IBM, Siemens win €7.1bn German Army deal

The

have commissioned a

(SBS) and

consortium to modernise and manage its non-military information and communications technology.

The 10-year HERKULES project is scheduled to begin immediately. It aims to bring the German Federal Armed Forces’ data centres, software and applications, PCs, telephones, and voice and data networks up to date.

Meckenheim-based BWI Informationstechnik has been set up to supply the relevant IT services. SBS and IBM, equal partners in the project, together hold 50.1 per cent of the shares, while the Federal Government holds 49.9 per cent.

As part of the process of modernisation, IBM and SBS will support the German Federal Armed Forces in revising workflows and replace the software currently in use with standard software. Together, they will also set up a help desk for users.

This cooperation between the German Federal Armed Forces and industry is currently the largest public-private partnership (PPP) in Europe. According to the companies, up to 2,950 German Federal Armed Forces IT employees will be working on the project.