Glasgow announces proposals to hand over IT services to CGI

"PUBLIC services and thousands of jobs are being `hived off on the cheap`, it has been claimed, as Scotland’s largest council moves to becomes the latest authority to privatise all of its computer systems."

"Amid an unprecedented squeeze on council finances, Glasgow has joined Edinburgh and Scottish Borders in announcing proposals to hand over all its IT services to the same Canadian multi-national firm - CGI Group - with other councils expected to follow suit."

"The move has triggered claims that council IT will become the first public service in Scotland to be entirely privatised."

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14706046.Jobs_and_services__quot_hived_off_on_the_cheap_quot__as_Labour_council_signals_privatisation_move/

"The Scottish Government’s procurement frameworks provide a mechanism by which preferred partners are awarded a framework agreement for services related to voluntary organisations, charities, local authorities, universities and colleges, health services. These agreements provide the contracting authorities the possibility of making individual purchases without repeating many of the stages of a full competitive tendering processes required by Scottish Government regulations. If a framework has been set up, there is no need to formulate terms and conditions for procurement contracts because they have already been agreed upon."

"Under such a framework agreement, CGI has been selected to provide comprehensive support to Scotland’s public sector and its civil society as part of a contract entered into with the Scottish Government. The consulting firm has been awarded two procurement frameworks, which include providing IT services to voluntary organisations, charities, local authorities, universities and colleges, health services."

http://www.consultancy.uk/news/2359/scotland-selects-cgi-for-it-procurement-framework

From Weasel Zippers:

"There’s another thing about CGI."

"CGI has a subsidiary called Silver Oak Solutions (SOS) which operates the PRISM platform. If that rings a bell, it`s because the NSA uses the PRISM platform to help spy on people."

"So that means CGI, with a checkered history, which operates the PRISM data collection platform for the NSA, was also selected to work on the Obamcare website, with all kinds of private information, without having to go out to competitive bidding."

http://www.weaselzippers.us/158330-cgi-why-did-failure-plagued-company-get-the-obamacare-contract-perhaps-connection-to-the-nsa-and-prism-explains-it/