Outsourcing and Managed Services

Outsourcing and managed services have become a dominant feature of the business landscape in Ireland and over recent years we have developed what we believe to be the most experienced and varied practice of its type in Ireland. We represent major domestic and international businesses in all kinds of outsourcing and managed services transactions. We have a considerable customer based practice, together with significant experience acting for suppliers, and as a result know both sides of the transaction. Our experience is based on a broad spectrum of agreements from information technology and communications, business processes, to back office functions and facilities & property management.

Our practice group and experience has a particular emphasis on the financial services sector, where we offer an in-depth understanding of the complex matrix of governance and regulatory issues that materially impact the structure and delivery timeframe of transactions. The value to our financial services clients includes our skill and experience in proactively identifying, managing and mitigating the risks associated with governance and regulation in this sector.

The group comprises lawyers with a broad experience of the different service delivery models and familiarity with the trends and practices developing across all industry sectors. We use this experience and familiarity to offer innovation and achieve synergies and efficiencies for our clients.

Supporting our core outsourcing specialists in the practice group, we have recognised market leaders in employment (in particular in relation to Acquired Rights Directive/TUPE issues and pensions), public procurement, intellectual property, regulatory specialists in the telecommunications, utilities and public sector, competition law, corporate finance, private equity, acquisition finance, and dispute resolution.

Recent practice group transactions include advising:

Certus on its establishment and the loan administration outsourcing service arrangements associated with over €10bn of Bank of Scotland plc loan books (formerly owned by of Bank of Scotland (Ireland) Limited).
Telefónica O2 Ireland in relation to its managed services agreement for the provision of network management services by BT, and separately in relation to its managed services agreement for the provision of IT services by IBM.
Aviva International Insurance Limited on a significant outsource of the administration of the run-off offshore bond business of Aviva International Insurance Limited to Capita Life and Pensions Limited.
Bord Gais Éireann in relation to a significant deal for the delivery of a suite of business critical SLA-governed data hosting and managed IT and data centre facilities services.
Zurich Life Assurance PLC on a significant outsourcing of administration services to Capita Life and Pensions Limited.
The Health Service Executive on the outsourcing/contractual, procurement and competition law issues relating to the establishment of the national integrated imaging system (NIMIS), a national networked system for exchanging ”paperless” radiological images. It represents the largest IT outsourcing/procurement by the HSE to date.
Deutsche Bank in relation to back up loan administrative services associated with its purchase of over €1bn of loans from a major Irish financial institution.
Friends First, as servicer of loan management, cash management, corporate and agency services associated with a securitisation of a loan book.
RWE on its servicing and outsourcing arrangements with Diageo in respect of the outsourcing of its energy and utility requirements.
EirGrid plc on the joint venture and servicing arrangements for the commercialisation of a sub-sea fibre optic cable network.
eircom in relation to a number of significant outsourcings, including for information technology services and call centre functions and its tendering for Next Generation Network services (NGN), including advising on the service provider RFP process.
Accenture on a number of outsourcing and IT contracts in Ireland, including with Microsoft and Electricity Supply Board.
Babcock and Brown in relation to the outsourcing and facilities management of the new Criminal Courts Complex in Dublin.
Bank of Ireland in relation to the re-negotiation of arrangements with Accenture in respect of an IT and transaction processing services contract.
Ulster Bank on an agency services agreement in relation to its asset finance loan books.
Merit Healthcare on the outsourcing of accommodation for the provision of primary healthcare in Ireland.
The Health Service Executive in respect of the procurement of an energy manager to provide energy management services associated with the energy assets contained in over 70 properties owned by the HSE, including certain acute care accommodation.
Baxter Healthcare on the provision of renal dialysis services to Antrim General Hospital.
Various public sector contracting authorities on the outsourcing/facilities management associated with over 10 PPP projects in Ireland.