European payment processor Equens outsources mainframe services and office automation to Atos Origin

European payment processor Equens – created from a merger of the Dutch Interpay and Germany’s Transaktionsinstitut, have started two outsourcing projects in the Netherlands in which parts of the automation are outsourced to
Atos Origin, an international IT services company. These outsourcing contracts have come about using consultancy services of Quint Wellington Redwood.

For the coming five years Atos Origin is responsible for the outsourcing of parts of Equens’ mainframe services. Atos Origin will also manage the office automation for all of Equens Nederland’s workstations. The contracts provide for a flexible adjustment of workstations and processing capacity, in accordance with the company’s staff developments as well as developments in the international payment area. Equens consulted Quint Wellington Redwood in 2006 on the outsourcing project to identify contract requirements and select potential candidates.

Equens chose Atos Origin because it met all the previously set requirements, including security and reliability. In addition, Atos Origin also offered the best price/quality ratio.

Antoon Kuijpers, member of the Board of Directors at Equens explains: “By outsourcing its activities, Equens creates a basis for flexible and innovative operations in the future. This is necessary as Equens operates in a competitive market which, with the arrival of SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) is characterised by increasing scale and consolidation. Through outsourcing to Atos Origin we expect to increase the organisation’s agility and achieve our concrete ambitions for growth. To achieve these objectives Equens has to be able to focus on its core activities: manage electronic payments on a large scale and offer related services that our clients need.”

“We are delighted that Equens found a suitable outsourcing partner in Atos Origin. Both parties face a substantial challenge and we’re convinced that the agreements and objectives which have been set in the agreement are realistic and achievable. Thanks to this collaboration, Equens will be able to remain effective for its clients, partners and any new markets in the future. This project is an excellent addition to Quint’s track record in the financial services market, where we’ve now performed and are still performing various sizeable consultancy projects in the field of outsourcing,” says Arno IJmker, partner at Quint Wellington Redwood.

Wilbert Kieboom, CEO Atos Origin Northern Europe, is proud that Equens chose Atos Origin: “Equens plays a crucial role in the European payment market. When such an important party chooses Atos Origin as its IT-services provider, it is proof that our organization is regarded as the best partner for companies where continuity and reliability of services are crucial. We already have a strong position in the financial world and this is further strengthened with this agreement”.