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Wipro bags another UK customer for software consulting

Fakir Chand in Bangalore

In its strive to expand operations in Europe, Wipro Technologies, the Bangalore-based global software services company, has bagged another big ticket customer in the UK, close on the heels of clinching a $70-million deal last week with the telecom subsidiary of Lattice Group plc, a FTSE 100 company.

Friends Provident plc, one of the UK's leading financial services groups, has pitched in for Wipro as its software development, maintenance, and integration partner.

The over century-old company provides a range of life assurance, pensions and investment products in the UK market.

It recently turned from mutual to financial services, and got listed on the London Stock Exchange early this month for trading after it went public.

The annual deal envisages Wipro's offshore development centers to operate as a virtual extension of Provident's IT department and provide the ability to build applications faster, with inputs on business and systems development, including maintenance of applications, integration, testing and delivery.

Exceeding its capacity for in-house project work by the year-end, Provident decided this January to boost development capability by outsourcing work.

As in the case of Lattice, Wipro bagged its latest overseas customer through a global tender, facing a stiff competition from seven UK and six other Indian firms.

Provident IT development manager David Cooke said in a statement that the company opted for Wipro because of the cost advantages it offered.

"Wipro and Provident have similar views on community and social welfare. We consider it as a privilege to be working with it, as it is known the world over for its support to the community," said Girish Paranjpe, Wipro's CEO for finance & insurance.

Wipro is also involved in Provident's strategic areas such as raising standards for customer communications and documentation, product launches, stakeholder pensions, marketing channels, and the de-mutalisation process.

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