have direct experience of developing and operating
the central market system for the creation of the competitive water
market that opened in Scotland in
2008. Bridgeall will use its water market expertise to deliver a
sub-system that will calculate the primary charges for water and
waste water services and allocate those charges to the relevant
wholesalers and retailers.
"The introduction of competition for non-household customers in
England by April 2017 is a major challenge, both in terms of
timescales and complexity. The CMOS will be at the heart of the new
market, so we are delighted to appoint the CGI team to work
alongside us in this critical role. The team's combined experience
in the Scottish market and the wider energy industry will be
invaluable in ensuring success in the English market," said
Ben Jeffs, Chief Executive of
MOSL.
"This is a very exciting time for the water industry," said
Tara McGeehan, Vice-President,
Energy & Utilities for CGI in the UK. "Competition for
non-household customers will create new business opportunities for
many operators. At the same time, water market competition will
help to drive innovation, as well as offer customers improved
service at lower cost. We are delighted to be working with MOSL to
deliver its new central market operating system. We have a very
tight timescale to design, build and implement the system, but by
working in partnership with all the key stakeholders and leveraging
our central market systems experience, we will develop a system
that will make competition work for the water industry."
Stephen Beer, Managing Director
of Bridgeall, commented: "Bridgeall's experience in the design,
development and operation of central systems in the Scottish water
market will be valuable in addressing the challenges faced by MOSL
in the UK. We are uniquely positioned to make a very significant
contribution to the success of the Core Market Operator System for
the English market."
More on the new water market opening in England
Water and sewerage services in
England will be opened up to
competition for non-household customers beginning in April 2017. The new water market will offer
choices to customers in the retail market by allowing all business,
charity and public sector customers in England to switch their water and sewerage
supplier. The competitive water market aims to encourage
innovation, efficiency, resilience and sustainability that will
benefit both water operators and customers.
About Bridgeall
Bridgeall is a leading IT services company with over 12 years'
experience in delivering mission critical IT solutions to
businesses in the UK. Bridgeall developed and continues to operate
the central systems that underpin the competitive water market in
Scotland.
www.bridgeall.com
About MOSL
Market Operator Services Limited (MOSL) is
working with DEFRA, Ofwat and water companies as part of the Open
Water Programme. Open Water will offer non-household customers a
choice of supplier and access to tailored packages that best suit
their needs. MOSL's role is to deliver the operational capabilities
needed to support the efficient operation of the new market when it
opens in April 2017. It will deliver
the IT systems that enable registration, customer switching and
settlement between wholesalers and retailers. It will also design
the market operator and support a range of market transition and
business readiness activities. Organisations holding the relevant
licences to participate in the proposed non-household retail market
for water and sewerage services are entitled to apply for
membership. www.mosl.co.uk
About CGI
Founded in 1976, CGI Group Inc. is the fifth
largest independent information technology and business process
services firm in the world. Approximately 68,000 professionals
serve thousands of global clients from offices and delivery centers
across the Americas, Europe and
Asia Pacific, leveraging a
comprehensive portfolio of services, including high-end business
and IT consulting, systems integration, application development and
maintenance, and infrastructure management, as well as a wide range
of proprietary solutions. With annual revenue in excess of
C$10 billion and an order backlog of
approximately C$20 billion, CGI
shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE
(GIB).Website: www.cgi.com.
Forward-looking statements
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and are "forward-looking information" within the meaning of
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are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, of which
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SOURCE CGI Group Inc.