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BBC switches over to Xansa     Xansa has won preferred supplier status with the BBC for outsourced finance and accounting (F&A) services, following a competitive bid against Capita, Infosys BPO and the current incumbent EDS.    The contract, worth around £85m over 10 years, will be one of the most prominent F&A deals let to date and will save the BBC in excess of     £200m over the life time of the contract, equivalent to 1.5 million licence fees. This will be a major contribution to the BBC's strategy to minimise the cost of its support services and release more money into its creative output.    Working closely with BBC Finance, Xansa will deliver finance and accounting services across the BBC, including     purchasing and sales transaction processing, artist and contributor payments, financial management and project accounting, payroll processing and expenses. As prime contractor Xansa will also be working with Siemens Business Services to provide infrastructure, applications support and customer service facilities.        Xansa will provide the services from a blend of locations in the UK and India. All voice contact will remain in the UK, with other services, including transaction processing, to be carried out at Xansa's award-winning F&A shared service centre in Chennai, India. The BBC will therefore benefit from Xansa's integrated delivery capability -     enjoying the advantages of value and proven expertise, whilst maintaining onshore customer service.    The new contract is expected to be signed in November, with Xansa taking over responsibility for the services in July 2007.

BearingPoint withdraws 2006 revenue forecast     BearingPoint, which reported preliminary results for 2005 and an update on its second-quarter performance, said higher-than-expected accounting and finance charges will result in 2006 operating income falling "significantly below" the low end of its previous guidance.    The firm also said it will delay filing its annual 10-K financial report for fiscal 2005, after a New York state court ruled the company     from the first quarter. BearingPoint withdrew its previous 2006 guidance due to the uncertainties related to the default ruling.    With respect to revenue, Harry You, BearingPoint CEO, said: "Before the uncertainty created by the recent court decision and the issues it has raised, we were on track to meet our previously disclosed 2006 revenue guidance."    BearingPoint said it hopes to become current with its SEC filings by     late spring of 2007, at the earliest.    The court found BearingPoint failed to file certain SEC reports on time, thereby defaulting on the debenture. The court said the amount of damages to the series B debentures would be determined at trial at a later date.    In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said it will appeal the court's decision.    "We respectfully but strongly disagree with     the decision not to dismiss this claim and are appealing the order. It is important to note the court did not order an acceleration of the debentures nor grant the request to award damages," said You. "The new uncertainties and risks created by this lawsuit are unacceptable to the company, our lenders, our other debentures holders, shareholders, and employees."           was in default on its 2.75% series B convertible subordinated debentures due 2024.    Preliminary 2005 unaudited results show gross revenue grew about 1% to $3.4bn. BearingPoint is forecasting a 2005 loss of $650m to $720m.    For this year's second quarter, bookings were $811m, down only slightly

CSC gets extension on Whitbread outsourcing contract     Computer Sciences Corporation has signed a new IT outsourcing contract with Whitbread Group Plc valued at approximately $48m, expanding total contract value to approximately $222m since 2000.    Under this new five-and-a-half-year agreement, which supersedes the current contract signed in 2004, CSC will provide India-based applications     March 2012.    "Over recent years, Whitbread Group has undergone significant change in terms of acquisitions, divestitures, integration and growth," said Ben Wishart, Whitbread group IT director. "After a thorough review of our operations, we felt that the previous contractual arrangements were fit for a different Whitbread and that change was required.     It is a credit to CSC that they were able to present a more flexible model.”    Vanessa Reed, director of CSC's UK retail and leisure group, said: "This new agreement represents a considerable change in operating model and provides flexibility, a different cost structure and a platform for growing the relationship in the future."        Whitbread is a UK hospitality company, managing businesses in the budget hotels, restaurant and health & fitness sectors, including Premier Travel Inn, Brewers Fayre, Beefeater, Costa, TGI Friday's and David Lloyd Leisure.           support through its World Sourcing operation.    CSC will continue to provide desktop support for all of Whitbread's central information systems and technology, including data centre services, e-mail, Internet and intranet. The new contract extends all services through