BearingPoint to keep Fla. outsourcing

Just months after being stripped of a major contract in Florida, BearingPoint Inc. has won a new contract from the Florida State Technology Office to manage the state's central computer re-sources. The one-year deal is worth $1.4 million.

Under the contract, BearingPoint will provide support services for mainframes, databases and servers, the State Technology Office said.

Infinity Software Development Inc. of Tallahassee, Fla., also won a $1.3 million contract to provide software-related services.

Eleven vendors responded to a request for quote for the work that was issued last month, said Carla Gaskin, a spokeswoman for the State Technology Office.

The award was made despite the technology office's abrupt cancellation Sept. 30 of two remaining MyFlorida Alliance IT outsourcing contracts. BearingPoint of McLean, Va., and Accenture Ltd. Hamilton, Bermuda held them.

BearingPoint held a large contract for data center support services under the MyFlorida Alliance, while Accenture held contracts for help desk and applications management services.

The help-desk contract was the first to go in August; the other two were canceled the following month.

The contracts were canceled because Florida Chief Information Officer Simone Marstiller questioned the way the MyFlorida Alliance awards were made by her predecessor.

BearingPoint officials believe the new competitive award vindicates their recent outsourcing work with the state.

"The award is further validation of the good work we've done on the earlier MyFlorida Alliance contract and that our client perceives [us] as adding value at a competitive price," said Ron Salluzzo, executive vice president of BearingPoint's state and local government and education practice.

Senior Writer William Welsh can be reached at wwelsh@postnewsweektech.com.