SNCF signs two IT consulting and technology contracts with CGI
French public railway group SNCF has signed two major consulting and technology contracts with global IT services firm CGI.
The first deal sees CGI help SNCF manage its human resources information system (HRIS), which serves thousands of employees – the railway company is one of France's largest employers. SNCF’s HRIS consists of some 80 interconnected applications and provides day-to-day support for all the company's critical HR processes, including administration, payroll and payroll tax remittances, training and recruitment.
In a bid to improve the functioning of the HRIS, CGI will set up a dedicated HR application management service centre employing close to 80 engineers and consultants. The team will support the roll-out of system improvements, as well as support SNCF employees with their support queries for HRIS. As part of the agreement, SNCF will further benefit from the expertise of CGI's HR centre of excellence in France, which employs 200 professionals specialised in HR management software solutions.
The second deal between the two parties is focused on IT services to SNCF Réseau, a division of SNCF that operates France's national railway network. SNCF Réseau recently launched several large change programmes to upgrade its information system, which serves as a key enabler for critical processes such as network planning and industrial maintenance. CGI will set up a service centre to manage and evolve some of those new applications and systems, as well as develop and implement productivity solutions – such as Internet of Things and Big Data – to serve the different business units.
“These two new service centres will play a key role in our overall strategy, helping us to drive the security, performance and evolution of mission-critical business systems,” said Benoit Tiers, Chief Executive at SNCF.
Jean-Michel Baticle, President of CGI's operations in France, Luxembourg and Morocco, said that he is delighted with the renewed confidence of SNCF (the companies have been working together for 25 years now), stating: “I'm convinced that CGI's expertise will enable SNCF to improve its performance and meet its strategic objectives. Our teams already are fully engaged and their sole objective is our client's satisfaction.”
According to a report from The Boston Consulting Group, France’s railway network belongs to the top performing tier of rail systems, although the country still needs to play significant catch-up with leaders Switzerland and Denmark.