Diverse Experience

ICN has considerable experience working with major corporations to plan and implement a variety of technology transactions. For more than four decades, we have been the acknowledged experts in technology procurement, contract and vendor management. Over the years, the list of companies that have relied on our expertise reads like a who’s who of premier organizations and includes over 300 corporations in the Fortune 500.  In addition, hundreds of smaller companies and numerous government entities derive great value from our services.

One of ICN’s clients, one of the largest credit unions in the country, recently merged with another large credit union. They asked ICN to assist in the strategy and execution to consolidate their most strategic supplier technology contracts. ICN helped the credit union’s senior management generate millions of dollars in savings from existing run rates and also achieve better contract terms and conditions. Some of the keys areas of assistance included:  bill payment, core systems, shared branching and processing services, etc.

One of the world’s largest oil pipeline operators engaged ICN to review an RFP prepared by one of our competitors. We identified several deficiencies that, if not corrected, would have increased their risk in the deal. ICN was then engaged to drive the entire process, which included drafting RFP and contract revisions, identifying negotiating objectives and strategizing for and conducting negotiations. In addition, we provided planning and project management for the vendor selection effort.

A global medical products and services company engaged ICN to lead efforts to outsource its significant midrange computing environment. ICN led the process, which included identifying requirements, drafting an RFP and contract, conducting bidders’ conferences, identifying negotiating objectives and strategizing for and conducting negotiations. Based upon ICN’s analysis and involvement, the client decided not to consummate the deal because the potential vendors could not deliver a lower-cost solution when compared to existing internal costs.

An international media conglomerate outsourced its core data center infrastructure, call center and desktop support for corporate and three of its business unit subsidiaries. ICN provided the planning and project management for the vendor selection and negotiation effort, and we were instrumental in driving the total process.

A major Midwestern-based bank holding company outsourced its core banking applications and infrastructure. ICN provided the planning and project management for the selection effort. We helped drive the entire process, which included identifying application requirements, drafting an RFP and contract, conducting bidders’ conferences, identifying negotiating objectives, strategizing for and conducting negotiations and providing post-implementation and contract management support.

One of the nation’s largest electric utilities hired ICN to provide strategic and tactical negotiation direction in negotiating a Microsoft Enterprise Agreement renewal.  Through creative leveraging, the client gained significant concessions such as “true down” and forgiveness for premier support overage hours.  ICN performed all negotiations for a mainframe upgrade, resulting in the client savings nearly a million dollars.

A leading insurance and financial services company engaged us to provide technology procurement staff augmentation. In response, three senior consultants went on-site to provide technology procurement expertise. Our consultants supported a variety of technology acquisition projects, including hardware, software licensing, services and telecommunications.

The nation’s largest online, real-time, automated options trading system operator engaged ICN to develop the master agreement and related service agreement schedules for a project involved contracting for data communications services between two data centers, as well as data communications between the data centers and the exchange’s customers.  ICN also led parallel contract negotiations with the client’s two potential suppliers.

The finance subsidiary of a global agricultural equipment manufacturer outsourced the development of credit authorization and scoring software. ICN was engaged to help resolve issues surrounding the clarity of system specifications after the vendor had been selected. We worked with the client and the vendor to resolve these issues. Using the new system specifications, ICN developed and successfully negotiated a software development and licensing agreement. An important consideration was that the fixed price contract provided for vendor payments only upon client’s acceptance of deliverables.

The world’s largest producer of cereal and convenience foods has utilized ICN in a variety of transactions. A primary example is ICN’s contribution to the client’s Latin America operations—including Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Venezuela—in outsourcing its Shared Services Center (SSC). The SSC included local area network services and help desk functions that were outsourced to a Mexican subsidiary of a U.S. corporation. Our client also used ICN in the outsourcing of its North American Data Center, which included mainframe operations and technical support. We performed additional outsourcing transactions for its European operations, one of which required the outsourcing of all data center functions for eastern and western Europe with the work being performed in the United Kingdom. In another transaction, ICN worked with the client’s Australia operation to outsource its legacy systems and data center.

The technology procurement manager of one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies engaged us to “develop the department” after attending a High Tech Procurement workshop. In response to his direction, we assisted the company in developing an effective procurement organization. First, we conducted an Executive Briefing for senior management, followed by technology procurement training for IT project managers. Two of our senior consultants assumed the roles of technology procurement staff members and immediately started doing deals. Over time, we assisted the company in recruiting and training staff and were phased out when the in-house staff was up to speed. Our phase-out process included an in-depth knowledge transfer to ensure a seamless transition.

One of the world’s largest brokerages and investment banks had extensive server networks in the U.S. and Europe for which data storage and data recovery had become difficult to manage. The company wanted to outsource the installation and management of a storage area network (SAN) at each location. Because the client had identified one supplier for the United States and a different supplier for Europe, each became a separate project. ICN prepared the master agreements and related contract documents and led contract negotiations with all vendors.

The insurance division of an international automobile manufacturer wanted to re-source the IT operations and support of the application software from EDS to another supplier. Because the existing outsourcing contract lacked documentation describing the required services and the associated service levels, the description of the required services was key to the development of the RFP. Through the use of ICN templates and close consultation with the client, ICN developed a detailed description of these required services, which included data center operations, network operations, desktop support, voice telecommunications, disaster recovery services, software support and modifications and help desk activities.

One of the nation’s largest metropolitan transit systems issued an RFP for consulting support for a major IT outsourcing project, to which more than twenty organizations responded. Selected as the hands down winner, ICN provided diverse project consulting that included assistance in RFP preparation as well as in vendor evaluation and actual negotiation. Ongoing knowledge transfer was a significant part of our consulting support and included such concepts as the structuring of an outsourcing contract that includes the ideas of value engineering and shared savings as well as compensating for falling prices and technical change.

A European-based global semiconductor manufacturer hired ICN to lead its effort to outsource major portions of its IT infrastructure including development, installation and ongoing support of its SAP systems, as well as roll-out, support and ongoing improvement of its supply chain management (SCM) systems. In each case, ICN senior consultants led the procurement effort by coordinating the contract, statement of work and technical specification inputs from users and customers on three continents and negotiating deals totaling over $800 million. The client used ICN’s Managed Acquisition Process as a basis for establishing its corporate-wide IT procurement processes. ICN helped set up the organizational structure for the corporation’s outsourcing efforts.

The IT outsourcing division of a global energy and petrochemical conglomerate utilized ICN in the negotiation of several large deals. ICN provided guidance in developing the client’s requirements by formulating proposals and identifying, rating and ranking its negotiation objectives. ICN was also instrumental in developing and negotiating the contracts. In addition, ICN was awarded a contract develop and provide a custom Outsourcing Training seminar for the division’s executive and middle management.

A major state government engaged ICN to fully develop a Request for Offers (RFO) for a $2 billion outsourcing of its entire welfare system, the first such endeavor of its kind in the United States. This privatization effort included extensive public aid services and systems. The significant and ground-breaking initiative gained national attention and was expected to create a new paradigm for state welfare management.

The U.S. finance subsidiary of a foreign-based automobile manufacturer engaged us for a number of years to provide technology procurement staff augmentation. We provided on-site expertise at its headquarters for a variety of hardware, software and services procurement deals. Additionally, we conducted MAP Implementation System training and extensive Vendor Management training for all personnel who interact with vendors – inside and outside of IT.

A leading global automotive supplier hired ICN to lead a step-by-step process to analyze the value of renewing the Microsoft Enterprise Agreement at the same time negotiating with Microsoft. This process resulted in several large price concessions from Microsoft and in the end the analysis could not justify even the lower pricing and the Enterprise Agreement renewal was canceled, resulting in the customer avoiding almost ten million dollars in expenses.

One of the largest city governments in the U.S. decided to consolidate the IT functions of the entire city into the Office of the Chief Technology Officer; ICN was selected to conduct a two- phase analysis of its computer systems, networks and software licenses.  ICN first conducted a CPU analysis of its two major data centers. This was followed by a software license audit that included license compliance, drafting and negotiation of new and more favorable licenses and the renegotiation of existing software license agreements.