Accenture wins Arizona outsourced telecom deal

Arizona awarded Accenture Ltd. a five-year, $98 million contract to provide management services for a statewide, converged telecommunications contract, the company announced today.

Under the contract, Accenture of Hamilton, Bermuda, will offer management services for the telecommunications systems for executive branch agencies of the Arizona government on an outsourced basis.

In the course of the contract, Accenture will work with Arizona to redefine its statewide telecommunications enterprise and improve standard telecommunications security, services and service-level agreements at each of the state's executive branch locations.

The program, which is designed to help the state automate and optimize most telecommunications-related management processes, includes the development and support of a new program governance structure, a new auditable, Web-based billing system and annual program operating and performance measurement plans.

Accenture's team includes Calence Inc. of Tempe, Ariz., and NextiraOne LLC of Houston. The telecommunications providers that will supply carrier services will be chosen at a later date, Accenture said.

Accenture has more than 100,000 employees and had annual sales of $13.6 billion for fiscal 2004. It ranks at No. 24 on the Washington Technology 2004 Top 100 list of federal systems integrators.