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Pennsylvania, Unisys Strike Three-Year Extension Deal

The company will continue to lead a consortium of companies that manage the state's data warehouse.

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Commonwealth officials said Pennsylvania has completed a three-year contract extension with Unisys to continue the partnership managing the outsourced operation and maintenance of the state's Data PowerHouse facility.

"Years ago, before this project was begun, we had more than twenty agency data centers using duplicate equipment and duplicate staff to deliver very similar services," said Gov. Schweiker, in a statement. "Our employees were doing good work, but with this large number of centers we simply couldn't achieve economies of scale to ensure the best investment of our resources. By bringing these separate data centers together into one state-of-the-art government data center, we're realizing a number of benefits for our agencies and, ultimately, our citizens."

The original seven-year contract with Unisys, currently valued at $621 million, was finalized in August 1999 and included provisions for a three-year extension. This extension, running through 2009, is valued at $252 million.

A consortium of 10 companies, led by Pennsylvania-based Unisys, manages the Data PowerHouse project.

The Data PowerHouse houses mainframe and mid-range computers and other technology used by state agencies to process data for driver's license renewals, property tax and rent rebates for senior citizens, processing of criminal files, unemployment compensation claims and other vital state government services.

In addition to continuing the outsourcing relationship, the extension includes the delivery of new technology and services to provide enhanced disaster recovery capabilities for critical public services supported by the facility.

Pennsylvania officials said it is one of the only states in the nation to have successfully consolidated and outsourced its data centers. An important new service provided by the Data PowerHouse is the availability of rapid disaster recovery capabilities, which were not widely used by state agencies before 2000. In the case of an event that might cripple the Data PowerHouse facility, this service provides state agencies, within hours, data-processing capabilities from a back-up site located a safe distance away from the main facility.

This extra safeguard ensures that critical state data processing services will be provided if disaster should strike. The new facility uses robotics and includes the latest security and back-up systems to safeguard data files housed there.

The Data PowerHouse has been recognized with two prominent awards. In 2002, the project was named "Most Strategic" as part of the Outsourcing Journal's Editor's Choice Awards. Two years earlier, the Data PowerHouse was a finalist for the World Outsourcing Award, finishing second only to the federal government of Australia.

Office of Gov. Schweiker