Cognos, an Ottawa, Canada-based provider of performance management software for HR, finance, and other corporate services , is being acquired by IBM in an all-cash transaction at for $5 billion. The sale is expected to close in the first quarter of 2008. IBM is one of the largest providers of HRO and FAO services globally.

Xansa, the outsourcing and technology company, has been awarded a $256 million, six-year extension of its business process outsourcing contract with BT until March 2014. The service provider will continue to manage BT’s U.K. operations for finance and accounting transaction processing, including ledger and payroll services, through a combination of Xansa’s onshore and offshore capabilities in service centers in the U.K. and India.

ICS Computing , a U.K.-based provider of payroll outsourcing services, has won a human resource outsourcing (HRO) contract from Victor Chandler International, a Gibraltar-based online gambling company. The duration and financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Globalsourcingnow.com has reported that German IT services provider TDS will provide BPO and IT services to Bahlsen, a Hanover, Germany-based cookie manufacturer. The duration and financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

TDS will provide a wide range of BPO services, including payroll processing for its 2,200 employees in Germany starting in July. The company will process monthly payroll transactions, maintain, and upgrade software applications depending on new legislation and collective pay agreements.

ATLANTA–based Equifax will acquire St. Louis-based HRO provider TALX in a $1.4 billion stock and cash deal. If completed, this would be the biggest acquisition of an HRO service provider ever. The deal is expected to close within the next two quarters.
    
According to the companies, the acquisition is aligned with Equifax’s long-term growth strategy of expanding into new markets and acquiring proprietary data sources. The purchase also adds a strong management team to the consumer credit reporting and information management services company.

FAO service provider 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 $160 million over 10 years, will be one of the most prominent F&A deals let to date and will save the BBC in excess of $375 million during the life of the contract. This will be a major contribution to the BBC’s strategy to minimize the cost of its support services and release more money into their creative output.  

MINNEAPOLIS, October 9, 2006 – Ceridian Corporation (NYSE: CEN) today announced that it has appointed Kathryn V. Marinello President and Chief Executive Officer, effective October 20, 2006. Ms. Marinello, most recently President of General Electric Fleet Services, will succeed Ronald L. Turner. She will be elected to the Ceridian Board of Directors at the next meeting of the Board.

Ceridian Signs 100th Payroll International Client

The Fortum Group, an energy company serving the Nordic and Baltic Rim regions in Europe, has decided to buy payroll management services in Norway and Sweden from Sweden-based Personec AB. The services will be introduced in Norway on March 1 and in Sweden on April 1. Personec will handle the payroll calculation of 3,600 Fortum employees as well as related functions.

Business application vendor SAP AG is extending its Safe Passage maintenance and migration program to BPO (business process outsourcing) service providers running PeopleSoft and J.D. Edwards (JDE) applications, the company said Thursday.

The new offer is aimed at BPO companies that obtain a license directly from the vendor, according to Christian Baader, vice president of BPO activities at SAP. "With this extended offer, we are targeting BPO service providers that are currently licensed to provide PeopleSoft and JDE applications but interested in migrating to SAP," he said.