CGI-AMS and Commonwealth of Virginia Sign Five-Year, US$65 Million Contract Renewal to Sustain eVA Procurement Portal
October 04 2006 - 9:30AM
PR Newswire (US)
Government e-Purchasing Remains Smart, Efficient, Cost-Effective
FAIRFAX, VA, Oct. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CGI-AMS Inc., the
wholly-owned U.S. operating subsidiary of CGI Group Inc. (TSX:
GIB.A; NYSE: GIB), today announced it has received a five-year,
US$65 million contract renewal for hosting and application
maintenance and operations for the Commonwealth of Virginia's eVA
procurement portal solution. eVA is one of the most comprehensive
web-based procurement platforms in the country. Since 2001, the
Commonwealth has used eVA to process over a million orders to buy
US$10 billion in goods and services for state programs. The state
partnered with CGI-AMS to design and implement the award winning
tool to buy goods and services easier, faster, and at best value
from a single online source. "The ability of the Commonwealth to
leverage technology solutions that help make state and local
government more efficient while saving taxpayer money is key to
serving our citizens more effectively," said Governor Timothy M.
Kaine, Commonwealth of Virginia. "The success of our eVA
procurement system is a direct result of our talented, dedicated
team, and a strong commitment from our partner CGI-AMS. Whether it
is a small, disadvantaged business or a multinational corporation,
eVA makes doing business with the Commonwealth very efficient and
productive." "CGI-AMS government experts are leaders in providing
strategic procurement services and solutions to government, and eVA
is a terrific example of this," said Donna Morea, President of
CGI-AMS. "This is what we do best: we enable government to conduct
its business more efficiently and with better results." Prior to
2001, more than 171 Commonwealth agencies, institutions and other
public bodies used a variety of desktop applications, automated
purchasing systems and manual processes to procure a variety of
goods and services. Such a patchwork of systems did not allow the
sharing of information, promote cooperative procurement, or allow
the Commonwealth to leverage its buying power to obtain the best
value for the dollars it spent. Offered as a hosted service, eVA
was designed and implemented by CGI-AMS as a web-based
government-to-business eProcurement platform capable of managing
the unique needs of the diverse agencies and vendors doing
business. eVA reduces costs and streamlines the Commonwealth's
purchasing process by funneling procurement activities through a
single, secure electronic portal and is powered by Ariba Buyer and
CGI-AMS's AMS Advantage(R) Procurement. About CGI-AMS CGI-AMS Inc.
is the wholly-owned U.S. operating subsidiary of CGI Group Inc.
Founded in 1976, CGI Group Inc. is one of the largest independent
information technology (IT) and business process services firms in
the world. CGI and its affiliated companies employ approximately
25,000 professionals. CGI provides end-to-end IT and business
process services to clients worldwide from offices in Canada, the
U.S., Europe and Asia Pacific as well as from centers of excellence
in Canada and the U.S., Europe and India. CGI's annualized revenue
run rate is currently $3.5 billion (US$3.1 billion) and at June 30,
2006, CGI's order backlog was $13.3 billion (US$11.9 billion).
CGI's shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB) and
are included in the S&P/TSX Composite Index as well as the
S&P/TSX Capped Information Technology and MidCap Indices.
Website: http://www.cgi.com/. Forward-Looking Statements All
statements in this press release that do not directly and
exclusively relate to historical facts constitute "forward-looking
statements" within the meaning of that term in Section 27A of the
United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E
of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended,
and are "forward-looking information" within the meaning of the
Ontario Securities Act, as amended. These statements and this
information represent CGI Group Inc.'s ("CGI") intentions, plans,
expectations and beliefs, and are subject to risks, uncertainties
and other factors, of which many are beyond the control of the
Company. These factors could cause actual results to differ
materially from such forward-looking statements or forward-looking
information. These factors include and are not restricted to the
timing and size of new contracts, acquisitions and other corporate
developments; the ability to attract and retain qualified members;
market competition in the rapidly-evolving information technology
industry; general economic and business conditions, foreign
exchange and other risks identified in the Management's Discussion
and Analysis ("MD&A") in CGI's Annual Report or Form 40-F filed
with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (filed on EDGAR at
http://www.sec.gov/), and in CGI's annual and quarterly MD&A
and Annual Information Form filed with the Canadian securities
authorities (filed on SEDAR at http://www.sedar.com/), as well as
assumptions regarding the foregoing. The words "believe,"
"estimate," "expect," "intend," "anticipate," "foresee," "plan,"
and similar expressions and variations thereof, identify certain of
such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information,
which speak only as of the date on which they are made. In
particular, statements relating to future performance are
forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Except
to the extent required by law, CGI disclaims any intention or
obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking
statements or forward-looking information, whether as a result of
new information, future events or otherwise. Readers are cautioned
not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements or
on this forward-looking information. DATASOURCE: CGI-AMS INC.
CONTACT: Investors: Lorne Gorber, Vice-President, Global
Communications and Investor Relations, (514) 841-3355, ; Media:
Philippe Beauregard, Director, Public Affairs, (514) 841-3218,
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