Consignia Outsources Health, Welfare Services

Consignia said on Monday it had signed a five-year contract worth 70 million pounds ($102.3 million) with SchlumbergerSema to outsource occupational health and welfare services. The deal is part of the UK state-owned firm’s plan to cut costs by outsourcing the parts of its business which are not core to the postal network, which it says will save it 60 million pounds ($87.68 million) a year overall. Under the contract, SchlumbergerSema – the information technology (IT) arm of oilfield services company Schlumberger Ltd – will provide new IT systems needed to introduce electronic medical records, together with full health services for Consignia employees. Consignia, currently losing over one million pounds a day, aims to return to profit within three years as it faces up to competition for the first time. It said in mid-April it wanted British construction company Balfour Beatty Plc to take over the running of its buildings in a joint-venture deal with its own facilities services unit, Romec.”