SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM 6-K
REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER
PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16 OF
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the month of October 2001.
CGI Group Inc.
(Translation of Registrant's Name Into English)
1130 Sherbrooke Street West
5th Floor
Montreal, Quebec
Canada H3A 2M8
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
(Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual
reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.)
Form 20-F | | Form 40-F |X|
(Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the
information contained in this form is also thereby furnishing the information to
the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of
1934.)
Yes | | No |X|
(If "Yes" is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the registrant
in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): 82-___.
Enclosure: Press Release dated October 17, 2001
This Form 6-K shall be deemed incorporated by reference in the Registrant's
Registration Statement on Form S-8, Reg. Nos. 333-9106, 333-13350 and 333-66044.
PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLICATION
British Telecommunications PLC and CGI sign partnership agreement
bringing single window e-government solutions to the
UK Local Authority Market
- Multi billion pound market size
London, England, October 17, 2001 - British Telecommunications PLC (BT)
and CGI Group Inc. (CGI) (NYSE: GIB; TSE: GIB.A), today announced the
signing of a partnership agreement whereby BT has selected CGI to be
its development partner as it offers "single-window" e-government
service delivery solutions to Local Authorities in Scotland, England
and Wales. All Local Authorities in the United Kingdom have been
challenged by the UK Central Government to provide all of their
services to citizens "on-line" by the year 2005, offering anywhere,
anytime access to government services. The UK Local Authority
Government "on-line" market is a multi-billion pound market.
BT will prime in the partnership through BT Retail, with CGI providing
project management, functional and technical architecture, systems
integration, solutions and applications development as well as
consulting. By partnering with CGI, BT brings to the Local Authorities
the most advanced architectures in the world, providing
multi-channelled, one-stop-shop government service delivery known as
"single-window". The Province of New Brunswick has been an acknowledged
leader in changing the way governments interact with citizens through
the innovative use of technology, as pioneered over the past 10 years
by its delivery agency Service New Brunswick. CGI is Service New
Brunswick's primary contractor and architect. CGI is also providing its
services to the Canadian Federal Government's Secure Channel project
and the Province of Ontario's on-line service delivery project. As
well, CGI's IT outsourcing experience will help BT to deliver
innovative implementation models that establish enhanced public
services leading to a more integrated approach to service delivery and
public administration.
The right fit
According to a recent study, Canada was selected as the world leader in
electronic government initiatives in creating a citizen-centric focus
as opposed to a government department approach. In Canada, CGI has
distinguished itself as a leader in helping governments meet their
objectives of providing better service by creating a secure
"single-window " for citizen to government services.
Pierre Danon, chief executive officer, BT Retail said, "BT Retail is
committed to working with world class partners to deliver effective
tailored solutions for our customers. We are delighted to link up with
such an exciting and highly respected partner as CGI and this bodes
well for our partnerships with local authorities."
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"The combined experience and expertise of BT Retail and CGI will
provide significant benefit to local authorities and assist them in
reaching e-government targets. We understand the benefits of learning
from initiatives outside the UK and we believe CGI is an ideal partner
to strengthen our existing knowledge and success in the Local
Government sector."
Michael Roach, president, Canada and Europe, CGI said, "Our Canadian
expertise will be adopted in the UK to be part of what we believe to be
the most comprehensive e-government initiative in the World. BT is an
outstanding partner with the knowledge and breadth to help their
customers meet the challenges set by the Central Government of the UK.
Around the world, all governments have the same mandate and we feel
confident that we have the vehicles, government know-how, professionals
and IT acumen to help them meet their needs."
A worldwide initiative
Governments everywhere are challenging their organizations to adopt
"on-line" channels as a catalyst for change. The goal of these
initiatives is to provide better service with operating savings, and
change the way governments do business.
BT's search for "best-of-breed" models from around the world to bring
to the UK, led them to the Service New Brunswick (SNB) approach, in the
Province of New Brunswick Canada, and to its functional and technical
architects CGI. Service New Brunswick not only provides
one-stop-shopping for 120 different services on behalf of 11 Government
Departments, but also provides access to transactions for some
Municipal Governments as well as linkages to the Canadian Federal
Government in a "joined up" government model.
A Gartner Group case study released in August 2001 entitled
Architecture of the Future: Service New Brunswick, showcased the
SNB-CGI model. To learn more, please visit www.cgi.ca.
The model
The experiences of both companies has been in integrating not only
traditional over-the-counter government service delivery and new
electronic service delivery channels, but also front office and back
office processes and functionality across multiple departments thus
providing single-window access for the citizen regardless of channel or
service request. CGI's approach has resulted in the deployment of
proven, scalable solutions providing a functional and technical
architecture that enables single-window, multi-channeled access.
About British Telecommunications PLC
Following the introduction of challenging government targets a few
years ago a number of groundbreaking partnerships have been developed
with innovative local authorities taking radical steps. BT is at the
centre of many of these partnerships, a fact supported by recent Kable
research findings placing BT as the emerging number one partner in
local government.
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Not only has BT experienced the culture and organisational change
facing local authorities but it can also provide the expertise and
solutions needed to make the transition required of the modernising
government agenda. BT has excelled in many of the areas local
government is now looking to change - customer service, flexible
working, internal communications, procurement, knowledge sharing, human
resources and property management - making it an ideal partner for
local government. www.bt.com
About CGI
Founded in 1976, CGI is the fourth largest independent information
technology services firm in North America, based on its headcount of
more than 13,000 professionals. CGI's annualized revenue run-rate
totals US$1.3 billion (CDN$2.0 billion). CGI's order backlog currently
totals US$6 billion (CDN$9.3 billion). CGI provides end-to-end IT
services and business solutions to more than 3,000 clients in the
United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, India, Japan, and
Australia from more than 60 offices in more than 20 countries. CGI's
shares are listed on the NYSE (GIB) and the TSE (GIB.A). They are
included in the TSE 100 Composite Index as well as the S&P/TSE Canadian
Information Technology and Canadian MidCap Indices. Website:
www.cgi.ca.
Forward-Looking Statements
All statements in this press release that do not directly and
exclusively relate to historical facts constitute "forward-looking
statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. These statements represent CGI Group Inc.'s
intentions, plans, expectations, and beliefs, and are subject to risks,
uncertainties, and other factors, of which many are beyond the control
of the Company. These factors could cause actual results to differ
materially from such forward-looking statements.
These factors include and are not restricted to the timing and size of
contracts, acquisitions and other corporate developments; the ability
to attract and retain qualified employees; market competition in the
rapidly-evolving information technology industry; general economic and
business conditions, foreign exchange and other risks identified in the
Management's Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) in CGI Group Inc.'s Annual
Report or Form 40-F filed with the SEC, the Company's Annual
Information Form filed with the Canadian securities commissions, on the
Registration Statement on Form F-4 filed with the SEC in connection
with the acquisition of IMRglobal and with the Forms 10-K and 10-Q of
IMRglobal filed with the SEC for the periods ended December 31, 2000
and March 31, 2001 respectively. All of the risk factors included in
these filed documents are included here by reference. CGI disclaims any
intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise.
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For more information:
BT
Helen Philpott or Mindy Marter
JBA Public Relations
(01372) 734200 or 077 188 93166
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CGI:
Investor relations
USA
Julie Creed
Vice-president, investor relations
(312) 201-1911
Canada
Ronald White
Director, investor relations
(514) 841-3230
Media relations
Eileen Murphy
Director, media relations
(514) 841-3430
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
CGI GROUP INC.
(Registrant)
Date: October 17, 2001 By /s/ Paule Dore
Name: Paule Dore
Title: Executive Vice President
and Chief Corporate Officer
and Secretary