IBM and Bechtle Win $115 Million EU Contract

IBM and Business Partner Bechtle AG have won a $115-million contract with the European Commission for System x and Flex Systems servers and services, the largest server contract ever awarded by the EC. Having already provided more than $2.6 million in systems and services to date, the two companies expect over the lifetime of the contract to deliver more than 6,100 servers and supporting services to European Union institutions and agencies.

"That the EU would award us a contract of this size and scope illustrates the value of our server and services offerings in helping them meet their technology, economic and international relations goals," said Harry Van Dorenmalen, Chairman IBM Europe. "Our System x and Flex Systems servers provide the best combination of efficiency, performance, flexibility and economy in the industry."

The contract is "inter-institutional," meaning that most of the other EU bodies will use the framework for buying their x86 servers in upcoming years.  This contract will run for two years with the possibility of extending it up to four years. Within the contract, over 45,000 man-days could be made available for additional "professional services," which will be provided in close cooperation with specialized service providers.  

The contract covers a range of IBM Flex System compute nodes and IBM System x rack server configurations, as well as related maintenance, installation and professional services. This enables IBM to provide highly reliable and flexible platforms that can scale quickly, easily and inexpensively, and are adaptable to the needs of each individual institution or agency.